Five original watercolor paintings by Captain Lester Jay Stone, U.S. Navy (Ret.), on sale at “The 1895 Church of Art” Gallery to benefit the steeple restoration on the historical building – the first community church built in Stuart in 1895
Lester Jay Stone was born on July 8, 1911, in Washington state. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, he spent over 30 years in the US Navy. Stone witnessed the U.S.S. Shaw explode during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and conversely, he witnessed the Japanese surrender at Kyushu. He later commanded the Naval Air Facility at Opama to help the Japanese rebuild their air force. He was awarded The Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Emperor of Japan; an honor rarely afforded a foreigner.
As the executive officer of the carrier Sicily, he saw action in the Korean War. Stone was also Commander of the Naval Air Station, Memphis, Tenn., and Inspector General of the Navy. His career in the Navy encompassed 30 years of innovation and contributions to the development of carrier aviation. The results are still employed by today’s Naval, Army, and Air Force pilots. Stone was decorated with the Bronze Star.
Upon retirement, Stone returned to his early interest in art. He studied under the renowned Italian sculptor, Oscar Gallo, at the Academia Delle Belle Arti, Florence, Italy. He then spent considerable time in Marbella, Spain, where he concentrated on portraits and local scenes. Some of his finest work evolved from this period. The most notable is “The Sea,” a painting of the blue Mediterranean. Among the countless high points of his career as an artist are: first, the acceptance by the Japanese Watercolor Society of his painting of a Japanese shrine on Eno Shima, a small island. It was the first painting by a foreigner ever selected by the Society; and, second, a portrait of the Shah of Iran commissioned by the shah’s first cousin, Khosro Afshar.
Stone’s paintings are in many private, public and corporate collections, including the permanent collections of the United States Capitol Rotunda, the United States Naval Academy, and the United States Department of Defense.
Stone was a Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists, Salmagundi Club and National Arts Club in New York, West Coast Watercolor Society, Baltimore Watercolor Society, and the Maryland Federation of Art.
Captain Lester Jay Stone, U.S. Navy (Ret.), passed away on July 10, 2012.
www.uss-bennington.org
lesterjaystone.com
Please contact Olga Hamilton: olgahamiltonfineart@gmail.com
The proceeds from the sales of fine art benefit the historical building of the first community church, also known as the Pioneer Church, built in Stuart in 1895. the oldest church building in Martin County – 311 SW 3rd Street, Stuart, FL 34994. Phone: (772) 708-2968
The First Black Law Enforcement Officers in Stuart, Martin County, Florida
A Cheap Way To Live. How a Florida Man Saves Money and Grows Rich – 1894
Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge, Stuart, Martin County, Florida
How and when Potsdam was changed to Stuart, Florida
Mornings on Main Street
Original Fine Art in historic Downtown Stuart, Martin County, Florida
Contemporary tactile art by Horst Mueller, Stuart, Martin County, Florida.
Louis C. and William D. McFarlan
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