There must be fewer adoring Prince fans with a few bucks to spare in the Twin Cities than imagined.
A painting of Prince by artist Erin Sayer had been at Gallery 13 on LaSalle Avenue for at least three years by my recollection. It was just standing there, in all its 72-inches-tall glossy auto enamel on anodized aluminum glory, until last October when JB Hudson Jewelers CEO Jeannie Joas bought it.
"We have had it probably three years. That is probably right," said Stephen Sugarman, who owns Gallery 13 with his wife, Karen. "It can be hard to sell art in Minneapolis. Deciding to buy something can take [a buyer] as long as a year. [Joas] is the consummate, ideal buyer. She sees something she likes and she goes for it. Very few people are like that. Most people are much more cautious and more reserved. It's good piece, I love it. I like all of Erin's work. She typically paints local and pop deejays and musicians; they've been kind of a thread for her."
Last month, I was telling Joas about this fantastic work of art featuring Symbolina, posing in a red suit with an acrylic cane, which I couldn't believe was still available for less than $2,000.
"Let's go see it," said Joas. We walked the two blocks from her Nicollet Mall jewelry store to Gallery 13. Joas asked the Sugarmans if they would loan her the piece to display at JB Hudson.
Stephen started trying to sell the piece to Jeannie, explaining that it was from an Esquire magazine cover photo from Prince's "Purple Rain" era.
Uh, no, it's not, I told Stephen. A little arguing ensued and then I stopped. I knew the Purple One's hairstyle in this piece was a much more recent cut than seen in the movie "Purple Rain." Karen stepped in and told her husband that I had probably been paying more attention to Prince's hair.
A few days later, I got a confusing e-mail from Joas that read: " 'Esquire Prince' has a new home my friend! Thank you So much! You know how much I adore him!" Before I could track her down again, I stopped by Gallery 13 and the Sugarmans told me Joas had bought the work. I thought Joas was just going to display it at JB Hudson in hopes of a client buying it. I considered buying it but it requires a lot of wall space and I already have my own paintings of Prince taking up space.
Joas got a deal because it started out around $2,700, I seem to recall. I'm sure my thank-you note from Sayer is in the mail.
A haunting hunter
There were three Dr. Walter Palmer costumes, with varying interpretations of Cecil the lion, at the Halloween party I dropped by Friday.
The parents of Cal Thiesing, a talented 12-year-old Susan B. Anthony Middle School student, invited me to their Minneapolis home to see the elaborate final touches that their kid and his friends had put on the garage. For the past few years, Cal has transformed the garage into a haunted house, and the 2015 effort appears to be the coup de grâce. It was outfitted with animatronics, and Cal's actor friends played the role of ghouls, charged with creeping people out during the tour. I know nothing about that; all my video was shot before the ghouls moved in.
When I arrived, I noticed Cal's dad, Tim Thiesing, was wearing a lab coat. But I didn't notice the name tag or recognize the name when he told me he was dressing as "Dr. Walter Palmer." While I had forgotten the name of the lion-hunting Bloomington dentist, three other guests at the bash for 100-plus had not. One of them even had an unloaded rifle. But Tim took the Palmer prize. He and Cal's mom, Allison Thiesing, dressed up the family dog, Isla, as Cecil. See my updated video atop Sunday's web-only Q&A interview with Cal.
Dog walking, on a plane
"Picked my husband up at the airport [Sunday] night and he reported [KARE11's] Sven Sundgaard was on [the] flight from LA, dressed in a tank top with Mickey Mouse on it, walking up and down the aisle carrying his Yorkie, Dyna Rose. :)" read a Monday e-mail from Laurie A.
C.J. can be reached at cj@startribune.com and seen on Fox 9's "Jason Show"and "Buzz." E-mailers, please state a subject; "Hello" does not count. Attachments are not opened.
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