Golden's speciality was portraits and various southwestern landscapes and still lifes in watercolor, but he also executed some oils and woodblock prints of the desert.

Born in Upshur County, West Virginia on February 3, 1889, Golden studied at the Corcoran School of Art, The Pennsylvania Academy as well as under J.J. Gould and C.D. Mitchell. 

From 1920 to 1930, Golden maintained a studio in Philadelphia where he illustrated book covers and magazines for the Saturday Evening Post, Country Gentlemen, Etude and Pictorial Review.  It was during this period that he pioneered the use of transparent watercolor for production in advertising.  Golden went on to develop and master the use of transparent watercolor to a rare degree of perfection. 

Golden moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1936, and within a year of his arrival, Golden was active in the local art organizations including the founding of the Southern Arizona School of Art in 1949 where he served as co-director and instructor.  After an illness, Golden died in Tucson on February 5, 1976, and was laid to rest in Clarksburg, West Virginia. 

His exhibitions included the Corcoran Gallery of Art, National Academy, Art Institute of Chicago, Mystic Art Association, American Watercolor Society, Pennsylvania Academy, Tucson Fine Arts Association and the Arizona State Fair.  A retrospective exhibition was held at Covington Fine Arts in 1999.

His work is represented in many collections including the Tucson Museum of Art and Phoenix Art Museum.

Source:
Compiled and submitted by Wayne Kielsmeier