COULD THE DEVOE PAINTINGS HAVE BEEN MASS PRODUCED?

I recently received an email from a Devoe collector:

Have u ever considered that these pictures are similar to ones signed "Turner" which were produced by Turner manufacturing in Chicago?  Devoe is a well known paint company. 

The Turners seem to b airbrushed, whereas the Devoes seem painted. Nevertheless, I can imagine a factory with employees "painting" these. They actually do have individual differences on pictures that ,on first glance, look identical.therefor, I think they were hand painted, but probably not by one person.

I used to go to flea markets, and it was common to see these. I have 8 of them. The fact that I've seen so many makes me think they were mass produced. 

Here's my response:

Hello - No, I have never considered that the DeVoe paintings could have been mass produced - in fact you are the first person to have brought it up.  The more I thought about it the more I think it is unlikely.

I have been contacted by literally hundreds of people about Devoe - dealers, collectors, Floridians (most people think Devoe lived in Florida) or the just plain curious.  And until I heard from you yesterday none of these people have even suggested it.  If they had been mass produced I think there would be more of them and dealers or collectors would have known about them.

Secondly, I have never seen 2 of the same images.  Some are similar, some even close to being duplicates but I have never seen two of the same image.  I think it would be cost-prohibitive to mass produce paintings with each being different.  No one has ever contacted me about the Devoes I have listed saying "Oh, I have that one too."

I purchased my DeVoes in the 1970s.  When I started the blog 11 1/2 years ago I was certain that someone would come forward and say "M. DeVoe was my mother" or brother, or cousin, or neighbor.

Conversely no one has come forward and said "I worked for the company that produced the Devoes."

Thanks for your comments but M. DeVoe will have to remain hidden, for now.

This collector was nice enough to send me photos of three of their Devoes:

Note that the flamingoes are in the original frame with the mirrored inserts.