We've all seen them, and we've all felt the inexorable pull to stop and browse, perhaps even purchase one... the black velvet painting. The draw is only stronger if there is a tasteful selection displayed at an abandoned gas station or vacant lot. To many, the velvet painting screams "MIDDLE AMERICA" at its worst, but in all actuality the practice of painting on velvet dates back long before there was that dirty underbelly of american pop culture.
In Black Velvet Artist (Running Press, Philadelphia, 2003) Pamela Liflandera offers a brief history of the craft. She notes that "The birthplace of black velvet paintings can be traced to ancient Kashmir, which is considered to be the fabric's original homeland. These paintings were religious in nature, portraying the iconic artwork of the Caucasus region by Russian Orthodox priests." She goes on to report that Marco Polo and others introduced the West to this art form, and that some of these early works still hang in the Vatican. (Get OUT!) Liflander also details the life of Edgar Leeteg (1904–1953), "the father of American black velvet kitsch," whose "raucous and bawdy" life was previously captured by James Michener in Rascals in Paradise (1957).
You’re considered a great success when you inspire either devoted admiration or intense dislike in people. Edgar Leeteg, long considered to be the father of velvet painting, is no exception. Born in St Louis in 1904 he first worked as a billboard painter and sign writer in California before heading for the more exotic location of Tahiti in the 1930s. On his arrival he eked out a meagre living by selling erotic paintings of Tahitian beauties to visiting sailors. This all changed when Barney Davis discovered Leeteg’s work. The heavily tattooed former submariner owned a Honolulu gallery and with shrewd marketing savvy branded the artist the “American Gaugin”. This ensured that by the 1940s an original Leeteg fetched thousands of dollars.
Specialising in voluptuous topless Micronesian women on velvet Leeteg completed 1,700 portraits that were eagerly snapped up by collectors. His growing financial success allowed him to buy a pink Tahitian home which he named “Villa Velour” complete with Italian marble summerhouse and an aquarium bar. He also acquired a reputation as a hard drinker and womaniser ensuring the failure of his four marriages. How very, very.... trailer park.
Velvet paintings are widely sold in rural America, and usually have kitsch themes. (Reeeeeaaaaally......) They often depict images of Elvis Presley, Jesus, Native Americans, and cowboys... with variations straying off into political figures, whimsical scenes, and cowboy-political figures. They can also include more exotic or avant-garde themes, such as naked african-american women. (Leeteg's pioneering influences live on) Galleries have cropped up around the world... or at least around... many being showcased on the internet, as all things can and will be eventually found on the internet. Such wonderful examples include: The Tijuana Black Velvet Painting Gallery , Villa Velour - The Museum of Velvet Painting , and The Velveteria: The Velvet Painting Museum .
The american velvet movement of the mid 1970s had its origins with the enterprising 'factory line' velvet production techniques pioneered by Doyle Harden. A displaced Georgia farmboy, Harden was the pioneer who created an enormous factory in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, where velvets were turned out by the thousands by artists sitting in studios. And what better place for velvet painting ground-zero than Mexico? One artist would paint one piece of the picture, then slide the velvet along to the next artist, who would add something else. We see many of these 'vintage' velvets around today, often being hocked on E-bay for prices that make your eyebrows recede into your hairline.
For more on Doyle Harden and the velvet boom in Ciudad Juárez, see journalist Sam Quinones' book, Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream: True Tales of Mexican Migration (Univ. of New Mexico Press).
The allure of velvet paintings extends deep into the American psyche. 'Velvet Elvis' is a universally understood term recognized to mean 'a timeless work of beauty and taste.' Or rather... not that at all. But that doesn't diminish the place in our hearts for these masterful works of ..... 'creativity.' You can even have your own likeness commissioned in the style of an 'elvis.' The Velvet Store offers this service... well it did, but seems to have lost its resident artists. If you are a budding velveteer please contact them, as the world should not go long without EVERYONE being painted in this fashion.
And if you are in the market for various other types of 'velvets' a good place to start is E-bay, as mentioned above. The prices are reasonable and the selection is wide ranging. Some examples of current works available are shown below.
Lady luck often shines on those who seek these jems in the rough while 'garage saling.' Often those selling timeless works of... well.... these things... don't know what they have. And it's almost a forgone conclusion that the owners want to get RID of them, so bargains can be had.
By chance if you are lucky enough to come across an original Leeteg it could be a gold mine for you, along with your own 15 minutes of fame on 'Antiques Roadshow.'
Then again, the pride that comes from ownership should be enough for any of us. I know that if I had a place above my mantlepiece I would hang any of these little beauties there. I however don't have a mantlepiece.
Update: I now DO have a mantelpiece, but sadly, I still haven't been able to collect any velvet art. I'm not sure it would be welcomed by Dave, who generally hates most of the prints and posters I choose to put up in the house anyway. Oh well.
At least I get tired of a blank wall and feel the need to fill it. (It would be different if it were an empty horizontal surface or bookshelf - he has that area covered...literally.)
