The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 9, 2026

A vertically oriented etching in black ink uses fine, dense hatching to depict a gnarled pine tree clinging to a rocky cliff. Its twisted branches reach across the sky toward six birds flying in a row over the water. Dark, splotchy foliage clusters at the base of the cliffs, while faint, distant rock formations rise from the sea. The artist's signature and title appear in cursive in the bottom margin.

Pines and Pelicans

1938

Gene Kloss

(American, 1903–1996)
America
etching
Sheet: 36.8 x 29.2 cm (14 1/2 x 11 1/2 in.)
Gift from Gwen Fate and Kevin Henegar 2023.34
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Gene Kloss perfected a unique technique of directly applying acid to an etching plate with brushes, which she called “painting.”

Description

A native of California, Gene Kloss lived between Taos, New Mexico, and the Bay Area, making landscapes of both regions. Technically innovative, she developed a technique of painting on an etching plate with brushes and pencils to create subtle tones and gradations of dark in works such as this, featuring the California coast.
  • {{cite web|title=Pines and Pelicans|url=false|author=Gene Kloss|year=1938|access-date=09 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2023.34