Copy (3) of lee opitzIn art school I had a friend (shown here in the striped blouse), who couldn’t paint very well, but she enjoyed playing with the colors. I didn’t think she could even understand the lessons at all. We belonged to this local art group in Morgan City, LA and everyone was to bring a painting to the meeting so that a guest speaker could view all our work. The paintings were lined up around the room and in she came janice sachse(guest speaker, Janice Sachse from the New Orleans Museum of Art), of which I have the local newspaper article about her here, dated 1980.  As she eyed each painting as fast as she could, she pointed out the one that she thought was the best. We were all in shock and couldn’t believe that my friend Lee Opitz was the chosen one!  We were amazed and in disbelief.  Then Janice gave her talk that night but not about that painting, all she said about it when she pointed to it was, “that’s the one.”  Nothing else!  Well, a few days later, an art collector showed up at Lee’s home and said he wanted to see that painting that Janice sent him to see.  He asked how much it was, and Lee just flipped out what she thought would be an out-rageous price, said,”$1200.”  Out of the man’s pocket came cash, exactly counted out that amount and Lee took it in shock.  The man left and Lee was in so much shock she didn’t know what to think. The little painting was only 11x 14 inches and one that Copy of Copy of lee opitzshe painted near Grand Island with the class. Lee called me 2 wks. later, still in shock, saying she wished she hadn’t sold it, (at least I had a photo of it when it was being entered in a local art show), but said it was good to have the cash because she needed to pay off her son’s college bill. You just never know who might come and buy your painting! She didn’t think the man was serious and couldn’t believe he had that much money on him!

The painting shows some houses up on stilts along a road.  Such a simple little landscape, in oil paint, using a painting knife