‘Saratoga Creek, Wildwood Park’ by Donald Geoffroy, Large Watercolor Landscape

Signed, lower right, “Geoffroy” for Donald Geoffroy (American, 1908-2007), dated 2000, and inscribed verso “Saratoga Creek.”

A large, Post-Impressionist watercolor showing Saratoga Creek in winter.

Donald Geoffroy was born in San Jose on February 15, 1908. Donald’s family owned and operated the Garden City Brewery on North San Pedro Street and Bassett Street in San Jose where they brewed steam beer and delivered it by horse and wagon. Dissolved in 1919 due to the Volstead Act, the Garden City Brewery reopened in 1934 and served as bottler and distributor for the mighty Fredericksburg Brewery located on Cinnabar Street in San Jose. Don worked at the Garden City Brewery where they bottled popular labels including Old Joe’s Steam Beer and Ritz Lager and Steam. Later Don joined the Fredericksburg Brewery and was promoted to Plant Manager. Fredericksburg Brewery was renamed Wielands Brewery and eventually purchased by Falstaff. In 1953, Don and his wife Alice opened a store named Geoffroys, a gift and furniture store in downtown Los Gatos which they owned and operated until 1991. Don and Alice build a home in Saratoga where they lived from 1948 until 2002. Donald was an avid watercolorist who successfully exhibited his landscapes of Saratoga and Hawaii.