Bette: Lost and Found

I do know where many of my sold works are located.  However, I had lost track of Bette.  The current owner of the (32"x40") powdered graphite and pencil drawing recently contacted me.  Originally sold in Philadelphia, PA in 1979, today it is located deep in the Florida Keys. The photo above doesn't do it justice as the drawing has much more clarity, contrast, and detail than this image indicates. By comparison, I'm posting a photo that I took of Marlin Brando currently residing at Characters Pub in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. it is also 32" x 40" as are all the old powdered graphite drawings.

Bette's owner loves the drawing, but is having a difficult time financially, and wants to sell it. She inquired how much it might be worth. I explained that in the early 1980's when I had my "15 minutes" these over-sized iconic images sold at galleries in New York, Philadelphia and Lancaster for $1200.00 each. However, having never achieved anything resembling national or international fame the Hyper-Real artworks have not increased in value. I did not offer to buy the drawing back, though I worry, much as a parent might worry about a grown child who is out in the world and running into difficulties.

If by chance anyone is interested in purchasing the drawing, please let me know and I will put you in contact with the owner.

Madonna Update

After two more weeks this is the current state of the painting, and it isn’t half finished. It is taking much longer than I had expected, and I won’t be able to work on it again until we are settled in Florida. Ah well, as a dear friend has so often said, "such is life." It will happen and meanwhile I will post about other artwork .

Madonna 10 days ago

The Christmas and New Year holidays have gotten in the way of completion. I have accomplished more work in the past week-and-one-half, but it feel like slow motion. Upon first glance the painting appears to be less complex than the other portraits.  However, I’ve already mixed 10 more colors in bottles, and at least 5 more on the palette. That means I will be remixing those 5 many times and making many more. I’ve also encountered several mistakes in draftsmanship and had to adjust as I work with the paint. I worked for 5 hours today and finished Madonna’s right eye. So, tomorrow I will pick out some large less complicated areas to paint so that I can feel more accomplished. And, all this is foundation. I must work colors back and forth across the mapped lines in order to finish the painting.

I just read over this entry and thought, "oh my!"

Never the less, I will finish the painting within the next two weeks, and I know I will be pleased in the end!