Painting took him ‘someplace’

When he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II, Milford Zornes’ duties were unlike those of his companions.

The now-99-year-old Oklahoma native spent more than two years touring in Burma, India and China as an artist for the War Department, painting military action, landscapes and portraits of Army personnel and other important figures, including a Chinese warlord.

“There was a company of us and all of the sudden, without really knowing why or how, I was called out and made part of a group of 42 military and civilian artists sent to different theaters of war all over the world,” said Zornes, who was already an established artist when he was drafted at 36.

“This was certainly an adventure in travel that I welcomed because I suppose all I’ve ever really wanted is to go someplace.”

Many of the drawings and paintings from Zornes’ Army career are housed in the Pentagon as property of the U.S. government, but a selection of those works released back to the artist will be on public display at 19th Street West Gallery in Costa Mesa.

The “World War II Paintings and Drawings” exhibition opens with an artist’s reception Saturday.

“It’s an obligation and a pleasure to bring him here to show his works at this point in his life,” said gallery co-owner Frank Gutierrez. “It’s an important exhibit and one that should be seen.”

Raised on a homestead by pioneers, Zornes learned to draw, read and write at home. His formal art training came years later, when he moved to California to attend San Fernando High School.

He went on to attend Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and later taught at Pomona College in addition to leading watercolor workshops all over the world.

“In college, I made the determination to be a professional artist because that was the only thing I could earn at,” Zornes said. “I’ve been surviving as an artist ever since.”

Along with fellow painter Millard Sheets, Zornes was a member of the California Style watercolor movement, which presented a “fresh and down-to-earth point of view.” “We were all young Californians with a different point of view than what was happening on the East Coast,” he said.

Though he is known as a watercolorist, Zornes also painted with oils and many of his works hang in prestigious locations such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the White House and the Library of Congress.

Despite limited mobility and partial blindness, Zornes continues to paint each day at his studio home in Claremont, where he lives with his wife of 65 years, Patricia. No longer able to travel, he relies on old sketches or images tucked away in the depths of his mind for inspiration.

“I still feel like I am making a living as a painter,” said Zornes, who will celebrate his centennial in January. “Somehow or another, I have arrived at this venerable age having survived this art career.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: An artist’s reception for Milford Zornes

WHEN: 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday; the exhibit will remain on display through Oct. 20

WHERE: Mesa Art and Framing/19th Street West Gallery, 789 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa

COST: Free

INFO: Call (949) 548-3570.