Newton and Hair

We have created a facebook page featuring vintage paintings by the two most important artists in the group of 26.

You can see it here:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/H-Newton-and-A-Hair-Paintings/309497962412013

highwaymen at the holidays

Let this serve as my official holiday greetings.

We wish for a prosperous new year, of course, for everyone.

I'm stealing this video from the West Palm Antique Show.
They sent it to me and I'm sending it to you.

My buddy Buddy (that's right, Buddy Gaines) goes around at the show, shoots pictures, and puts these videos together for Kay and Bill. He does a great job.

Get ready with the pause button and hit it at 14 seconds in.

This, boys and girls, is the Backus-like 12x16 oil on canvas Ellis Buckner that we sold at the last show. The original owner's father bought it directly from Ellis in the early to mid 1960's.

Here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5rV81nEcew&feature=player_embedded

Florida Highwaymen Art and PBS.org

So I see on facebook PBS.org is offering free shipping TODAY ONLY.

Hah!

That's nuthin'.

I'll do free shipping for the REST OF THE YEAR!

Happy Holidays.

BOB

cell 727 809 1691
www.highwaymen-buy-sell-trade.com
www.highwaymenart.blogspot.com
www.highwaymenartappraisal.blogspot.com

highwaymen in Jax January 14, 2012

At the AVONLEA ANTIQUE MALL

Click on the poster and it should enlarge.

Florida's highwaymen art on Thanksgiving

Just to share a little whine on Thanksgiving.

Please, people, please don't call it "Turkey Day".

Nothing I love more than a roast turkey dinner, gravy, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, veggies and casseroles, gravy, rolls, more gravy and a nap. If it wasn't so messy, I'd put gravy on my pillow. Worry about dessert after the nap.

But the purpose of the day is not about what we traditionally eat.

I know we all can find SOMETHING to be thankful for.

It's Thanksgiving Day, so let's call it that.

Hope you all have a great day.

And don't forget my other blog http://highwaymenartappraisal.blogspot.com/.

Florida highwaymen in America

I received this fabulous email just now, and I hope it at least gives you something to think about. So I'm demanding you read it. It's copy/pasted below my drivel.

I don't feel as though common sense is used at the holiday season, and I haven't for many years. This email, to me, for the most part, puts some important things in their proper perspective.

Get toys and clothes for the children, of course, and revel in the joy.

Beyond that, I think most Americans are sheep, and slaves to Madison Avenue's allure, financed by big business's advertising dollars, and subconsciously fed to you, not just children, on video screens ad infinitum. Just freakin stop it.

Forget Hallmark and get an oil change gift certificate from a local garage owned by an American. Something like that helps everyone, and God knows we all need help.

Anyway, here it is.

Some great ideas

Birth of a New Tradition

As the holidays approach, the giant overseas factories are kicking into high
gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -

merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This
year could/should be different. This year, Americans can give the gift of genuine
concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift
giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands.



Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, everyone. Who says a gift needs to fit in
a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
Everyone gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates
from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some
health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned
detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a
book of gift certificates.


How about a movie?

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down
big bucks on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift
receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or
driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a many owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift
certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about
a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this
isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town
Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or
motorcycle, done at a shop run by an American working guy/gal?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would love the services of a
local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I know I can find some young guy who is
struggling to keep his repair business running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local arts and crafts people spin
their own wool and knit it into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery
and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave
your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at
your hometown theatre.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, friends, do you really need to buy another hundred Chinese
lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of lights, about
fifty cents stays in the community. Instead, leave the mailman, trash guy

or babysitter a nice big tip.

You see, the holidays are no longer about draining American pockets so that
China can build another glittering city. It's now about caring about the
US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow
their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our
communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.
THIS is the new American holiday tradition.


This is a revolution of caring about each other,
and isn't that something we can celebrate?


I just received this email from a friend and I will be sending it to EVERYONE I know!
This is an EXCELLENT idea and indeed is what Christmas is TRULY about!
If you agree PLEASE pass this on to EVERYONE you know!

James Gibson, People Magazine

When the article in People Magazine came out, I think in 2003 or 2004, I went down to Publix and bought a half a dozen copies. The highwaymen art market had been well established by then with several active dealers dealing, and was cooking right along. Sales were "brisk", as Jim Fitch would proclaim in one of his several articles in Antiques and Art Around Florida.

At the many antique shows where I set up displays of the work I considered to be the most visually exciting and worthy of investment, I would almost always have a vintage painting or two by James for sale alongside the Newtons, Hairs, and McLendons that I favored. I used the magazine as a sales tool to help prove the validity of this market to skeptics and those copies I had bought were soon gone, given to my best customers.

The opportunity to share this link has been made possible by the creative people involved in the upcoming highwayman motion picture via their excellent website.

Here's your link, gentle readers.

http://www.starsnorth.com/highwaymen/pdf/people.pdf

In true People style it's short but sweet. And you will notice, in true People style, it mentions divorce, courting of a fiancee, and celebrities, from Steven Spielberg to Jeb Bush to Geoff Cook.

Robert, Aletha and Dorene Butler.

Winter Haven, Florida.

Friday, Oct 28, 2011

Polk Avenue Elementary hosts Art Awareness event

Polk Avenue Elementary will host a special Art Awareness event Oct. 28 to stress the importance of art in the community and raise awareness about world hunger.

During the event, guest artists Dorene Butler and Aletha Butler will paint an original masterpiece that will be sold to support the school's art department. Dorene and Aletha Butler are daughters of famous Florida wildlife and landscape painter Robert Butler who, in 2004, was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame as one of 26 "Florida Highwaymen."

In addition to the original work created during the event, Robert Butler prints will be available for purchase.

The Polk Avenue Elementary event is planned for 6 to 8 p.m. and is free and open to the public, although donations for the soup supper will be accepted. Polk Avenue Elementary is located at 110 East Polk Avenue in Lake Wales.

Fifth-grade students will exhibit "empty bowls," which they designed and painted to raise awareness about world hunger. Money raised from the sale of these bowls will be donated to the Lake Wales Care Center for local hunger relief programs.

Florida Highwaymen websites (again)

So here we sit and it's damn NEAR 11/11/11.

I was just looking at some old drivel that I've been posting on these sites, and decided that I might as well "Re-tweet" or "Like" it again. Here it is :

**********************************************************

So here we sit, January 2011.

Yesterday, aces were wild, 1/11/11, and coming soon in November, well ...........I don't have to tell you.

Every so often AOL (damn them, once again) sneaks into my computer overnight and scrambles up and scatters all my bookmarked favorites, some go north, others go south, there's no rhyme or reason. And they also restore some favorites that I have long ago deleted.

It's like the episode in that Larry David show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm", where, in a meeting, the brilliant Mel Brooks is sitting next to the brilliant, yet anal-retentive obsessive David, who carefully lines up all his pens, pencils and notepads in parallel lines and has them just perfect.

The instant he's distracted, or turns his head, Brooks immediately reaches over and messes with them, scattering them about. This happens several times and nothing is said, David simply fixes his stuff, lines them back up. Dueling obsessions.

Despite the money I give them every month, AOL becomes Mel Brooks every few months.
Maybe they think it's funny. I don't.

The point of all that claptrap is that I was reminded of how many highwaymen web sites have come and gone in the last decade because they have reappeared due to this AOL cyber-mischief. There have been quite a few dealers, artists, wannabes and copy-cats who have drifted into this market only to drift back out.

Speaking of wannabes, I just can't stop myself from mentioning this. If you watch eBay, you may have noticed that there's a new clown in town and he's wearing a cowboy hat. Sheesh.

Gone, but not forgotten (by me, anyway), are sites by Roy McLendon Sr, Mary Ann Carroll and the Buckner Brothers (done by Ellis Jr.).

And who could forget dealer John Phillips and his FLART ? Great name.

I was also reminded that we are still standing after a full decade of putting our main web site http://www.highwaymen-buy-sell-trade.com/ up there for the world to find.

When AOL restores sites I had marked in the past, I tend to click on them to see what's what.
All are no longer valid, their former domain names available for sale, which is, of course, why I deleted them in the first place.

So, of course, I delete them all once again.

Every morning I monitor all things "highwaymen" on the Internet, art shows, antique shows, dealers, auction houses, artists, and any news articles or new publications.

If I'm going to be ON TOP OF THE MARKET, I feel as though it's nothing less than my duty to do this. So I do it.

I do hereby officially pat myself on the back for having the perseverance to keep on keeping on, staying with this market and the art that I truly love.

highwaymen art online

Except for these blogs, anything that gets done on the web site is the result of magical computer work by my brilliant administrative assistant, the fabulous and sometimes charming Ms Amy Elizabeth LeBlanc.

Florida Highwaymen movie

Here it is, boys and girls.

It looks like it could be very cool.

The Highwaymen - a Stars North film

Here's a copy/paste of the email:

Thanks, Bob! Will definitely check out your site and hoping we can stay in touch. We are going to start a campaign soon to help raise funds to produce this film and would greatly appreciate it if you'd help start spreading the word!

We've got our link on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Highwaymen-a-Stars-North-film/175783589153810


And, of course, our Highwaymen-dedicated web site:
http://www.starsnorth.com/highwaymen/


Thank you so very much! Hope to talk with you again soon!


Todd Thompson
STARS NORTH Films
P.O. Box 470181
Celebration, FL 34747-0181

www.starsnorth.com

highwaymen art appraisals

There's a nice exhibition going on here, thanks to Doug and Janey Ball of Clearwater.

http://www.bradenton.com/2011/07/17/3351328/highwaymen-offer-drive-back-in.html

Highwaymen on eBay

Just amusing myself at someone else's expense.

That's not me. I wish I was that young again.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcvjXAtzaMU

West Palm Beach Antique Show June 2

Robert Lewis always visits my booth and shows appreciation for the things I've picked for inventory.

He knows a Harold Newton painting from a distance.

I only realized just now what my old grandmother used to say, "Bobby, it's impolite to point".

BIG HIGHWAYMEN DEAL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Relations Contact
Sandra Wills Hannon
240-888-9736 cell
301-839-2744 office
Shannon@thehannongroup.com

From Sharecropper’s Daughter to the White House:
Florida Highwaymen Artist to Gift Painting to First Lady

Washington, DC---May 18, 2011--- Mary Ann Carroll, the only woman in the famed group of African American artists known as the Florida Highwaymen, will proudly present one of her paintings to Michelle Obama at the First Lady’s Annual Luncheon at the Congressional Club in Washington on Wednesday, May 18. Born in Georgia in 1940 to sharecroppers, Ms. Carroll, who at 70, continues to paint, will meet the First Lady. It is a long way from the days when the mother of seven made a living loading her paintings in her 1964 Buick Electra and travelling throughout the state of Florida to sell her paintings.
The First Lady’s Luncheon is the most prestigious affair of the year by the Congressional Club. In 1912, the Club held a Breakfast, in honor of the wife of the President of the United States. The Breakfast has now become the First Lady's Luncheon and has been held almost every year since its inception.
In addition, Ms. Carroll will be a guest lecturer at Howard University this summer, when the university will host an exhibit of paintings by the Highwaymen.
The history of Florida’s Highwaymen is a story that now is told through a few of the surviving artists who pioneered an incredible and largely unknown National art movement.
The Highwaymen, a group of 26 African-Americans, broke convention to paint beautiful iconic landscapes. Originating in the mid-50s – an era marked by racism, poverty and brutality – the self-taught entrepreneurs mentored each other while they scavenged for basic materials like wallboard for canvasses, and crown molding for frames. Galleries shunned their work, so they peddled their art from car trunks along area roadways, hence their name. Their art freed them from work in citrus groves and created a body of work that has become not only a timeless collection of a natural environment, but a symbol of determination and belief in oneself.
From Sharecropper’s daughter to the White House, 1 of 2

From Sharecropper’s daughter to the White House, 2 of 2
In selling art on the road, Ms. Carroll braved the challenges that came with a Black woman travelling through a segregated south. “I went to Okeechobee,” she recalled of one instance. The guys didn’t go because there was a lot of what you call “redneck” thinking and this kind of stuff. But I was going where I was going and that was it. I traveled up and down the state of Florida by myself. I went over across ditches and canals. And I’m afraid of water.”
“It was segregation. Blacks had one water fountain, whites had another. At restaurants you had to go in the back door. Blacks were disrespected,” she said.
Though she supplemented her income as an artist with a variety of jobs including carpentry and music, the art was her main source of income. “I could not work as a maid and make enough for my family. This was the best life that any of us could live, painting and enjoying the labor. We were able to keep shelter over our heads and feed children and do some of the good things in life.”
The surviving Highwaymen, now in their 70s, are an important chapter in America’s culture and history. Their self-determination in the face of adversity remains a story of perseverance, inspiration and creativity.
Bob Beatty, in his book Florida’s Highwaymen: Legendary Landscapes, writes: “As African Americans in the Jim Crow South, [theirs] is a story of triumph in the face of opposition … [a story] of a loose collective of largely self-taught, self-supporting and self-motivated African American artists rising from obscurity to national renown [and creating] a piece of history…”
Today, Ms. Carroll is pastor of the Foundation Revival Center in Fort Pierce, Fla. She is also an accomplished musician. She still paints and exhibits her work widely.


###

Highwaymen Art Movement, Washington DC

May 18, 2011

Something very special for our market is going to happen today, God willing.

It will happen in our nation's capitol.

Mary Ann Carroll helps move the highwaymen art market forward.

Are you familiar with this old expression, "It's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know" ?

Stay tuned.

This is big.

MARY ANN CARROLL

Mary Ann Carroll, highwaywoman, the only female member of the group, is certainly one of the more popular artists.

I was privileged to meet her way back in the early days of the highwaymen art market, soon after Jim Fitch wrote his article naming the group in 1995 and giving birth to the phenomenon.

Back in those days, until I actually met her, we used to think she was Mary Alice Carroll, her paintings signed with the initials M A Carroll.

She was invited (and introduced to me) by Dave and Sue Folds, two people who had seized upon the idea of a highly collectible market. Dave's dad, followed by Dave, began acquiring paintings in thrift shops, carrying an actual inventory of these things in their loft in a modest condo. They were extremely important in helping to create a buying and selling atmosphere at the West Palm Beach state fairgrounds antique show, which at the time was promoted by Jeff Francis and universally known as "The Piccadilly Show". Some old timers still call it by that name.

These were the days when it was difficult to convince a potential customer that a standard size painting, signed A, Hair could be worth as much as the $ 35.00 to $ 50.00 I was asking for it and probably was going to increase in value over the long term.

Recently I was fortunate enough to purchase a little gem of a poinciana painting by Mary Ann at a show I attend in Vero Beach. Some of the most beautiful paintings, certainly with the most vibrant of colors, that I have bought and sold, have been done by Mary Ann.

This poinciana portrait is an 8 x 10 on upson board, a vintage piece. It was in a nasty old frame so I contacted Sam Newton and he made a beautiful new original highwayman frame for me which, of course, is where that little gem resides.

I have posted a picture of it for your viewing pleasure.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, here is

Mary Ann Carroll, herownself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oOaLYbUXpg

Fakes and more fakes

Here's another one for ya, peeps.

Be careful out there.

Don't be fooled by an attractive price.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ALBERT-ERNEST-BACKUS-1906-1991-oil-c-FLORIDA-SCENE-/250814037048?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item3a65ae7c38

UPDATE: May 4.

Someone bought it for a grand. A $20.00 yard-sale painting for a grand.

I wonder how they'll feel when they find out the truth, don't you ?

Item number: 250814037048
Item location: saugerties, NY, United States

That said, there are smiles and maybe even high-fives in Saugerties this morning.

And yet another update. May 16, 2011.
It is now re-listed. Guess the $1000.00 buyer didn't like it, eh ?
Or refused to pay ?
Wonder if P. T. Barnum is smiling.

Item number: 260785067867

http://cgi.ebay.com/Signed-E-BACKUS-oil-c-FLORIDA-COASTAL-FIGURE-/260785067867?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item3cb800575b

contemporary art

Here's one for ya.

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen.

At auction in another week or so.

florida art or this ?

Bonham's
Modern and Contemporary Art
May 9
New York & Los Angeles

Louise Bourgeois
Mother and Child, 2007
silkscreen on linen
Estimate: $100,000 - 150,000







I know that this is what makes the world go around, but just the same, I never could quite understand the desirability of these things as decorative in even the most modern of homes.
I just don't get it.

These crazy stupid things are gonna bring a lot of money, just check out the estimate.

Newton on eBay....Be Careful

File this under ignorance is bliss. Which is ALWAYS a good excuse for deceptiveness. Looks like the signature and the writing on the verso come from the same black marker. I find that kind of interesting. Be careful out there ! http://cgi.ebay.com/NEWTON-FLORIDA-HIGHWAYMEN-PAINTING-24X30-CANVAS-MASONIT-/290556177211?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item43a67f6b3b

As long as I'm trashing eBay this morning, I mught as well throw this one up here, too.

Here's a "Southern highwaymen painting" that's not one, of course.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Florida-Highwaymen-Southern-Folk-Art-Oil-Painting-1960s-/120710465006?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item1c1ae785ee

For when it diasappears, here's a copy/paste of the description:

This auction is for a vintage 1960's Florida Highwayman Southern Folk Art cabin, truck and lake sunset landscape oil painting. It is in very good condition and measures 16" high by 20" wide unframed. There is a little bit of paper stuck around the very outside edge of the painting that I am sure can be removed. It is painted on paneling and is sign MILT in the bottom right hand corner.

Guarantee H Newton and Highwaymen Art

We tell our customers these things when we sell art, but we might as well write it down in black and white. Call it a an official policy.


Your Guarantee:
We unconditionally guarantee our art to be genuine and as described at the point of sale.

We handle a variety of media, oils, watercolors, vintage hand colored prints, lithographs, etchings by listed artists and other talented artists, both vintage and contemporary. We are acknowledged experts in several of these fields.

For the last 16 years we have been buying, selling, studying and appraising Harold Newton's work, and can spot the difference between modern copies and the real ones.

5 Year Exchange Plan:
If for any reason, you are no longer happy with your art, you can return it in its original condition within five years of the purchase date and you can receive credit at the amount that you originally paid for the art (less sales tax and shipping) towards the purchase of any other item for sale in our gallery. Be sure to keep your receipt. One of the easiest ways to store your receipt is on the back of the art. Put it in an envelope and tape it to the back of the frame.

Payments Accepted:
You can purchase directly from this website or contact us by phone or email. We accept cash, check or PayPal payments, which can be sent to our email, hwymnbnb@aol.com

Lay Away:
We offer a very generous lay away plan. It is just 10% down and at least that much each month. There are no finance charges. This gives you a down payment and up to 9 months to complete payment. Of course, you can pay more so that you can enjoy your art sooner. After the last payment, you can pick up the art or it can be shipped to you.
You have 30 days from the initial payment to receive a refund of your deposit if you change your mind for any reason. After the first 30 days, you would receive a credit for any payments made if you needed to end the agreement. If three consecutive monthly payments are missed, then the art will be placed back up for sale and all monies paid will be forfeited.

Shipping:
Crating, shipping and insurance rates depend on the size, weight, value and destination. We prefer UPS and will ship by that method unless requested otherwise. US mail and FedEx are other options. International shipments are sent by US Mail unless requested otherwise. .

Highwayman artist......or not ?

A little tidbit of information for everyone as copy pasted from an email yesterday.

Why is Willie Reynolds Sr.'s name not listed on the Highwaymen list? I know he painted along with some of the names on this list.


Because Gary Monroe did not see enough of his work when he did his research for the first of many highwaymen books by various writers.
His was the list of 26 used by the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, thus carving it in stone.

I happen to have seen only two of his paintings out of the many thousands of vintage highwaymen works I've seen on upson board.

His nick name was "Po' boy", according to Sam Newton (who wishes to be NOT included on the list)...... Go figure.

I imagine Willie's not the only one who drifted in and out of the group. Another is Earl Barber who was "re-discovered" by Jim Fitch several years ago. I met him at one of the Safety Harbor Museum things, came in from California if I remember correctly.

Norman Wright, Horace Foster, I've seen older upson board works by them, too. I had a painting once, years ago, by all indications a highwayman painting, signed Rader. Never saw or heard of another by him (or her). They all missed the boat as well.

Fake H Newtons on eBay

Once again, for the umpteenth time, we are offered a couple of fifty cent yard sale paintings of Florida palms and water that some genius has signed and dated H Newton on the verso.

First of all, if you like these, if you'd be proud to enjoy them on the wall of your choice in your home, by all means, buy them. However, if the auction doesn't get canceled, I'd be surprised.

Secondly, if you like these, well, what can I say ?

Here they are:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FINE-PR-1964-HAROLD-NEWTON-HIGHWAYMEN-OIL-PAINTINGS-/300532514721?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item45f9223fa1

Since the link won't last, I copy/pasted their description.

WE ARE PROUD TO OFFER THIS BEAUTIFUL PAIR OF FLORIDA OIL PAINTING BY THE GODFATHER AND FOUNDER OF THE LEGENDARY FLORIDA HIGHWAYMEN ARTISTS, HAROLD NEWTON (1934-1994). THEY ARE A VERY UNIQUE SMALLER SIZE AND IN AN ALMOST NEVER SEEN RARITY, THEY ARE DATED!!! THEY FEATURE LOVELY BRIGHT COLORED PALM TREES AND GORGEOUS BLUE SKY AND WATER. THE SIZE OF THE PAINTINGS ARE ABOUT 9" X 11", THEY ARE BOTH SIGNED VERSO, "HAROLD NEWTON 1964".

This eBay seller has 100 percent positive feedback. Almost 1200 happy deals made.

Looks good, eh ? Makes you feel comfy ?

I check these things for you, constant followers, so you don't have to waste time.

Perhaps they googled H Newton images, studied a handful of his actual works, and said, "Damn, these HAVE to be legit, they are SO THE SAME. They have PALM TREES""

It's also interesting to note that the same seller recently listed an Andrew Wyeth watercolor which they successfully sold for,.................. wait for it.................. $ 129.00. Heh heh heh.

At least they had sense enough to put a question mark in that listing.

I guess they weren't sure about it ?

They seem pretty sure about these two Florida paintings, though, as you read in their description.

Once more I warn you, be careful out there.

OK, they ended it already, I checked an hour later. 9:33 am.

Apparently the seller did the right thing. I now tip my cap to them.

Harold Newton's Vehicle

In case you didn't know, I get around. (cue the Beach Boys).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qcb2vIFVCLA

I didn't get involved with highwaymen art until I saw a Newton landscape bought by John Phillips in a Hood Auction and then read Fitch's article naming them "the highwaymen" in 1995, so I never had the opportunity to meet Harold Newton.

But, for the last fifteen plus years, I've been meeting people who knew and dealt with Harold Newton, speaking with them at the shows I attend around Florida, or talking with them via phone and exchanging emails. These people number in the hundreds, maybe more, a never ending procession, it seems.

Usually their story is the same. "Oh, I worked in a bank and he'd come in and put his paintings around and we'd buy one or two for $ 20 or $ 25."

Or they worked in a lawyer's office, a doctor's office, a furniture store and he'd come around, haul his paintings out of his van or the trunk of his car and spread them out. People would buy them or he'd trade them for services, groceries, dental work, whatever he could get away with.
He would show up anywhere, from Jacksonville to Miami, from Vero to Sarasota.

Obviously he was successful in doing this, as it has been speculated that he created and sold or traded 40,000 to 50,000 paintings in the four decades of his career, mid-1950's to mid-1990's.
Some of the stories, but not many, deviated from the norm.

One guy I spoke with about a year back, who is now in California, piloted a small plane and told me he would fly Harold to the islands with Backus. That surprised me, as I thought Backus allowed Hair to come along on these trips, but I didn't know that Harold would accompany him. I found the old guy to be credible, after all, he showed me two classic 1960's four footers on upson that were both drop-dead gorgeous, the only two he kept for himself having had many. He also told me Harold gave him paintings on consignment to sell for him, as his other job was as a furniture salesman who would visit stores around the state on a regular basis and show the art along with his tables and chairs. He claimed sales were good back then.

Sales have been pretty good for me, too, so his claim was believable.

Since I titled this little interlude "Harold Newton's Vehicle", I should probably get to the point. I originally talked to this lady at the fairgrounds show in West Palm Beach last year and she told a truly amusing tale. She reappeared at my recent Melbourne Auditorium show and repeated the story. This was not unusual, as I KNOW that I've patiently listened to the same people telling me their same story again and again, show after show.

I didn't remember her face, but I remembered her story, and so will you.

When she popped up this time in Melbourne, I was ready for her with this blog in mind and I flat out grilled her for details. Luckily her husband was with her and she dragged him over to my booth to fill in a few facts. I put my reporter's cap on and took notes on an amusing tale.

All for you, gentle reader, all for you. I mean, I'm already amused, now it's your turn.

Harold bought a 1969 white four door Ford from the Bev Smith automobile dealership in West Palm Beach. I imagine he put down a stack of cash, but I know he financed the balance.

The lady I spoke with is Jeanne Harris and she introduced me to her husband Charles Harris, who is known as "Bill". Now, I know some Charleses who are known as "Chuck", but this was the first time...............ah, I digress.

Bill, who worked for the finance company, Commercial Credit in West Palm, told me that Harold made his payments on a regular basis for about the first six months, then stopped. They didn't see him around, so the deal graduated to a repossession situation. Somehow they tracked him down and eventually spotted him and his vehicle across the state in St. Petersburg, of all places.

The car was a little beat up and scratched and the Repo man secured it for the finance company, but here's the good part.

Harold had painted his car not only with typical flames emerging from the engine area, but also with "Rio Mar" beach scenes on both sides as well as the hood and the trunk. He did the same on the interior, embellishing the dashboard.

Now here's the best part. On these painted beaches, running about in the sand, all around the car and on the dashboard he added a bunch of nude voluptuous young women.

It may have been his vision of heaven.

Having read all I have about Harold and his appetites, and as brother Sam says, "He never put down his paint brush or knife", I have no reason to doubt this story.

Jeanne and Bill are credible witnesses and knew Harold as personable and friendly . They would have no reason to fabricate the story, as they told me he sold them a jumbo beach scene for five dollars. Sure sounds like a friendly price for the size. 75% off, just like a jewelry store.

It still hangs in their home.

No, I didn't go see it. It might be one of the great ones.

I did ask them if there were any naked chicks in it.

God only knows what happened with the car.

Highwaymen show in Jax

FEBRUARY 12, 2011

If you're in northern Florida go see it.

I'm not very good at posting images.

If you click on it it should enlarge and hopefully you can read it.

Florida highwaymen websites

So here we sit, January 2011.

Yesterday, aces were wild, 1/11/11, and coming soon in November, well ...........I don't have to tell you.

Every so often AOL (damn them, once again) sneaks into my computer overnight and scrambles up and scatters all my bookmarked favorites, some go north, others go south, there's no rhyme or reason. And they also restore some favorites that I have long ago deleted.

It's like the episode in that Larry David show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm", where, in a meeting, the brilliant Mel Brooks is sitting next to the brilliant, yet anal-retentive obsessive David, who carefully lines up all his pens, pencils and notepads in parallel lines and has them just perfect.

The instant he's distracted, or turns his head, Brooks immediately reaches over and messes with them, scattering them about. This happens several times and nothing is said, David simply fixes his stuff, lines them back up. Dueling obsessions.

Despite the money I give them every month, AOL becomes Mel Brooks every few months.
Maybe they think it's funny. I don't.

The point of all that claptrap is that I was reminded of how many highwaymen web sites have come and gone in the last decade because they have reappeared due to this AOL cyber-mischief. There have been quite a few dealers, artists, wannabes and copy-cats who have drifted into this market only to drift back out.

Speaking of wannabes, I just can't stop myself from mentioning this. If you watch eBay, you may have noticed that there's a new clown in town and he's wearing a cowboy hat. Sheesh.

Gone, but not forgotten (by me, anyway), are sites by Roy McLendon Sr, Mary Ann Carroll and the Buckner Brothers (done by Ellis Jr.).

And who could forget dealer John Phillips and his FLART ? Great name.

I was also reminded that we are still standing after a full decade of putting our main web site http://www.highwaymen-buy-sell-trade.com/ up there for the world to find.

When AOL restores sites I had marked in the past, I tend to click on them to see what's what.
All are no longer valid, their former domain names available for sale, which is, of course, why I deleted them in the first place.

So, of course, I delete them all once again.

Every morning I monitor all things "highwaymen" on the Internet, art shows, antique shows, dealers, auction houses, artists, and any news articles or new publications.

If I'm going to be ON TOP OF THE MARKET, I feel as though it's nothing less than my duty to do this. So I do it.

I do hereby officially pat myself on the back for having the perseverance to keep on keeping on, staying with this market and the art that I truly love.