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Remember black velvet paintings? Here's one. Coolidge GA. Odell Dillard

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Advantage

black velvet Odell Dillard Coolidge GA art Gandy

Black Velvet art work

How many remember when drawings or paintings were often done on black velvet paper?  Seems as if I mostly remember them being used to do bull fighting pictures.  I think there may have been lots of ones done in Mexico.  In fact, google pulls this up regarding the paintings. "Ciudad Juárez, Mexico was a center of velvet painting in the 1970s. A displaced Georgia farmboy, Doyle Harden, was the pioneer who created an enormous factory, where velvets were turned out by the thousands by artists sitting in studios. ... Edgar Leeteg has been called "the father of American black velvet kitsch".

This was news to me.  A displaced Georgia farmboy?  

It made we wonder about this painting that I inherited from family members from Coolidge GA.  It is of a Georgia boy and painted by a Georgia artist, Lynn Gandy, and is dated 1976.  

The weakness of these paintings seems to be that velvet attracts dust and the velvet becomes dusty looking.  But this picture of my half/brother, Odell Dillard, seems to deserve a little blog presence.  He, his wife, and two sons have all passed on but this picture is a good memory. 

Coolidge?  Tell me if you remember him and the artist.  

Comments (8)

Joe Pryor
The Virtual Real Estate Team - Oklahoma City, OK
REALTOR® - Oklahoma Investment Properties

I have never seen this but this type of "art work" is not art work to me.

Jun 03, 2019 07:13 AM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Barbara - when I first saw your post title, the word kitsch popped into my head.  A piece of Americana for sure.  

Jun 03, 2019 09:48 AM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Joe, I agree.  I never liked this type of art either.  That is why this does not hang on a wall at my house but is stored.  I stumbled across it a few days ago.

Jun 03, 2019 10:02 AM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Thanks for the comment, Michael.

Jun 03, 2019 10:06 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

I remember some that were painted on black velvet paper.  I thought they were nice back then!

Jun 03, 2019 04:36 PM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Myrl, wonder if they are still doing them?

Jun 03, 2019 04:49 PM
Don Thompson
Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

Inquiring minds need to know! What first came to mind when I saw black velvet paintings was the dogs playing poker which has been used a lot in movies etc.

I extrtacted this from Wikipedia.

Early history

Black velvet paintings originated in Kashmir, the homeland of the fabric. These original paintings were generally religious and portrayed the icons of the Caucasus region which were painted by Russian Orthodox priests. Marco Polo and others introduced black velvet paintings to Western Europe, and some of these early works still hang in the Vatican Museums.

 

Modern history

The paintings are widely sold in rural America, and frequently have kitsch themes. They often depict images of Elvis Presley (see Velvet Elvis), Dale Earnhardt, John Wayne, Jesus, Native Americans, dogs playing poker, wolves, and cowboys, and the colors are often bright and vivid to contrast the dark velvet. They can also include more exotic or avant-garde themes.

 

Ciudad Juárez, Mexico was a center of velvet painting in the 1970s A displaced Georgia farmboy, Doyle Harden, was the pioneer who created an enormous factory, where velvets were turned out by the thousands by artists sitting in studios. One artist would paint one piece of the picture, then slide the velvet along to the next artist, who would add something else. Velvet paintings mass-produced by hand in this manner fueled the boom in velvet paintings in the 1970s in the United States. Edgar Leeteg has been called "the father of American black velvet kitsch".

 

In Portland, Oregon, a museum devoted solely to velvet paintings, the Velveteria, operated from late 2005 to January 2010. It reopened in December 2013 in the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif.

Jun 04, 2019 06:33 PM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Don, you are my source of knowledge.  Thanks for the research!  

Jun 05, 2019 04:44 AM