Painting reported stolen and returned

Bigfork artist Shana Smith went to the Rendezvous bar to show her paintings and found one was missing, and an employee told her it was stolen on Feb. 15 and didn’t know who did it, according to Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry.

The alleged theft was not reported to Flathead County Sheriff’s Department until Feb. 24, said Curry. Smith said she picked up payment from the bar last weekend.

“I still don’t know exactly what happened,” Smith said. “All of a sudden I got a call saying the woman who had it said that she was trying to decide if she wanted to have it.”

From there things get increasingly confusing according to Smith. Smith said she was told the incident was basically a joke between the woman with the painting and the bar’s staff, all of whom had hazy memories of what happened.

The manager of the Rendezvous declined to comment on the incident.

“I think something shady went down,” Smith said. “Nobody’s stories matched up so I stopped asking questions…everyone’s stories are all out of whack.”

The 3-by-3-foot painting of a baby’s face making a judgmental expression, entitled “Judgmental Baby,” had been on display at the bar on Electric Ave. since December.

The bar’s owner, Travis Martin, has been out of the state since before the incident occurred. He said it’s likely someone grabbed the painting on his or her way out since it was located next to the bar’s front door.

“Obviously I’m really disappointed someone would take it,” Martin said.

Smith said the delay in reporting the theft was likely due to Rendezvous’ staff efforts to find the painting on their own. Curry said with no suspects there’s not much that could be done except wait for calls with information regarding the painting.

“Stolen artwork isn’t extremely common,” Curry said.

Smith’s painting had since been on display in Portland with a price tag of $1,100. She said that price was lowered to $450 so Bigfork residents could have some locally made art in their homes.

She said her works aren’t what Montanan art galleries are looking for, but people still enjoy seeing her avant-garde depictions of things like John Wayne, which has been on display at Whistling Andy’s Distillery since last year.

Smith said she has about 20 paintings on display at the bar and 25 more just around the corner at a different bar.

“It makes me nervous, I don’t know if I should not allow my artwork in bars,” Smith said prior to receiving payment.

Following payment she said she will keep her paintings on display until she finds a better location.

“It feels like something went down that wasn’t quite kosher, but I don’t know,” Smith said.