Jim Butcher (American, B. 1944) "Building a Snowman" Signed lower right. Original Mixed Media painting on Illustration Board.
Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 29c Snowman ATM stamp issued October 28, 1993.
"On the front lawn rises that art form surely older than the Parthenon -- the snow man, complete with pipe and lumps of coal for eyes." The words of author Donald Culross Peattie vividly bring to mind an image familiar even to those who have never faced the challenge of creating such a wonderful character. Those fortunate enough to have experienced the thrill of building a snowman will recall the fun of rolling that first small ball of glistening crystals into a boulder much too big to handle. When that base was completed, construction moved along rather quickly, for the next two sections decreased in size. Once the body was complete, the young artist was then left with the task of bringing his creation to life! With a few well-placed pieces of coal, a bright orange carrot and an old top hat, the snowman took on a character of its own. And what a sense of achievement to see how all this hard labor had turned into such a fine lawn ornament! Sadly, this feeling of accomplishment -- and the snowman itself -- was often short-lived. For when the temperatures rose and the sunlight shone down upon it, the fragile snowman would quickly dissolve into a lonely, damp pile of coal, hat and carrot. Yet all was not lost. For the tale of Frosty the Snowman promises, he'll be back again some day.
Image Size: 16.5 x 14 in.
Overall Size: 20 x 18 in.
Unframed.
(B07757)
Condition
- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.
- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via wire transfer or cashier’s check, no other forms of payment will be accepted.
- All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.
- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.
- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com
- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through 6 online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.
- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be out bid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.