Andrew Wyeth ALS Featuring Fox Pen Sketch: "I have been out all day painting and love it"

A 2pp autograph letter signed by American realist artist Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), as "Andy" at the bottom of the second page. February 22, 2004. N.p. but presumably the Wyeth homestead at The Mill, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The 90+-word letter features a pen sketch of a fox in a snowy landscape, measuring 6.875" x 3.5" alone. Inscribed or sketched on both sides of custom stationery with "The Mill" letterhead. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds, else near fine. 7.125" x 10.5." Provenance: From the personal collection of George & Helen Sipala. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity dated November 2, 2020 originally signed by Helen Sipala.

Wyeth wrote in part, with punctuation silently corrected to improve clarity:

"Helen dear -

I loved your letter talking about your old age - but wait till you reach 87 years. You ain't seen nothing yet!! …

It's been a cold winter with as good snow storms. I only hope we get another so I can complete my tempera painting.

I have been out all day painting and love it.

Give Suzie and George a hug from me - and a big one for you.

love -

Andy."

Wyeth's pen sketch depicts the type of wildlife and scenery that he probably observed on his artistic forays into the countryside. Wyeth and his wife Betsy had purchased and restored a historic gristmill situated on the Brandywine River in Chadds Ford in 1958, and the family moved into the converted granary, called The Mill, in 1961. Wyeth's sketch shows a fox, his ears tensed and his body alert, viewed from the back as the animal surveys the snowy expanse between the hilltop and a farmhouse below. The little sketch is strongly reminiscent of a painting done by Newell Convers Wyeth (1882-1945), Wyeth's father and fellow artist, called "Fox in the Snow" (ca. 1935).

George & Helen Sipala lived at Painter's Folly, near Route 1 (or Baltimore Pike) in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania from 1974 until 2018. Painter's Folly was an Italianate style residence built in 1857 that had served as Howard Pyle's summer art colony around the turn of the twentieth century; Wyeth's father had studied there.

In her letter of authenticity, Helen Sipala states that Andrew Wyeth's first visit to Painter's Folly occurred on March 1, 1989, after Wyeth had rambled onto the property to study a pair of mermaid statues. Wyeth's home and studio was located about 1.5 miles to the southwest of Painter's Folly. The artist was cordially received and granted full access to the house, roofline, and property. Wyeth visited regularly, sometimes almost daily, over the next 20 years until his death in 2009. Painter's Folly is depicted in Wyeth's work of the same name, from 1989 (see picture included for reference). In the end, about half a dozen Wyeth works feature either Painter's Folly or the Sipalas.

Helen wrote in part:

"When we weren't home, he [Andy] would leave us a written note on the kitchen table to let us know of his visit. At first it was any little piece of paper he could find until we realized that a pad was necessary. As you will see, the notes pertained to what he was working on, the time of the day, and with a personal sketch or two.

The notes were signed with various comical notations or signatures. Robin Hood, The Snowman, The man on the roof, Old Bones, The Spirit, etc. were just a few. Sketches might explain what he was working on or just silly thoughts in his head…Little did he know, that these simple drawings and letters would become a real part of our lives, and, hopefully, a real part of Andy's legacy…"

Wyeth and the Sipalas also socialized together in Chadds Ford, Maine, and elsewhere, and Helen Sipala also occasionally posed for him. Helen Sipala relied on recollections, diary entries, and the voluminous collection of ephemera that Andy left behind on his visits to compose her memoir, "Beyond the Marriage Bed: My Years as Friend, Model and Confidante of Andrew Wyeth" (Berkeley, California: Regent Press, 2021), edited by Bruce E. Mowbray. In 2018, Painter's Folly was purchased by Chadds Ford as part of its Historic and Open Space inventory initiatives.

Andrew Wyeth was the youngest child of nationally acclaimed illustrator N.C. Wyeth. Andrew became known for his spare, stark, monochrome depictions of nature and rural American life. His moving work "Christina's World" (1948), showing his physically disabled neighbor Christina Olson stretched out in a field, is emblematic of Wyeth's style and tone. He typically sketched in pencil or watercolor, and his finished large-scale artwork was accomplished in either watercolor, drybrush watercolor, or egg tempera.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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