Big Boy Paintings
Since the pandemic, lots of the auctions that I typically bid at on a weekly basis have moved online. One of my favorites uses Zoom for live bidding, while most others use online platforms like HiBid, AuctionZip, or LiveAuctioneers. The folly - or in this case, exciting surprise - of bidding on items from a screen, otherwise sight unseen, is that sometimes you don't really understand the scale of what you're buying. That's how I keep ending up with these absurdly massive oil on canvas paintings that even my massive barn has trouble holding. But there is something exhilarating about arriving to pick up the lots you've won from the auction houses and not knowing if the five foot tall painting you accidentally bought is going to fit in your car.
My favorite painting that I have picked up recently is this incredible artist study of the Roman Goddess Diana, patroness of the moon, among other things, and the Roman analog to the Greek Goddess Artemis. It is HUGE measuring in at nearly 4 feet by 5 feet. This painting is "done after" - meaning essentially that it is a later copy by an artist emulating an already established work - the peculiar 1550 original, done anonymously by a student of the School of Fontainebleau, that depicts the goddess with the face of Diane de Poitiers, a mistress of King Henry II. The painting is available in the shop for $825 shipped in the lower 48 states, but if you are local to Jaffrey, NH, we can work out a much better price (that goes for all of the paintings I'm showing you in this blog post.
I couldn't help but loose my mind cracking up when I arrived to pick up this next painting - an absurdly big oil on canvas painting of world's creepiest clown done in 1966, signed by the artist R. Jodoin (I found an artist with the same name in Canada, but I am not sure if this is her work). This thing is hilariously big, about three 3 feet by 4.5 feet. I mean who would ever want a creepy clown painting that big? Actually, I know the answer - me, I would want a creepy clown painting that big. So I bought one. If you want it too, you can own it for $350 shipped in the lower 48 states - its available in the shop here. Again, if you're local and can pick up or meet up, get in touch for a better price.
This next one was a bit of a sleeper - I bid on it online because I thought it looked kind of interesting, but didn't really give it much thought. When I saw it in person, I was blown away. Its definitely vintage, though probably done about 20 to 30s years ago, and man does it pack a punch. The giant face depicted in heavy globs of oil on this canvas is incredibly emotive and powerful, and you get a real sense of anger or grief or horror looking into its eyes. Not exactly a soothing presence, but still a cool piece of anonymous art, that, like the others, is comically oversized - this one measures in at nearly 3 feet by 4 feet. It is available in the shop for $225 shipped to the lower 48 states.
Lastly, and this one isn't a recent acquisition, I'm finally ready to find a home for one of the finest paintings I have ever owned, this Victorian era oil on canvas portrait of a haunting - dare I say witchy - middle aged woman that was done in Providence, Rhode Island at the M.V. Wilcox portrait studio. This painting, measuring 34" x 39," has hung in my parlor since I moved into my house early in 2020. It was one of the first things I hung up, and it has terrifying me nightly, as well as my guests, since then, with eyes that seem to follow you around the room. But I am so in love with my Diana the Huntress painting I talked about earlier in this post, that I think I would like to enjoy her in my home for some time. So this beautiful witch is up for grabs, available with shipping for $525 in the lower 48 US States.
I have been slowing way down on posting on my Instagram - partly because I haven't been buying that much, but more so because I am trying to free myself a bit from the grind of social media. I hope you'll check this website, the items I post here, the blog, and sign up for my email list so that we can keep in touch in all kinds of "old school" ways. I'll always be on Instagram, but I can't let my life revolve around the feedback loop of Insta likes.
- Ryan