Waiting (Submarine)

John Burton Norall

In the late 20th century John Norall worked on a series of watercolors he collectively titled “Waiting,” comprising several images of people in a state of suspended activity. Sitting at a bus stop, perched on a pier with a fishing pole, anticipating the angle of an incoming tennis ball, etc. It is evident that Norall was intrigued by the state of in-between, where a person is caught for a brief moment - or even, sometimes, for several hours - in stasis, allowing an outside observer to wonder what the figures in the scene are thinking; what compels them to continue to wait?

In this compostion Norall depicts a submarine that has surfaced in a rough sea. Four sailors have emerged and are standing on the external hull, scanning the waters with binoculars in search of some object. A fifth man stands ready at a deck gun while at the horizon another submarine is visible. They all wait.

John Norall was born in North Platte, Nebraska on December 27, 1920. Norall studied at the University of Nebraska, graduating in 1942. He immediately enlisted in the Coast Guard during WWII and spent 5 years there, serving in the Pacific theater where he worked as a Combat Artist. After the war Norall had a long career as an advertising designer and art director at the international BBDO agency in San Francisco. During this time he created hundreds of ads and illustrations and travelled internationally.

Norall married Charlene Husband in 1947 in San Francisco and they moved to Mill Valley, California until moving up to Santa Rosa after his retirement. Norall's work is included in many private collections around the country. Other exhibitions have included the National Gallery and the National Press Club in Washington D.C., The Coast Guard Academy, Mystic Seaport Museum, San Francisco Maritime Museum, Coast Guard Foundation, University of Nebraska, Denali Park Hotels, and The Bay Model Gallery.

John Burton Norall died in Santa Rosa, California on January 28, 2024 at age 104.