On Feb. 25, 2018 I received the following email:

Hello, I have this beautiful piece by you that I just discovered going through my work and collection. Once upon a time I was Director and Curator at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (1976-78) and curated a show of Edwin Dickinson’s work. I may have gotten this from his widow. She gave me some things including Dickinson’s easel. Otherwise, I can’t recall! Anyway, if you can tell me about it I appreciate it. It is exquisite! Thanks, Sheila Miles (Santa Fe, NM)

A few days later I replied:

Thanks for sending me a picture of my watercolor from long ago. I studied for a few months with Dickinson at the Art Students League in the early ’60s. I ran out of money and had to retreat to Missouri. Before I left I showed Dickinson some watercolors I did in Florida and he seemed generally approving except that he thought I was wasting too much time with the cross-hatching. He liked the picture of the lookdown. I caught two one night on the docks of Marathon; I ate one and painted one. I offered to give it to him in appreciation for how much his paintings inspired me. He said, “an artist never gives anything away.”  I said, “how about a quarter?” He smiled and gave me a quarter, which I used on the subway.

If you look up our websites, for a long time I’ve produced pictures with a camera, mostly of the Ozarks. My wife Crystal and I have produced a number of books, mostly on rivers and the effect of culture on landscape.

If you ever get tired of it, I’d be happy to buy it back from you — for more than a quarter! We’ve got two sons and I probably will leave some of my artwork with them. They’re both scuba divers and just got back from a dive in the Philippines.  So they are appreciative of tropical fish.

Regards,

Leland

P.S. A friend of ours who died a few years ago lived down in Santa Fe… Ted Coe.  Before I fell from grace for suing the Corps of Engineers in Missouri over a ridiculous reservoir, I did environmental photographs, one show of which was at the Nelson Gallery in Kansas City, where we met Ted.

BTW – I’m really delighted to know Mr. Dickinson took it home with him and held on to it all these years. It hasn’t been thrown away. I’ve often wondered about it.

Sheila filled me in on her background, which is impressive and extensive in the arts and explained in a March 1, 2018 email how she acquired the watercolor that I assumed had vanished.

What a great story! (Everything comes around again).

It’s a beautiful piece. But a quarter!  Those were the times.

(I lived in NYC in the late 70’s and did busking in SoHo with my then husband. I remember getting a dollar and we could get a bagel. Another 50 cents, ride the subway home to our apartment at Tiemann Place (near 125 subway by Harlem). Maybe you knew my friend Arthur Cohen. He built my printing press from an old Chinese laundry press.

I can’t imagine what it was like to be at the Art Student’s league in those times. So many great artists came out of it. I knew Raphael Soyer in Provincetown; I think he was also there.

I love Dickinson’s work and was thrilled to put together his show.

And I worked with Victor Candell and Leo Manso at the Hans Hoffman School of Art.. for just a bit. I quit even though I had a full scholarship because I didn’t want to do small ocean scenes. My professor from Purdue, Tony Vevers who owned a house in Ptown sent me there as I wanted to leave IN.

I fell in love with the owner of the White Horse Inn, Frank Schaefer, and stayed 5 years. Was the Director at the PAAM for almost 3 years.

You have had an exciting career too.

If you would like to buy your piece please let me know what you might pay; it is a beautiful piece. It is so great to pass it to your sons. It is really remarkable. I love the cross-hatching. I posted it on FB and it got some nice complements. It is a great example of that style that was very popular at that time. It reminds me of some of those RISD expert artists who make beautiful art supported by strong technique.

Thanks for answering me and sharing the story,

Sheila

We agreed on a price and it now hangs on the wall of our spare bedroom/office in a duplex in Springfield,Missouri.