Helen Del Valle, 18" x 22"
Rumored to have been discovered by a part-time Art collector and full-time Chicago OB/GYN physician who hung her works in his office, Helen Del Valle was prolific in her artistic endeavors. I discovered a stack of 60 to 70 watercolors done by Ms. Del Valle at a local yard sale, each one painted on a small piece of cardboard and depicting a different animal. Of these small watercolors I limited my purchases to a pig, a camel, and a penguin. I was most interested in the solitary oil of the exquisite nude pictured above, and the palatte-shaped painted wooden sign which read, "Helen Del Valle Studio". The back of the Nude's canvas panel includes information detailing the painting's title, artist, size (framed and unframed), medium, and price ($250). Ms. Del Valle obviously knew the value of her work.
Addendum March 2007 - I recently heard from Tom Graefen who filled me in on further details regarding the above piece:
Hi! Came across the nude painting by Helen Del Valle...I'm actually a Podiatrist in Chicago that you bought that painting from (not an OBGYN). Had the sale in my back parking lot of the office 2 flat on Lincoln Ave..remember it well and I wish I had that painting in my home right now...Hope it went to a deserving person...tom graefen, dpm