PORT TOWNSEND — The message of a Port Townsend artist’s painting apparently was taken too literally last week.
The painting, titled “Free,” was found to be missing from its spot on a wall in the Undertown Cafe a week ago, said its creator, Jesse Watson.
Watson said he discovered that his painting was missing when he was setting up his drums on Friday night.
The theft has not been reported to the police, said Anna Nasset, the owner of Artisans on Taylor who curates the Undertown exhibit, because “we are hoping for a Christmas miracle, that someone will just return it.”
If it is not returned after the holidays, a report will most likely be filed, she said.
The painting, done in ink and acrylic on a 32-inch-by-28-inch piece of particle board with a chipped corner, began its association with Watson as a sign advertising free items.
The items had been taken away, leaving only the “free” sign by the side of the road.
“I saw the sign and drove around for a few days, but its message haunted me,” Watson said.
“I went back and picked it up and it sat in my studio for about six months before I decided to do something with it.”
Watson painted a background and a surf scene along the bottom, which he called “an expression of freedom.”
He left the original “Free” letters intact, using them as the centerpiece of the painting.
It is one of several paintings Watson has on display at the Undertown.
Watson said that Nasset had priced the painting at “$10,000 or best offer” as a joke, and that he intended to accept any offer — even if it was only $1.
“I was going to take whatever that best offer was and decided that I would give the high bidder something else from my studio,” Watson said.
Nasset posted a notice about the missing painting in her Facebook page on Wednesday, asking if anyone of her friends had seen anything.
Anyone with information about the painting, or to return it, is asked to contact Nasset at 360-379-1029.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
