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The work of John Stewart, who played with the Kingston Trio in the '60s, will be auctioned Friday at American Stage Theater, and the artist himself will perform.
By LENNIE BENNETT
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 2, 2002
ST. PETERSBURG -- Let's admit it: Celebrity art is often celebrated more for its provenance than its artfulness. Would Red Skelton's clowns or John Lennon's doodles be as valuable without the famous autographs at the bottom?
That said, it would be a mistake to dismiss such art out of hand. In the past year, work by Lennon, John Entwistle of the Who and the late Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead has been shown at local galleries to popular acclaim. Friday brings an auction of paintings, drawings and photographs by John Stewart, who played with the Kingston Trio during the golden age of American folk music in the 1960s.
The auction and a solo performance by Stewart begin at 7:30 p.m. at American Stage Theater, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Arts Center.
The fundraiser is the result of a friendship that began in the 1980s between Stewart and Bill Bush, a local advertising agency owner who is a board member of the Arts Center.
"I loved the Kingston Trio. I grew up listening to them," Bush said. He was asked in the 1980s, long after the group had dissolved, to write a magazine article about them.
"I called them all up, wherever they were living and got to know them well," Bush said. "I've sort of become their official biographer."
John Stewart was a 21-year-old California musician and songwriter when he was tapped in 1961 to replace Kingston Trio member Dave Guard. After the group disbanded in 1967, Stewart continued to perform and write. He wrote Daydream Believer, which became a hit for The Monkees. He had his own hit, Gold, in 1979. A recording of Runaway Train by Roseanne Cash in 1989 topped the county charts that year.
"John is what I would call a Renaissance man," said Bush. "He's considered a great songwriter, he performs, but he's also always painted and sketched."
His work has been shown in galleries and he has been an artist in residence at Penn State University.
For sale will be paintings, mostly portraits, some of other celebrities such as Elvis Presley, in a slightly abstract style; a large group of photographic prints in black and white and color; and pen and ink drawings.
It is a mixed bag. The mostly digital prints are well composed but lack the high resolution that now can be achieved with computer-generated prints. The paintings show a mastery of line and color, but sometimes miss the insight of fine portraiture. The drawings are charming, and, as simple line drawings should be, done with a light touch and a sense of surprise and spontaneity.
The best reason to buy art is because it reaches out to you in some way. Much of this collection has that appeal on several levels, as something that might please the eye, satisfy a celebrity itch and support a good cause.
-- PREVIEW: Performance and silent auction of art by John Stewart benefits the Arts Center. Both will be at American Stage, 211 Third St. S, St. Petersburg, at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Admission is $55. For information, call (727) 822-7872.