The appraised work appears to be a set of three watercolor paintings executed by American artist Peter Kitchell (b. 1950) in 1992. The paintings are all abstract reminiscent of color field painting, similar in style to Mark Rothko. The works are signed, dated, and titled at lower right. Kitchell took an early interest in art and design, and was encouraged by his parents, who were both architects. The family moved from New Hampshire to San Francisco, and he began studying at the Museum of Modern Art and De Young Museum. During the 1960s, he studied with Rolf Penn, who was a former Bauhaus student under Kandinsky and Klee. After completing his studies, Kitchell went abroad, and his paintings often reference the cultures he absorbed during his travels. His work is included in the corporate collections of AT&T, Dean Witter & Co., Stanford University, Bank of America, and IBM Corporation.

The estimate provided is based on comparables offered and sold at auction. In the last five years, approximately ten of the artist’s watercolors have come up for sale. Overall, the results appear fairly consistent, with works typically selling within or below their low presale estimates. The subject work’s size (based on photographs and comparables), compositional complexity, condition (based on photographs), as well as the artist’s current auction market were taken into consideration when determining the estimate. In many cases, pricing for similar examples available on the primary (retail) market vary, and are often higher than secondary (auction) market examples.