David Baskerville Sheets
1939 - 2000 (60 years)
Generation: 1
1. David Baskerville Sheets was born on 23 Aug 1939 in Upland, San Bernardino County, California; died on 31 May 2000 in Irvine, Orange County, California; was buried in Fairhaven Memorial Park, Santa Ana, Orange County, California. Other Events:
- Occupation: artist, furniture designer, art gallery owner
Notes:
LKH note:
In 1980 David Sheets changed his surname to include his wife's surname: David Stary-Sheets.
David Stary-Sheets; Furniture Designer, Art Dealer
David Stary-Sheets, 60, former creator of custom furniture who became an art dealer and expert on the California Regionalist movement. The son of premier Southern California realist painter Millard Sheets, he had operated Stary-Sheets Fine Art Gallery with his wife, Susan, for the last decade. First in Irvine and since 1996 in Laguna Beach, the gallery focused on his custom furniture and on work by the California Regionalist or California Style artists who worked largely in watercolors in the 1920s through ‘40s. Stary-Sheets became a prominent figure in the arts community--lecturing, writing widely and acting as curator for exhibits on the Realist painters. The couple lent paintings from their own collection to boost new museums such as the Irvine Fine Arts Center in 1993 and in 1997-98 were curators of “California Style: 1930s and ‘40s.” That exhibit, organized for the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, was also displayed at the Orange County Museum of Art and the Ventura County Museum of History and Art. Born in Claremont, David Sheets was educated at the Webb School, Claremont Men’s College, Chaffey College and San Diego State. He worked briefly as a loan officer and built custom homes before turning to designing and building furniture. In the 1970s he co-founded a furniture company, Woodworks Builds Dynamite Furniture, based in Ontario, Calif. Sheets hyphenated his surname after marrying Susan Stary in 1980. The couple, who started an art gallery when they lived in Northern California, were active in several arts and cultural groups in Orange County. Among those was Stop-Gap, a theatrical company dealing with social problems. Stary-Sheets was a co-founder of the Fine Art Dealers Assn. and served as president of the national group from 1994 to 1996. On May 31 in Irvine.
Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California. 7 June 2000.
David Stary-Sheets
An Anchor Bay memorial service is pending for David Stary-Sheets, a noted art dealer and former Gualala resident, who died at his home in Irvine on May 31, at the age of 60.
Born August 23, 1939, in Claremont, California, he graduated from Webb School for Boys and attended Claremont Mens College, Chaffey College, and San Diego State University. After college, he built custom homes and began designing and building furniture. In 1980, he married Susan Stary and moved to Gualala where he crafted one-of-a-kind custom furniture for clients, both locally and nationally.
Through his close relationship with his artist father, the late Millard Sheets, and exposure to the artists in Southern California, he developed special appreciation for the field of art history known as California Regionalism, which focused on art in California in the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s. He became a recognized authority in that field, and he and his wife Susan opened Stary-Sheets Fine Art in Gualala, which specialized in the California Regionalists. The gallery also showcased David’s custom furniture.
While living in Gualala, David Stary-Sheets was a strong supporter of Gualala Arts, chairing several shows and helping to create the Gualala Arts Center.
In 1990, David Stary-Sheets became a full-time art dealer. He and Susan relocated the Stary-Sheets Find Art Gallery to Southern California, first in Irvine, and then in Laguna Beach.
He also c-founded the Fine Art Dealers Association, with members nationwide. He served as president for two years.
Mr. Stary-Sheets is survived by his wife of 20 years, Susan Stary-Sheets; his son, David Revel Sheets; daughter, Peggy Swegle and son-in law Randy Swegle and their children Caitlyn and Max Swegle; brothers Owen Sheets and his wife Jacqueline Brittain, Tony Sheets and his wife Flower, sister Carolyn Owen-Towle and husband Tom, 22 nieces and nephews, and 12 great-nieces and nephers.
In addition to a memorial service to be scheduled at Barking Rocks in Anchor Bay, a memorial service will be held in mid-summer at Scripps College.
Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, California. Friday, 9 June 2000.
Buried:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99472242/david-stary-sheets