A Portland woman attending an estate auction came home with much more than she bargained for recently when she bought a small and very distinctive steel sculpture.
Past PNWS President Carole Murphy was contacted by the woman who purchased a 12-inch steel sculpture that turned out to be the work of the late PNWS member and board member Rick Gregg.
The piece, called “Bringer,” depicts a horse and rider. Executed in steel and concrete, it is instantly recognizable as Gregg’s work.
The woman who purchased it didn’t know what she was buying nor, apparently, did the auctioneer, but she found Gregg’s name on the bottom of the piece.
She looked him up online where she also found Murphy’s contact information and got in touch.
Murphy said the woman was “absolutely thrilled” to learn of the work’s provenance and that she loved the piece and would not dream of selling it.
Murphy said the woman got more than just a bargain, more like a windfall. Her winning bid was a mere $35. Murphy said a piece such as “Bringer,” part of a series of related works, normally commands upwards of $2,400 or $2,500.
Gregg, who passed away in 2016, was widely revered as a sculptor and leader in the local community of sculptors. His colleagues greatly admired his skill and welding techniques, which he gladly shared with others.
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