Demuth Rediscovered

When a lost work of art is discovered in some dusty attic or yard sale, it's big news. While my story won't make the papers, I'm excited that after twelve years, my last remaining "Demuth Tobacco Shop" prints were found, safe and sound. Here's the story of my long and, until recently, frustrating efforts to find them.

First, some background. I made the original oil painting for several reasons: I would sometimes buy cigars there for my wife and me to smoke on vacations while drinking a glass of rum and watching for "The Green Flash."¹ I was struck by the sense of history; founded in 1770 during the rule of King George III and run by the Demuth family for over 250 years, it was our country's oldest continuously operating tobacco shop. The owners had preserved the beautiful dark wood paneling and displayed objects preserved from early in the store's existence. It was a place where people from all walks of life met to talk and smoke together, and as far as I knew, no one had ever painted the shop. I made arrangements with a photographer, convinced my wife and my friend Joey to pose out front, and started painting.

On selling the painting, I got the buyer's permission to make and sell a limited edition of prints. This meant that after selling those prints, no more would be available. After speaking with the president of the Demuth Foundation, I donated one print to the Foundation and put four prints into the shop to be sold on consignment. Unfortunately, the shop manager was unable to maintain the store and it was abruptly closed. When I contacted the new Foundation manager about retrieving my prints, I was told they were nowhere to be found. I wrote numerous letters to the Foundation, all to no avail. Over the years, I sold the remaining prints still in my possession and assumed that the fate of the others would remain a mystery.

Then, in October of 2022 I got a phone call from my buddy Joey, the guy lighting my wife's cigar in the painting. He told me that one of the prints was on display in the tobacco shop window. The next day, I drove downtown, saw the print, and went into the Demuth Gallery. I told the person at the desk that they had my artwork in the window. She asked what artwork I was talking about, so we went outside and I pointed out the print with my clearly visible signature I told her the story of my missing prints and asked where the others were. She wasn't sure, but told me she'd talk to the manager and get back in a few days. Not long afterward, I got a call; the prints, as well as my letter donating one print and putting the others on consignment, had been found! She asked what I'd like to do; I told her I'd come collect them the next day, which I did.

1 "GREEN FLASH"- An optical phenomenon that occurs when conditions are favorable that appears at the horizon line of water and sky. Scientifically: as the sun sets into the Caribbean, the water and sky act as a prism and a flash seems to occur. Romantically, for the Artist's sake: The water puts out the the flame of the last sliver of sun; best enjoyed while drinking rum, this provides an excellent end to a day. The "Flash" is real; for more information, please refer to "Grillz Ah Blaze at Da Reef" in Oil Paintings and click on "The story behind the painting."

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