Hobnobbing With A Legend
This photograph of a star and me, was taken some eight years ago;
He’s the renowned artist Donald Purdy, who for forty-five years I’ve known!
I met him in the early seventies, while living in Connecticut;
His studio was in Wilton then, our soul’s candles, quickly were they lit!
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For not only did he create great paintings, he dealt in old masters too;
His collection was beyond belief, the kind amassed by few!
Beside all that, he was a tennis Ace, his private court the best;
Although much older, he beat my pants off, never losing one contest!
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When I moved back to Cincinnati, and opened my own gallery;
I would fly to New York and rent a car, drive to Connecticut for him to see!
We’d make deals and drink some fine wine, have dinner there or out;
Then I’d stay in one of his guest bedrooms, early morning, go back about!
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It was always much more than business, our friendship paramount;
For each time we’d get together, on love and laughter we could count!
So sadly, my friend has had to leave us, in January, twenty-sixteen;
Oh my dearest Donald Purdy, so much to me you will ever mean!
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A true work of Art
I shall never forget you
My friend Don Purdy
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Comments
Dear Poet Brother LARRY!!
I meant to comment on this yesterday!! I spent an hour yesterday checking out Mr. Purdy's work!!..... It seems his seascapes or the paintings he produced of life near the water in what I can only assume was an area near where he lived.....' people on the beach' etc. were his forte' or most influential..... there were SO MANY paintings that I found myself 'lost' in his beauty!!!..... he must have been such an interesting guy to hang out with.... too bad he had to kick your butt each time in tennis (smiles)..... like Cherie pointed out..... you've walked a VERY interesting path in this life..... thanx so much for sharing this with us all.....a pleasure!?......Kings to you my friend!!...... Glide On Love!!......T xo ?✳✴♥♥♥☀????
My Dear Friend Tony,
I am just mesmerized by your beautiful response, and the fact that you went in and viewed several of his works. Just as you, Linda and I loved his beach scenes, many of them being depictions of the Coney Island area. He did these mostly from photographs and memories. We particularly were attracted to the ones with the men selling balloons in them.
I cannot tell you the countless times that he and I joyously shared together. As I said, we go back to the early 1970's. I actually found this photograph in a large pile that Linda and I discovered when we unpacked from our move, having not seen them for years. When I started this poem, I did not realize that he had passed, and only after it was almost completed, did Linda and I check on his status, to find that out. It made us both very sad, because Linda had spent many wonderful visits with Don and his wife Lisa too. They lived in a thirty-three room contemporary mansion in Newtown, CT, on a street that was a true oxymoron, named Poverty Hollow Lane. Their house sat on a large hill, that overlooked a horse farm. Oft times we would sit out on his veranda, sipping wine, and recounting great stories about art dealer's shenanigans. We shall both miss him terribly.
Again, we are so impressed that you delved into his oeuvre.
Love,
Linda and Larry xxx
P.S. Can you send us your address by Private Message, because we want to send you a wonderful article that we found on Salvador Dali, the pages being too large for us to scan and send?