ANOTHER DEVOE PAINTING FOUND

I was recently contacted by "Sherry" who told me the following:

Hello - I recently acquired this painting for $70 from a neighbor. I started researching and discovered it was an M DeVoe and found your blog. Now am even more curious why there isn't any info on the artist. Can you tell me anything else about my new painting? My neighbor said he remembers it hanging in his grandmother's house as a child.

Here is my response:  Hi Sherry and thanks for reaching out.  

I have had the blog up and running for almost ten years and I am no closer to identifying M. Devoe than I was when I started.

You paid a fair price for your painting.  It is in the original frame, but the mirrored tiles that were inset are gone as is usually the case.  Just easier to remove them than replace them.

I couldn't tell from the photo if you Devoe was signed - Devoe did not sign all of his/her paintings.

Hang it on your wall and enjoy it - that's what I have done with my three Devoes.

Sorry I can't be of more help.  It is almost impossible for a person to hide today because of the internet but Devoe has succeeded.

and then I asked her permission to feature her painting on this blog and she graciously agreed.  So, here is her Painting by M. Devoe:

Thank you Sherry for sharing your story and your Devoe with us.  The search for M. Devoe continues...

KITTY FROM SEATTLE FINDS 2 ORIGINAL DEVOE PAINTINGS AT GOODWILL

It is now September of 2023 and while this blog (and I) are still around, we are no closer to finding out the identity of the elusive artist M. Devoe.  Hope springs eternal.

In the meantime, I recently received an email from "hard-core thrifter" Kitty from Seattle who found these two gorgeous Devoe paintings at her local Goodwill Thrift Store:

Now for the best part:  the swans were $39.99 and the egrets were $49.99.  Kitty got a GREAT deal.  I sometimes wander through my local Goodwill store and I assure you they carry nothing as nice as these.

Congratulations to Kitty.  I know she will enjoy her Devoes as much as the rest of us do.

It has been brought to my attention that there are currently two living artists who use the name "M. Devoe."  The first M. DeVoe attended Pratt Institute as a drawing major in the early 90s, after which she worked as an archaeological illustrator for excavations and scholarly publications.  In the past two decades, she has focused on private fine art and illustration commissions, as well as work for her own pleasure.  DeVoe paints at her home studio on her farm outside of Millbrook, NY.  

The second is a British artist named M. Devoe who recently brought his first painting ("Family in the Woods in Winter") to market.

Neither of these "M. Devoes" is OUR M. Devoe.

Until next time, enjoy your M. Devoe paintings.

BETHANY FROM AZ Buys 2 Devoe Paintings

When I started this blog in 2014 I had just one goal: To find out who M. Devoe was.  I had purchased several of their paintings over the years and had been unable to find out anything about them.  I can't use the correct pronouns because I don't even know if M. Devoe was a male or a female.

It is now over eight years since I started this blog and I am sorry to say I don't know anything more about the mysterious M. Devoe now than I did when I started.  For a while I posted photos of peoples' Devoe paintings, some of which were for sale and I had to stop that after a reader was scammed by someone they met through this blog.

I am contacted by people from time to time asking if I ever found M. Devoe and I have to tell them I did not.  I have also been contacted by Dealers who tell me they have not been any more successful than I have.  

I have put M. Devoe on the back burner for now and am afraid I may never be able to solve the mystery of who they were.  I check ebay now and then and usually see one or several Devoe paintings being offered at prices that are all over the board.

Last night I got an email from "Bethany from AZ" telling me that she had recently purchased two Devoe paintings in a thrift store for $6.99 each,  and here they are:

They are not in their original mirror-tile frames but I think we can agree that Bethany got a great deal.  (Bethany gave me permission to post her Devoes on this blog.)

I am going to hope that Bethany is our good luck charm - that the post about her 2 Devoes will spur someone to say "M. Devoe was my grandmother, neighbor, crazy uncle or spiritual director."  In this age of instant world-wide communication there is no reason why we have not been able to "dig up" M. Devoe.

They say that in the internet age one cannot hide.  I think M. Devoe has done a pretty good job of it.

Here's hoping we will finally find the elusive M. Devoe - but I wouldn't bet on it.

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.