There's ANOTHER Dave Rheaume artist? WTF?
A common occurance is for me to be contacted by somebody who's come across a painting (either physically or online) that is signed 'Rheaume'. Usually they are wondering if said artwork is mine or if I might be related to the artist in question. Most often it's one of my brother Ross' pieces, since we both paint Canadian archival scenes. More than once the question's been related to Phillipe Rheaume, an Ottawa area painter who had his own gallery and was active in the seventies. My parents actually bought a couple of his pieces, lured in as they were by the surname on the gallery's marquee.
But without a doubt, the strangest one came just a couple of days ago. I was contacted by a gentleman in Florida who had acquired a painting of a mysterious looking sailor in a boat on stormy seas. It was signed "David Rheaume '60'" on the front, and had a simple "Dave Rheaume" on the back.
Imagine my surprise, since Dave Rheaume is a name not found with the same regularity as, say, John Smith. In fact, I've only ever met one other Dave Rheaume in my life and his last name was spelled without the 'h'. More intriguing still is the fact that this DR was a painter, and seemed to have a penchant for dark and dramatic subject matter.
Alas, the only help I could give my new Florida friend was to eliminate myself as the potential creator. An internet search of 'Dave Rheaume Artist' only turns up my own work. To me, the important clue is the '60' beside the name. The only meaning that could have is the piece was painted in 1960. If that's the case, there's a chance this Dave Rheaume artist is no longer with us. If he was my current age when he painted this grim mariner 58 years ago, he'd now be approaching a Guiness-Book-of-Records level of human longevity. That likely explains the lack of any internet presence.
So it appears this alternate "me" will remain a mystery. But perhaps I was channeling him the one time I painted my own sea captain...the tiny figure piloting the paddlewheeler in my painting "The Jetty". Here's to you my cosmic twin!
But without a doubt, the strangest one came just a couple of days ago. I was contacted by a gentleman in Florida who had acquired a painting of a mysterious looking sailor in a boat on stormy seas. It was signed "David Rheaume '60'" on the front, and had a simple "Dave Rheaume" on the back.
Imagine my surprise, since Dave Rheaume is a name not found with the same regularity as, say, John Smith. In fact, I've only ever met one other Dave Rheaume in my life and his last name was spelled without the 'h'. More intriguing still is the fact that this DR was a painter, and seemed to have a penchant for dark and dramatic subject matter.
Alas, the only help I could give my new Florida friend was to eliminate myself as the potential creator. An internet search of 'Dave Rheaume Artist' only turns up my own work. To me, the important clue is the '60' beside the name. The only meaning that could have is the piece was painted in 1960. If that's the case, there's a chance this Dave Rheaume artist is no longer with us. If he was my current age when he painted this grim mariner 58 years ago, he'd now be approaching a Guiness-Book-of-Records level of human longevity. That likely explains the lack of any internet presence.
So it appears this alternate "me" will remain a mystery. But perhaps I was channeling him the one time I painted my own sea captain...the tiny figure piloting the paddlewheeler in my painting "The Jetty". Here's to you my cosmic twin!
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