Suzie's Schtuff

"No photography of any Kind" signs were plastered around Peter Max's new artwork for sale.  There were little hearts (5x7 in size) for $2,000.  That was the least expensive piece of art for sale, and the average price was about $20,000. 

Well, I figured I couldn't afford his art, lol, but I had a poster my mother had given me when I was a kid because I loved Peter Max's artwork.  My mother, being a painter herself, encouraged this, lol!  So, she gave me a poster which I saved through the years.  My husband, in fact, remembered where we had it stashed.  I had to be careful with it because it was folded up in a box and was so creased it could easily rip.  I put it in a portfolio for the trip downtown to see him.

 Today's artwork viewing was by reservation only, and Peter Max was there to dedicate pieces of his new work to people who bought them.  The buyers were also eligible to get a picture taken with him. 

The other line was for people like me who had memorabilia we wanted Peter to sign.  I was told there was no guarantee he would get to any of us in the hour and a half timeframe.

When Peter he came in, he was directed to begin signing purchased pieces.  There was a lull while his minions scurried about grabbing artwork and paper, as Peter was signing the backs of each piece. 

He walked over to the front of my line (I was behind one other guy) and Peter Max engaged this guy in conversation about his piece of artwork from the 1960's/70's.  So, I whipped out my poster as quickly as I could and showed him.  He looked at it and asked if it came out of a magazine and I said I wasn't sure. 

All of a sudden his assistant, Jeff, said that Peter wanted to know if I would trade my poster for an original piece of art, that he would create before me.  After a quick discussion with my sister, we decided original art was more valuable than a poster we couldn't trace back to anything.  Meanwhile, all of this action was happening to the exclusion of the other art purchasers, and I was getting up in line ahead of them! 

So, here is my one-of-a-kind Peter Max original that he drew before my very eyes! 
I, too, got my picture taken with Peter Max, and hopefully Jeff will come through on his promise to send me both a pic of my old poster and the pic of Peter and me.  Right after I got my pic with Peter, he walked outside to take a phone call and I snapped a quick one!  If you look closely to his right, you can see through the glass to a couple of his paintings on the wall.