William Persona
1903 - 1996
Born in West Virginia on April 12, 1903. A painter, art teacher and cartoonist, William Persona (né William A. Parsons) completed over 4000 paintings. He studied in Chicago at the Academy of Fine Arts, and in the 1920s moved to Los Angeles to study at the Otis Art Institute. He was a cartoonist for the "Hollywood Citizen News" and an artist for the "Long Beach Telegram". He also created masks for motion picture studios and taught in the public schools in Los Angeles and Mexico.
A frequent traveler, Persona lived in Maui, Hawaii and in Australia where he worked for the "Sydney Daily" newspaper. Upon returning to Hollywood in the 1930s, he made props for the movie studios. He was a resident of Laguna Beach until 1972. Leaving California, he retired to Hawaii and died on Maui on April 30, 1996.
Source:
Askart.com
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California Before 1940"
Desert Art Center, Palm Springs
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