Henry Lawrence Faulkner (Kentucky, 1924-1981), mixed media painting on paper with watercolor/gouache; abstract tree of life rendered in vivid shades of red, orange, purple and gold with gilt highlights on a blue background. Float mounted on a gilt mat with weathered wood frame. Signed lower center and inscribed "For the Steiners 1970". 21-3/4" x 17-1/4" sight, 26" x 21" framed. Biography (courtesy Askart: The Artists' Bluebook): Orphaned as a child, Henry Faulkner showed early artistic ability, which led to a scholarship to the Louisville School of Art. He later studied with Millard Sheets, Margaret Montgomery and Pierre Sicard at the Los Angeles County Art Institute. His eccentric and flamboyant life included a stint in a Washington, DC psychiatric facilility where he became friends with fellow patient Ezra Pound; in 1959, he formed a lifelong friendship with the playwright Tennessee Williams, who called him "a brilliant poet and artist." Faulkner divided his time between Lexington and Key West, but exhibited his work in New York, Ohio, Florida, and in Paris. He was killed in an auto accident in 1981. Provenance: the collection of Stephen and Lisa Steiner Small, Nashville, Tennessee; given to Mrs. Small's parents by the artist in 1970. Condition: Appears to be in excellent condition, not examined out of frame. Condition: Appears to be in excellent condition, not examined out of frame.