Where We've Been, and Where We're Going

Where We've Been, and Where We're Going

For those few who have been following the blog, and for those who may be joining us here for the first time, I’d like to take a step back, review what it is I’m doing here, and take a look at where this project is going.

Pete Hampton (1940-2018) was my friend. He was an eccentric, some would say, “mad” artist, and showman from La Habra California. His paintings of the Puente Hills in Whittier, and La Habra, are sublimely beautiful, his stories and shows, strange and often frightening.

I met Pete when I was 11 years old. He was part of my circle of friends through much of my life. I had lost contact with Pete, and that entire circle of friends for many years, but a series of wildly unlikely coincidences prompted me to try to find him back in 2017. He was in his last year of life, sick, broken and alone.

When he passed away in July of 2018, his brother Richard came out to California to settle his affairs.

By the end of that week I found myself with Pete’s entire collection of paintings, drawings, slides, and writings sitting in my den.

I have, over the last year, completed the first task for the Hampton family, which was photographing and cataloguing the entire collection, nearly 900 pieces.

We are now beginning the second phase of The Lost Canyon Project: bringing this work to the world, so to speak. This blog is the first step in the effort. I have long been of the opinion that Pete Hampton deserves a place among the great American painters. Others are seeing this as well.

But  how does one go about such a task? That’s the question. My wife and I have many contacts in the local art community. We’re putting out inquiries, showing the catalog to those who have responded.  We’ve had encouraging feedback, and some excellent advice from some very knowledgeable folks. Too, the uncanny web of coincidence that has guided this project continues to unfold. I guess, now, it’s a matter of persistence. We’ll knock on doors until the right one opens.

Next. Some New Stuff Some Old Stuff >