Do you ever dream of finding something that’s worth big bucks? Well, for one woman that dream came true.

An abstract masterpiece was found in the trash by a woman who really didn’t know much about modern art. The painting subsequently sold for a million dollars.

The painting was discovered back in 2003 by Elizabeth Gibson. She spotted the canvas on her morning walk as she strolled Manhattan’s upper west side. She felt the painting was powerful.

It turns out that the painting was “Tres Personajes” by Rufino Tamayo. It’s a brightly colored abstract and it was purchased by phone at Sotheby’s Latin American art sale.

The painting was actually stolen. Gibson searched for years for information about the painting. She finally came across an article about the painting on Antiques Roadshow’s website. The article stated the painting had been stolen in 1989.

Gibson received a reward of $15,000 for returning the valuable painting and she’ll also get a portion of the sales price.

It certainly pays to keep your eyes open when walking through city streets!

I think that just about everyone I know has a piece of artwork in their home. Whether it’s a painting, or print that’s touched them in some way, or one which they purchased to enhance the look of the room that they placed the artwork in, it’s there.

If you appreciate original artwork you might want to take a moment and visit www.BeautifulRealArt.com. All of the artwork that they sell is original.

As I browsed through the site I discovered that each piece of artwork sold is one of a kind. If you are interested in a photograph there’s a statement in the description that says that no prints will be made of the photograph. If you are collecting art as an investment it’s always nice to know that there are no other copies in any form.

There is a wide selection of artistic styles to choose from including still life, abstract, floral, landscape, wildlife, expressionist, fantasy, modern, contemporary, impressionist, digital and real mixed media artwork. You’ll find oil, acrylic, and water color paintings, as well as drawings, photographs, sculptures in metal, stone and wood, and pottery.

I was quite pleased with the quality of the artwork being sold. There’s some beautiful paintings and photographs that I know my wife would just love for us to get for our own home.

If you know someone who enjoys original artwork you might consider purchasing a gift certificate to give to your friend or loved one for their birthday or another special occasion. It would be a unique gift for someone who truly appreciates fine art.

All of the artwork for sale at Beautiful Real Art has been purchased from the original artist. You deal directly with Beautiful Artwork when making a purchase. If you do decide to make a purchase I’m sure you’ll be please to know that the company is offering free 2-day express shipping on all purchases.

Can’t leave it behind …

Di Yerbury, retired vice Chancellor of Australia’s Macquarie University is battling with her successor over her past spending habits. Her successor was so incensed that she seized 1000 pieces of art that Yerbury had tried to take with her as she left.

Yerbury states that many of the works she tried to remove were her own personal property that she had on display. The art work included a painting of a womans derrière that she said she posed for 31 years earlier, and this past February she even offered to have the then-wife of the painter testify that the posterior is indeed Yerbury’s.

In another turn of events …

A former pastor and Southern Baptist leader, Lonnie Latham, who had for years preached against homosexuality, was arrested outside a hotel in Oklahoma city in 2006. He was charged with soliciting a lewd encounter with a man. Rather than apologize, Latham demanded a trial to proclaim is constitutional right to engage in consensual sex with an adult male. In March he was acquitted.

Do you remember that I wrote about a village in India recently that had painted the whole town pink? Well … Sherrif Clint Low of Mason Washington decided to try to deter inmates from becoming repeat offenders by covering the entire county jail with a pink wash.

Even the prisoners uniforms had a change of color. Prisoners now wear pink jumpsuits and pink slippers. Low dyed the uniforms after finishin painting the jail pink. He did this to stop inmates from stealing clothes from each other. The walls are painted pink in order to keep the inmates relaxed and keep the tempers at bay. So far things are working out with no fights between the prisoners.

The re-offense rate in the county is down by 70% too. Probably because release prisoners, if they’ve gone back to a life of crime might be doing it in a different county least they get caught again. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to return to the pink jail.