A FAMILY HEIRLOOM PAINTING by M. Devoe

Just the other day I received the following email:

Hello! I chanced upon your blog tonight because my son and I were looking at a painting in my entry and he decided to take a photo of it and do a reverse Google image search. As a result, we’re 99% certain it’s a Devoe. So cool! And here I thought it was just “some painting” my grandmother gave to me almost 30 years ago.

If you like, I can send you a photo and my info to put it on your blog. 

Renee

I told Renee I would be glad to feature her Devoe painting, and so here it is:

Renee was nice enough to share the story of her Devoe with us:

Hi Jim. Ok so... back in 1992 I was admiring this painting in my grandparents’ bedroom. At the time, I was preparing to leave my home town of San Leandro California and move with my husband and baby to the east coast. My grandparents decided to clean up the frame and send the painting to me. I wish I could remember if they’d ever mentioned where they got it. Neither of them were much into art, so it must have been a gift. Perhaps a wedding gift? They were married in 1946 in Alameda California (Robert Reimche and Claudeen Reimche nee Wilburn).

I’ve done quite a bit of moving around since then. This painting has spent some years with me in Maryland, Okinawa Japan, Songtan S Korea, DC, and Monterey in California. And now both it and I have settled in Tucson Arizona (in a home built in 1941, so it fits right in).

Last night my 20 year old son and I were discussing the painting and he decided to a reverse look up on Google Image. That’s when we discovered your blog (along with severaL auction sites and message boards) and the name M Devoe. So fascinating! 

Renee 

Looks like Renee's painting is in the original frame, with the mirrored tiles removed. 

It is a signed M. Devoe original - here's the signature:

Thanks, Renee for sharing the story of your family heirloom with other M. Devoe fans.

RARE FLOWER PAINTING by M. Devoe

The artist M. Devoe is best know for his/her paintings of tropical birds.  However, he/she also produced a number of paintings of flowers.  The flower paintings are rarer and much harder to find than the Devoe bird paintings.  A collector recently contacted me about the magnificent painting shown above:

Hi I recently aquired this painting at a yard sale and saw this blog so figured I would email you a picture of it. I don't know anything about the painting other then what I read on your blog. It is 26" x 32" framed. I have attached a couple pics. Thanks. 

We have seen many examples of Devoe bird paintings so it's always nice to see an example of the rarer Devoe flower paintings. 

2 FLAMINGOS WITH A STORY by M. Devoe

These two flamingo portraits by M. Devoe come from the collection of Andrea Boyle, who kindly shared the story of their acquisition:

I bid on these at a thrift store and lost to higher bidder. Over a year later I was in the store and they were for sale. Just so happened that the color tag that day was half price!  I just loved the pics not knowing who the artist was or their value. 

I told Andrea that when things like that happen, it means that she was meant to own the portraits.

Thanks to Andrea Boyle for sharing her Devoe treasures, and the interesting story of how she came to own them. 

2 FLAMINGOS IN THE BULLRUSHES by M. Devoe

This beautiful painting by M. Devoe of two flamingos in the "bullrushes" was graciously provided to us by Jill Bremer.

Jill tells us, "I have attached a photo of my painting.  I received it from my grandmother.   She had it hanging in her house for as long as I can remember.  On the back, in pencil, it says "1940's". There's also a note that is incomplete that says "Uncle .......... bought for........ and dated for 19 years before marrying".  

Unfortunately this painting is not for sale, but we appreciate Jill sharing this family heirloom with us.

SINGLE EGRET PAINTING by M. Devoe

I was recently contacted by Ariel Furmanski from Miami, Florida, who has put together quite a collection of M. Devoe paintings.  Luckily for us, she is willing to share them with other Devoe fans through this blog.  Here is the first one she has shared with us:

And here's what Ariel had to say about it:  "This one is 20" x 15" and is one of my favorites.  I love the egrets!"

Ariel tells us about her collection:  "I started buying this paintings a couple of months ago, all of them online, (ebay-etsy-etc).  All in their original frames. I love them!!!  These are some of the ones I have.  I don't plan to sell them soon.  Actually, I am looking to buy more.  You are doing a great Job!!!  Thank you very much for keeping this space open."

Thanks for your kind words, Ariel.  Sometime is seems like I am the only one out there...

Ariel has graciously shared photos of eight of her Devoe paintings, all of which I will be featuring as we get into 2017. 

I'm sure Ariel has the perfect place to display her M. Devoe masterpieces - after all, don't they look like they belong in Miami?

I have already been contacted by another collector who has offered to share their Devoe paintings with us, so keep an eye on this blog.

If you would like to feature your Devoe paintings on this blog, contact me at 

jwcraig11@comcast.net

HOW TO FEATURE YOUR M. DEVOE PAINTINGS ON THIS BLOG (and yes, this blog is attended)

Recently several people have contacted me about featuring their M. Devoe paintings on this blog.  If you post a comment to the blog but don't give me your email address I can't respond to your inquiry. If you want to contact me in a way that will guarantee an answer, send an email to:

 jwcraig11@comcast.net

To have one (or more) of your Devoe paintings featured on the blog, please send me photos of your painting.  Also, please tell me about your Devoe painting:  the size of the painting, when you got it, where you got it, how much you paid (if you want to disclose that) and any other things about the painting you think other collectors would find interesting.  Most importantly, tell me if you want your name disclosed or not.  If you don't want your name disclosed, that's fine with me.

Unfortunately I am no longer willing to help you sell your Devoe painting.  The selfishness and greed of one person has spoiled it for everyone.  You can always list your Devoe on ebay.  Devoe paintings are featured there on a regular basis and many of them sell.  

When I started this blog, the main purpose was to find out more about M. Devoe - who they were, where they lived, date of death, etc.  The blog has been in effect for almost three years and I am sorry to say we don't know any more about M. Devoe now than when we started.

In the meantime, happy collecting, and enjoy your Devoe painting. Each one is truly a beautiful work of art.

Jim Craig - Evanston, Illinois

2 TROPICAL FLAMINGOS IN ONE FRAME by M. Devoe

Here is a painting of 2 brightly colored flamingos in one frame.  Offered by ebay Seller casinoworketct.  Originally offered for $199.00 "Buy it Now, " right now it is marked down to $159.99, a 20% reduction.  The painting is 22 3/4" x 18 1/2" in the frame.