Then and Now -- Seymour Thomas's Studio

THEN -- When Seymour and Helen Thomas moved to the Crescenta Valley in 1915, the famous artist was making a very good living painting portraits of the rich and famous of that era. Millionaires such as the Carnegies and Chandlers made huge demands on the artist's schedule, keeping him working long hours with his paints and brushes in his studio. So how did the artist relax in his rare, off hours? He painted, of course! For relaxation, Seymour Thomas enjoyed producing small landscapes, often in his own backyard, of his lushly wooded property just off Rosemont Avenue a block above Foothill Boulevard. Here he is seen in the 1920s outside his beautiful stone studio working at his easel as his wife, Helen, looks on.20051209ir56d2knFrom the Archieves of the Crescenta Valley Historical Society(LA)NOW -- When Seymour Thomas died in 1956, his acreage was sold to developers. The Mormon Church acquired a large parcel of the Thomas land, and this beautiful church was built several years later. The La Crescenta Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints sits on or near the spot that the artist's studio had been.20051209ir5698kn(LA)THEN -- When Seymour and Helen Thomas moved to the Crescenta Valley in 1915, the famous artist was making a very good living painting portraits of the rich and famous of that era. Millionaires such as the Carnegies and Chandlers made huge demands on the artist's schedule, keeping him working long hours with his paints and brushes in his studio. So how did the artist relax in his rare, off hours? He painted, of course! For relaxation, Seymour Thomas enjoyed producing small landscapes, often in his own backyard, of his lushly wooded property just off Rosemont Avenue a block above Foothill Boulevard. Here he is seen in the 1920s outside his beautiful stone studio working at his easel as his wife, Helen, looks on.