14 x 11", acrylic on mounted gessoed aluminium panel
painting #304, 2025
Call it happenstance. As I was about to start this painting, Radio-Canada Television (French CBC) aired the PBS documentary, Mr. Polaroid during an episode of Découverte on October 26. While focusing mainly of Edwin Land's long process of inventing the Polaroid camera, it also surveys several of his many inventions and his involvement with the US government.
Two years ago, I landed on this book while browsing in the small book aisle at Homesense. ANDY WARHOL Polaroids 1958-1987 was published by Taschen in 2020 with model, singer-songwriter, actress Grace Jones on its cover.
The original Polaroid OneStep camera was released in 1977. It became an instant best seller and a global phenomenon. I once owned a One Step during the mid eighties, which was probably influenced by Nick Rhodes, the keyboard player of Duran Duran who was becoming a photographer in his own right and often hung out at the Factory with Andy Warhol (he appears on page 374).
A week after acquiring this book, I found a listing on eBay, offering a One Step Polaroid camera. I knew instantly that I was going to use it as a prop for a painting. In the meanwhile they both graced a shelf on a console television table in the den next to my studio.
The One Step Polaroid Land Camera uses SX-70 film. That code was often used as reference for the iconic square format of the picture with a distinctive white border that is wider on the bottom if you wished to write on it. Polaroid images are known for their soft-hued, slightly out-of-focus, and dreamy visual style. The colors may not be perfectly true to life, and lighting can be unpredictable, contributing to an authentic, "imperfectly perfect" charm that digital photography often imitates with filters.
Andy Warhol died on February 22, 1987 at the age of 58 following complications after gall bladder surgery. I would actually complete my first original painting that same month. I've always felt a strong attraction to his body of work. While furniture shopping at IKEA shortly after my wife and I married in 1986, we stumble upon the last remaining Warhol exhibition poster of Ingrid Bergman (with hat) printed by Galerie Borjesön of Sweden. Since it was the last poster and the one in the display case, it was discounted for $2. These are still available and often sell upwards of a grand.
The Andy Warhol self-portrait image used for my painting is from a serigraph on canvas he created in 1964. Like many of his serigraph prints, he used that same image and produced a whole series in various colors. Christies recently sold one at auction for 3,300,000 USD. On August 10, 2002, the US Postal Service (USPS) issued a 37 cents stamp honoring Andy Warhol using the same 1964 imagery. This is quite possibly the least amount of money you can spend to acquire a Warhol. I've affixed one of these stamps on the back of my painting.
As for Andy Warhol's Polaroids, they are also highly sought after. These were often used as reference photographs for his silkscreen prints of celebrities and other subject matter. Artsy has a page dedicated to these original photographs, selling upwards of 20,000 USD each.
This painting is part of a group exhibition entitled
ENCHANTED - Nov. 14 - Dec. 31, 2025
To acquire this painting please contact:
14 Bridge Street, Sackville,New Brunswick, Canada, E4L 3N5Phone (506) 536-9000e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca
e-mail: janet@fogforstgallery.ca
