Prairie Light eBook Series

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Artist Firma Duchene Phillips

Hi, everyone, I and my family would like to thank all of you who have
come across my story about my Great Aunt Firma Duchene Phillips
and have contacted us to let us know you have one of her paintings or to
share a memory of her or were just wondering about the current value of
some of her works. We have really enjoyed hearing from all of you and
seeing all the lovely pictures you have sent.

I am posting on this topic on my blog site for those who are
interested in Aunt Firma and her art work so that people can not only
share with us but with one another. I'll be happy to put any pictures
that you want to share of her works on the web so that you can link to
them - just email me.

I do watch for her paintings on ebay and will try to post a notice
here when someone puts up one of her paintings for auction. It has
happened a few times. It's funny - even though Benny and I have dabbled
in the antique and refinishing business for several years, I haven't
come across any of her paintings myself in antique stores or malls or
flea markets - hopefully that means people must be hanging on to them.

Thanks again and hope to hear from you!

JuneBug, Co-Proprietor of Second Looks Antiques and Refinishing


Senator Birch Bayh with one of Aunt Firma's Paintings (and several other artists'

14 comments:

Billjohn said...

Dear Junebug,
During the summer of either 1967 or68 my wife and I visited the Parke County Covered Bridge festival, where we saw Firma Phillips at her easel. We bught one painting then, and a week or two later visited her studio, where we bought two more paintings. If you wuld lke a photo of those paintings I would be happy to send them to you via email attachments, or I could make prints and mail them to you. Billjohn

JuneBug said...

Hi, Bill, thanks so much for contacting me. Sorry it has taken me so long to answer - end of semester was incredibly hectic (more by way of explanation than excuse). Sure I would love to see photos of her paintings if you would care to send them.

JuneBug

Anonymous said...

Hello! I just inherited a beautiful jug from my Grandmother that has a painting by Firma Phillips on it. I loved it for years. I'm grilled to have found a bit of information about her. I wonder about value. Would you have any idea? The painting has a covered bridge on one side and a house on the other. So pretty...spring colors. Thanks so much!

Mary Ann Lucas
Noblesville, IN

Unknown said...

When I married in 1987, my husband had the most comfy family room with the covered bridge picture he had bought at Turkey Run state park in Indians. Now, 2016, I am having some remodeling done and my beloved picture must be moved. After, I read the fascinating story of Aunt Firma, I am hesitant to give it up. I've always loved it.

Mary Kaye Steckler
Louisville, KY

Unknown said...

When I married in 1987, my husband had the most comfy family room with the covered bridge picture he had bought at Turkey Run state park in Indians. Now, 2016, I am having some remodeling done and my beloved picture must be moved. After, I read the fascinating story of Aunt Firma, I am hesitant to give it up. I've always loved it.

Mary Kaye Steckler
Louisville, KY

Marlene (Patterson) Gilkerson said...

My grandparents lived right around the corner from your aunt in Kingman. I have one of her irons and when my grandpa passed my mother had her paint on one his saws and an oil can. I also have one quarter of a 4 seasons set that my great aunt from Veedersburg had hanging in her living room. Sadly, my father divided up the set among family members when she was put in a nursing home and I was too young to realize what a mistake that was. I have the winter scene. It was of a mill that I can't remember the name of but my dad and uncle always talked about it like it was a well known mill.

JuneBug said...

Marlene, was it Snoddy's Mill? That was a mill around Kingman. For a while it was restored and kept as a museum by the Fountain County Historical Society. I don't know if it still is.

Marlene Gilkerson said...

Yes, that's it.

JuneBug said...

Thanks for posting, I didn't know she had painted Snoddy's Mill.

Unknown said...

We have a ebay store and recently have acquired a very unique coffee pot hand painted by Firma Phillips. We are trying to list it on ebay for sale but we have no idea how much it is worth. It has a covered bridge on one side and a winter scene with a log home on the other side. Any idea how much it would be worth. Thank you for any help you could give us.

Unknown said...

I forgot to say that we are in New Haven, Indiana which is just east of Fort Wayne.

JuneBug said...

To Unknown who posted about the coffee pot: Wow! That sounds really lovely and unique! Would love to see a photo of it! I'm sorry I can't give you a quick answer as to what it may be worth. If you like, I could put the question to another family member for you. Aunt Firma painted on so many different surfaces and objects of different shapes and sizes. She painted her walls and counters and chairs in her house. She painted on old irons and saws and skillets and jugs. Last year I bought a fairly large size stoneware crock or jug that she had painted around and I believe I paid $125 for it. My advise would be to search ebay for her items - people do post them for sale from time to time and see what people are asking for them as well as what people are bidding on them. It would be nice if you could do a search of her items which already sold and see what they went for.

Unknown said...

I received your email through my gmail account as well and tried to send you pictures but it failed saying the mailbox was full. Is there another way I could send you pictures? It is just beautiful and I would love to share some pictures so that you and your family could tell us anything you may know about this coffee pot. I have tried to watch for other items for sale or sold on ebay that your Aunt Firma painted and the only thing I see is a large painting for auction with one bid of $100.00 so far. Thank you for the information about the jug since this would probably be a nice comparison. Please let me know how I could send you some pictures.

Jolene

Unknown said...

We are in the process of moving my grandmother to my parents house and I recently found an old jug that was handpainted. I saw that a name, “Firma Phillips” was painted on it as well. I got curious and lo and behold, it led me here! My email should be attached and if you send me an email I would be happy to send some pictures to get to the bottom of this! Thanks!