Greetings and a healthy and happy start to the fall season and for many of us, a brand new year. We are quite excited because after much collaborating and visioning, the GEFQ (Our Non Profit 501c3 Corp.) is going to make 2 Art Shows this coming spring in Washington D.C. & New York City a reality. The purpose will be to get media attention and a new audience for Rockmore & The GEFQ in the two major US Cities that have the most Rockmore connections.
We have set a goal of $50,000 for the funds we would need to raise to make the two shows a reality. This includes a Lloyds of London Insurance Policy on the art (5K), transportation of art to and from the Collectors (10K), Rental and staffing of two secure Gallery spaces for up to 1 month each (10K each city = 20K), a color Catalog (5K = 50 Pages) & Promotional Materials (10K = Invitations, Mailers, Flyers, email & FaceBook promotions, ads, and two opening parties).
Our next step in the coming weeks will be communicating with many of you individually to brainstorm and engage you in being a part of this vision in whatever way you can. We are excited about the process and energized by the amount of support you all have shown us over the last 10 years. We realize this is a huge commitment that will require all of us working together to make it happen and we are ready to go.
The first step begins this Tuesday with a most amazing eBay at 9PM ET that will be key to begin traveling to New York and DC to start meeting with folks as we form a concrete plan and partnerships. There will be 30 works going in 30 minutes with 1 major piece from Shirley's Collection. By the end of this year, there will be no more works in The Shirley Marvin Collection and it will be all up to all of us to keep this going. You know we will be taking names and spreading the word until we all meet again next year in DC and NYC for Rockmore's next big launch (and perhaps some additional living GEFQ artists).
We're all in, Shirley is all in and we hope you are too for the next big adventure.
We will keep you posted!
Shirley, Rich & Tee Marvin
The GEFQ Team
Shirley, Rich & Tee Marvin The Golden Era of the French Quarter Team
P.S. Happy Birthday to our oldest Tory who reached a birthday milestone yesterday. I share these pictures of Tory, our family and my college roommate, Theta hi Fraternity brother and best man, Mark E. Schurmeier, "Sherm," at our Wedding in on March 16th, 1986 in Exuma, Bahamas. Mark and my other college roommate, Theta Chi and best man, Bill Baumler, took a puddle jumper and surprised us by showing up and staying with us for the week in the Bahamas. We had Tory (11) and Macy (4) with us so we just became known by the locals as "The Wedding Party."We were the guest of honor at the local wedding the day before ours because we moved our wedding day so as to avoid a small island scheduling conflict. Sherm sang "This Magic Moment" acapella as we got married in the town square with all of the locals sharing in the celebration. Sherm called us ever year to sing it again on our Anniversary. We lost Sherm in 9/11 as he was attending a one day conference on the 106th floor of the Tower.
Yesterday, we created a page a Mark E. Schurmeier Memories Page and we hope you will like the page and maybe even share it. The purpose of the page was to be able to have one place to share memories and over 300 photos which is really all we have left. His family who are Rockmore and GEFQ supporters are checking it regularly and it sure would be nice to get a few more likes. Rich & Tee
Rockmore's coming up on eBay THIS Tuesday September 15th at 9PM Eastern Time! Click on any work to see the image and read a story about the work.
1990 Egyptian Man 40x40 Acrylic & Burlap - In 3 Catalogs
1968 Preservation Hall Portraits Book - Borenstein & Rockmore Signed & Rockmore Jazz Art on Inside
1980 Mardi Gras Poster - Edition 172 of 250 - Signed
1984 Rockmore Photo with VooDoo Labyrinth - 12 x 8 Photo - Signed
1959 Basin St. Baby in Tub -
14 x 9.5 - Pen - UNSIGNED
1977 Boy & Dog 1st Screen & 1st trial & Shroud of Turin - 20x25 Silkscreen - Double Sided - Both Signed
1974 The World of Noel Rockmore Catalog - 42 B&W Pages -
Signed & Inscribed
1972 Brulator Courtyard by Lou Webb - Signed & Inscribed on Back
1980The Last Supper Etching - Edition 8 of 50
10x15.5 Copper Plate Etching on 15x22 Paper
1959 Basin St. Study on Back Porch - 13x10 Pen - UNSIGNED
1960 Eureka Brass Band - Passing the House - 13.5x10 Pencil - Unsigned
1966 Saki at the Annex 11x13.5 Pen on Paper - Signed
1959 St. Claude & St. Phillip Window Study - 14x9.5 Mixed Media - Unsigned
1979 Colorful Jonestown Figures in distress - 8x10.5 Mixed Media - Signed
1940 The Music Lesson by Gladys Rockmore Davis -19 x 24 - UNSIGNED
1953 Study for Flaying of Tiger - 17x20 Mixed Media - Signed
1983 Third Annual River City Blues Festival Poster by Malaika Favorite - 22x26 Poster - Signed
2007 LSU Mike the Tiger V in Memory Poster - The Advocate - 22x15 Poster - Unsigned
2002 Mary Landrieu Painted on Board
by Jose Marie Cundin
22x30 Paint on Poster Board - Signed
These works are coming up at Auction today at Crescent City Auction - sorry for the last minute notice - it has been a really busy week.
Those that know how to do Live Online Auctions can still get in. It should be sometime this Saturday September 13th after 12 Noon and before 2PM and they are all 3 in a row Lots 811, 812 & 813. None of these Rockmore Auction works help the GEFQ Foundation or come from The Shirley Marvin Collection but it is important that Rockmore and his family have good auction records so we get the word out! The large images are the ones being Auctioned and the smaller images are for background reference.
Rockmore was in Mill Valley when he decided to work on this theme with Haitian Color in a California Setting. You can see the man and colors in the back of the larger work. A Collector in Georgia has both of these works.
This work was the next in the series and Rockmore is missing his girlfriend Rita of the last 6 years and he depicts himself to the left and his girlfriend has been cut below the heart. Rockmore was asked to make it less personal and that is to the work at auction to the right. The nice colorful version.
Lot#: 811 "Voodoo Princess," 1984, pastel, signed and dated lower right, titled verso, framed, H.- 24 1/2 in., W.- 18 1/2 in. Estimated Price: $1000-2000
Lot#:812 "Nefertiti," 1989, graphite, ink and watercolor, titled middle right, misspelled by the artist as "Nefertititi," signed and dated middle right "Rockmore Sep '89, 23, 1am",
* Rich lobbied unsuccessfully to the auction house that one of the most interesting parts of this work is it showcases Rockmore's sense of humor and the title pokes fun at the subject.
Rockmore got Remby at the end of his relationship with Rita. In late 1984 when Remby was still a puppy, Rockmore moved to Mill Valley, CA. Remby was to be Rockmore's best friend for the rest of his life.
Rockmore did not paint Remby often and thought of him more as a companion than an interesting subject. Whenever Remby was sick or lost, Rockmore fell completely to pieces. "My life is over without Remby" he would tell Shirley as they went up and down the Quarter until he was eventually found.
Lot#: 813 "The Day after Death," 1994, ink and watercolor, signed and dated Sep 3, 94 framed, H.- 11 3/4 in., W.- 17 1/2 in. Estimate $400-$600
This work was done the day after Remby died from a slow death with cancer. His other dog Snapper had been put to death at the end of August by mistake. The death of his soulmate Remby was too much for Rockmore to bear. Rockmore would refuse all medical attention for gangrene in his leg from a cut after falling and be dead himself within 5 months.
in 1969 Rockmore lived at his sisters and became very close with a girl named Carol and her daughter Mandy. Of course Rockmore documented all of life including them. Rockmore became consumed with the mother & Child theme
Rockmore created a series that included Mandy & Carol getting ready to bathe and go to bed. These works were as controversial then as they are today and that explains the $200 Estimate. Somebody wants to make sure they sell it. We know nothing about the Auction House but this 24x12 Oil will be a deal.
Lot: 116 Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches, Monday 09/14/2015, Signed and Dated 69, 24 x 12, 1969, Oil on Masonite Estimate $200-$300 .
