Signed lower left, 'Marshall Thomas' for Marshall F. Thomas, (American, 1916-2011), and painted circa 1945. An elegantly composed and atmospheric view of a California Main Street shimmering in the rain. Born in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, Marshall Thomas moved to California after serving in WW2. He lived first, in Northern California before moving to Solvang. Nancy Moure describes him as "a talented artist who captured the beauty of the Valley in many of his works". Thomas exhibited at the Laguna Beach Art Association and is listed in Moure's Index to California Art. Source: Nancy Dustin Moure, "Publications in California Art No. 11 , Index to California Art Exhibited at the Laguna Beach Art Association, 1918-1972; 2015 edition"