Andrew Wyeth
[Chadds Ford, PA], [October 27, 1990]
A. Wyeth ANS With Original Halloween Witch Head Drawing
ANS With Original Drawing

A 1p autograph note signed by American realist artist Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), as "The Spirit" at lower right. [October 27, 1990.] [Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.] The note features a bold original pencil drawing of a witch's head - a haggard crone with straggly hair and pointed hat - measuring approximately 4.75" x 4" alone. Wyeth's signature as "The Spirit" measures approximately 4.625" x 2" alone. On typing paper. "10-27-90 / Sat." is inscribed in a different hand in the upper right corner. A few gentle wrinkles and slightly curled, else near fine. 8.5" x 11." With terrific provenance.

Wyeth wrote to his Chadds Fords neighbors George & Helen Sipala, in full, with unchanged spelling and punctuation:

"The

[witch drawing]

has been here -

with the [sic]

The Spirit."

Wyeth loved the autumn, and especially Halloween: the harvest holiday was and is hugely celebrated by multiple generations of the Wyeth family. Andrew Wyeth captured the dying season's ambience, or mood, in many of his artistic works. Wyeth stated, "There?s witchcraft and hidden meaning there [in the autumn]. Halloween and all that is strangely tied into [my paintings]?For me, the paintings have that eerie feeling of goblins and witches out riding on broomsticks?damp rotting leaves and moisture?smell of make-up?as a child, the smell inside of a pumpkin when a candle is lit?the feel of your face under a mask walking down a road in the moonlight. I love all that, because then I don?t exist anymore.?

Provenance

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 Newell Convers Wyeth (1882-1945). Andrew became known for his spare, stark, monochrome depictions of nature and rural American life. 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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8.5" x 11"
Provenance: From the personal collection of George & Helen Sipala, Wyeth's longtime friends and neighbors in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity dated November 2, 2020 originally signed by Helen Sipala.