Wayne La Com was born in Glendale, California in 1922. He grew up in Southern California and attended art schools in Los Angeles where he studied watercolor with Hardie Gramatky and Watson Cross. He studied in the Los Angeles area at Art Center School, Chouinard Art Institute, and Jepson Art Institute. He was a member of the California Watercolor Society.

In the 1940s he produced location pieces with views of suburban living including houses, people, and landscapes. Using transparent watercolors, he is considered as part of the "California Regional Scene Painter School". In the 1950s he studied further with Rico LeBrun and Guy McCoy. For eight years he worked with opaque watercolors producing mainly non objective abstract work.

After the 1950s he returned to painting primarily representational pieces with transparent watercolors. He painted in Europe and is well known for his paintings of Hawaii.

La Com taught art for 30 years, worked as a graphic designer, and operated an art gallery in Los Angeles which was known as a showplace for avant garde works by local Los Angeles artists.

Sources:
The information contained in this article is taken from the book The California Style by Gordon T. McClelland and Jay T. Last, published 1985 by Hillcrest Press, Inc. (out of print), and is based on a 1984 interview with artist Wayne La Com.

Submitted by Jesse A. Gayer

Biography provided courtesy of "California Watercolors 1850-1970" By Gordon T. McClelland and Jay T. Last.

Wayne La Com (1922- )... Born: Glendale, CA

Studied: Art Center School (Los Angeles), Chouinard Art Institute (Los Angeles), Jepson Art Institute (Los Angeles)

Member: California Water Color Society.

Wayne La Com grew up in Southern California and attended art schools in Los Angeles where he studied watercolor painting with Hardie Gramatky, Watson Cross, Rico Lebrun and Stanton MacDonald-Wright. During World War II, he worked with Hardie Gramatky producing illustration art for the war effort and after the war, spent a brief period in New York producing commercial art, By the late 1940s, he was back in Southern California and was receiving notoriety for the watercolors he produced. In 1965, he was elected president of the California Water Color Society.

La Com also taught art for thirty years, worked as a graphic designer, and operated an art gallery in Encino. When California Style watercolors were receiving attention in the 1960s, he was among the most prominent of the post World War 11 group. His watercolors often depict coastline subjects in California. In addition, he has produced a body of work painted on location in Hawaii, where he and his wife Diane have spent a great deal of time.

Biographical information:

Interview with Wayne La Com, 1984.

Listed WWAA 1956-62, per OMG.