Between the late 1950s and the early 1970s Carl Barks had a long transitional period in which he slowly turned from working full-time on comic book stories to working full-time on oil paintings. He started to paint with watercolour, gouache, and oil under the supervision of his wife, Garé, who was a very skilled landscape painter. This page presents you to a selection of Barks' early paintings.

Disclaimer:
During the first years Barks painted in watercolour (and sometimes in gouache which is a type of watercolour) ● None of these paintings received registrations, i.e. codings, and sometimes they even lacked titles and production years ● It has been crucial to present the artworks best possible, but you shall have to accept that some of the information gathered may not be fully correct ● The measurements of the chosen paintings are not to scale but merely proximated to better fit into the panels ● The paintings are not displayed in chronological order.

Trinity Lutheran Church, Hemet Calif. 1966 Watercolour on paper 190x140mm (7.5x5.5")	Last Citizen 1956 Watercolour 360x250mm (14x10")
Episcopal Church, Hemet, Cal. 1959 Gouache on illustration board 190x165mm (7.5x6.5")	(Untitled) 1959 Gouache on illustration board 190x165mm (7.5x6.5")
(Untitled - portrait of actress Hedy Lamarr) Circa 1950 Watercolour on illustration paper 230x320mm (9x12.5")	(Untitled) Early 1950s Watercolour on illustration paper 220x250mm (8.75x9.75")
Twenty Below 1950s Gouache on illustration paper 410x300mm (16x12")	(Untitled) 1959 Watercolour on illustration board 225x180mm (9x7")
(Untitled) ? Watercolour on paper 160x110mm (6.25x4.25")	(Untitled) ? Watercolour on paper 160x110mm (6.25x4.25")
(Untitled) ? Gouache on paper 130x150mm (5x6")	(Untitled) ? Gouache on paper 130x150mm (5x6")
(Untitled) ? Gouache on paper 140x240mm (5.50x9.50")	(Untitled) 1950s
(Untitled) 1950s Watercolour	Study Sausalito 1960s Watercolour on paper
(Untitled) 1950s Watercolour	(Untitled) 1966 Watercolour on board 180x130mm (7x5")
Oregon Cannery 1952/1953 Watercolour on paper 275x360mm (11x14")	Dawn in Diamond Valley 1963 Watercolour 360x250mm (14x10")

Canyon Morning 1954 Watercolour on paper 480x330mm (19x13")   This painting is the first from which we have some initial colour studies left in Barks' files. The final painting was given as a present to a grandchild.
(Study)	(Study)	(Study)