Scrounging around, looking at some old files, I came across an old communication I had with Rosetta Newton Humphries regarding her two highwaymen artist brothers. Lem and Harold Newton.
I didn't intentionally save it, I found it in some magical cyber scrap-heap of a half a dozen saved emails that AOL seems to show me at random times. Don't know why that happens.
(As you may know, the third artist brother, Sam Newton, wishes to be disassociated from the group, despite the benefits he receives from being included. I don't believe he declined the Florida Artists' Hall of Fame inclusion, but I could be wrong. )
This is a copy/paste from September 9, 2004 regarding the picture above, a 24 x 36 oil on masonite, which I think was the first one she sold for Lem after his release from prison.
Subject:
Hi, again
Date:
9/9/2004 9:30:55 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
From:
Hwymnbnb@aol.com
Reply To:
To:
rosetta7690@msn.com
Hey, good for you, Rosetta. Lem is going to make a wonderful living this way. This painting is gorgeous.
Congratulations to Lem, especially for overcoming his ordeal.
I hope this was the first painting you sold, I would be quite proud to have been the first to help him get started in his new life. I've always thought his talent was comparable to both his brothers, but Harold was the best. Period.
If you would like to, see if Lem will paint me a half dozen various poincianas (not poinsettias, by the way) with shacks, maybe a few roads, in a smaller size, say 16 x 20, as a commission deal. I'll pay a flat deal price of $ 2,000.00 for the 6 paintings. It's about $ 350 apiece.........................Regards, BOB
Congratulations to Lem, especially for overcoming his ordeal.
I hope this was the first painting you sold, I would be quite proud to have been the first to help him get started in his new life. I've always thought his talent was comparable to both his brothers, but Harold was the best. Period.
If you would like to, see if Lem will paint me a half dozen various poincianas (not poinsettias, by the way) with shacks, maybe a few roads, in a smaller size, say 16 x 20, as a commission deal. I'll pay a flat deal price of $ 2,000.00 for the 6 paintings. It's about $ 350 apiece.........................Regards, BOB
Anyway, she got him to paint the six pieces, three were great, one was average and two were marginal. I sold them for $ 450 to $ 750 each within a month or two.
Good value for the quality, those of you who got one.
Lem seemed to lose focus shortly thereafter, moved back to Florida, had some other folks sell for him, but he didn't seem to be interested in quality, more in the quantity area. You know, like Alfred Hair, a true higwayman.
Someone told me he's back in prison now for some violation, I suppose it's true, but I won't swear to it.
I had forgotten that Rosetta confused poinsettia with poinciana.
The big one that's on the website took a little longer to sell, but it brought $ 2500.00 when the right customer got around to finding it in my booth at the West Palm Beach show.
At that time, in the dinosaur ages of the highwaymen market, I had four different Harolds depicting Indian River Drive scenes, including a 48" River Rd, also shown above, all with blue skies, white clouds, nicely matched, and I would line up the horizons and hang them in my living room between shows.
Made quite a panorama. Hard to believe it was six plus years ago.
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