Kaleidoscope

Additional Information

In his book, A Gallery of Paintings, Clark Hulings discusses Kaleidoscope: “Each vendor has two large canvas squares, one on which to sit and display wares, and one stretched overhead to provide protection from the sun. These vary in color. Onto this pattern of slanted checkerboards appear the vendors with their piles of fruit and vegetables and a stream of shoppers milling up and down the narrow aisles, judging quality and price, sometimes squatting down to buy. I spent a couple of hours watching the constant change of shapes and colors, likening the scene to a kaleidoscope, the hollow tube containing mirrors and colored glass chips which, when rotated, produces an effect similar to the one before me. So I chose the name Kaleidoscope for my unfinished picture. Once this idea was fixed, planning the picture was great fun. It became a matter of juggling shapes and patches of awnings and sunshine, of adjusting values of bright light, solid shadow and filtered light. Finally, I distributed the ‘chips’ of color–the reds, blues, greens, yellows, pinks, oranges and hues in between–doing all these things to move the viewer’s eye and make my “kaleidoscope” rotate.”
Kaleidoscope dramatically changed the contemporary western art market when it sold at the Western Heritage Sale in Houston, Texas in 1981 for $310,000.00. Dan Balz, writing in the Washington Post on May 18, 1981 described how Jim Fowler, who owned an art gallery in Scottsdale, AZ “stunned even the high rollers in the crowd” when he set his sights on Lot 59. Sitting at table 44 “Fowler raises his glass in silent toast to the painting, and almost before he drops his arm, the price is up over $200,000. Fowler’s daughter Corinne is doing the family’s bidding, and when it hits $300,000 she nods as if to say “no,” but quickly her arm comes up in the affirmative for the last bid, an incredible $310,000. A woman with ABC’s “20/20” looks back to correspondent Tom Jarriel in Triumph. They were covering and they got what they wanted, as did Jim Fowler. Another record falls.” This work is listed in the forthcoming catalogue raissone of Clark Hulings paintings No. O136

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Please note that the first unframed photo is most accurate for color. Framed photographs are to show the frame and are not color corrected to the painting.

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