Bob Byerley (1941-2019) was an American painter whose specialty was painting kids and memories of yesterday in Art Prints and Original Paintings for sale. In this painting a couple of little kids are looking into the front window of the towns Toy Train Store, painted in Artwork on sale painted by Bob Byerley “Painter of Our American Childhood”. All prints have been hand signed by the artist.
“When I was a child, one of my most favorite things to do was to go for a ‘family walk’ after supper. Mom, Dad, my little brother and I would walk over to Broadway, our small town “business district“, and leisurely stroll the sidewalks looking in the storefront windows. Each of us had a favorite window. Dad liked the hardware store, Mom loved Hathaway’s Dry Goods, and my little brother would race ahead to the pet store windows and the cocker puppies. My favorite, by far, was ‘The Train Shop’. I would stand and gaze at the beautiful shinny locomotives on display and dream of a huge layout of my own that I would build when I grew up. My family would patiently wait up on the corner until my little brother would run back to pull me along to our final destination of the evening, Carter’s Ice Cream Shop. The chocolate revel was great but if I could have had my way I‘m sure I would halve chosen to spend those extra minutes looking through ‘The Train Shop Window’.” ~ Bob Byerley
The Train Shop Window is a limited edition Giclee canvas print of an original oil painting published in 2005. The edition was limited to 295 impressions including 30 Artist Proofs, of which 3 Artist Proofs (17, 18 and 20) are available. Artist Proofs are perhaps the most valued of his collection because he did more on each one than just a signature. He enhances the canvas with oil paints just like someone at the studio does for the signed and numbered canvas, but he adds to it his own style, and of course they are in shorter runs to keep with tradition. Each item is signed and numbered, personally enhanced by the artist with signature on the reverse, having a 12″ x 16″ image size on a canvas of 17″ x 21.25″. They have never been displayed or framed and have been kept in climate controlled conditions, rolled in the original container since they were purchased in 2005 at a Pacific Fine Art Gallery in Kona, Hawaii.
Below are photographs of all three works (click to enlarge):
Train Shop Window, Artist Proof No. 17/30, by Bob Byerley | Train Shop Window, Artist Proof No. 18/30, by Bob Byerley | Train Shop Window, Artist Proof No. 20/30, by Bob Byerley |