Al Sprague: His Life and Work

This volume seeks to document the life and artistic career of Al Sprague, an artist born in Panama to American parents. Al Sprague has dedicated over seven decades of his career to the creation of artwork in multiple media including painting and sculpture. He has dedicated the majority of his work to capturing the beauty of Panama, its culture, and people.

Three sections of this book provide a complete overview of Al Sprague’s life and work. Section One, The Life of Al Sprague, is a biography exploring the story of an artist raised in the Panama Canal Zone who shared the beauty of Panama and its people in exquisite imagery. This section examines the main stages of Sprague’s life, his early years, his first incursion in the arts, and his family. These episodes include his artistic training in the U.S. and his return to Panama, his years dedicated to studio art teaching in the Panama Canal Zone, and his career as a professional artist. Section Two: The Work of Al Sprague consists of a compendium of over 100 pieces of artwork spanning from his first painting in 1956 to some of his most recent work in 2021. In addition, commentary by the artist, collectors, and family provide an insight into Sprague and his artwork. Section Three is an essay written by one of Panama’s premier art historians, Orlando Hernandez-Ying, Ph.D.