Paul Norton (artist)

Paul N. Norton (February 15, 1909 in Moline, Illinois – 1984) was an American artist. The son of a railway clerk, Norton painted more than 500 watercolors in his career, and moreover created many memorable logos for companies such as Dairy Queen, Pella Windows, and others. His paintings can be found hanging in the White House, U.S. Capitol, the Iowa Governor's Mansion, and Tahoma Vista Village accompanied by others.

While Paul N. Norton won prestigious national commissions and traveled extensively in Europe, he may be best remembered as a master of the familiar. He painted subjects near and dear to himself and the fellow members of his midwest community known as the Quad Cities - Mississippi River scenes, local historic landmarks, churches, schools, and parks. His paintings were reproduced by the thousands, often as part of local business promotions for a public passionate to own a fragment of his artwork.
His most popular works combine paintings of the Delta Queen, Lone Star, and Quinlan riverboats, the Lincoln Memorial and U.S. Capitol Buildings. His first federally commissioned appear in was presented to Congress in 1971, and he went upon to ration an audience later President Ronald Reagan in 1981 even if presenting a painting of the White House.

Paul married Lucy McClean in 1935 and started a associates that included two sons, John and Nile, and a daughter, Lynn. 1935 after that brought the first sale of one of his paintings, a put it on called "Clearing the Way" which focused on a snow plow start up a cold, lonely Iowa road.

Paul N. Norton's paintings span a wide range of subjects from across the globe. But his greatest present was in capturing the essence of activity in a community upon the Mississippi River, and his legacy lives on in his art that is enjoyed throughout the world to this day.