Thrift Store Screen Prints: Anyone Know Who This Artist Is?

August 17, 2024 1:15 PM

At least 20 years ago my wife bought this serigraph at a Value Village here in Toronto, just ‘cause it’s cool in a funky mid-century kind of way. We love it, but despite the signature, we could never find out who did it. Yesterday at the Salvation Army she found another one! Same style, same signature (Fr? Frank? Smulders maybe???) The new one is marked that it’s 27/60 prints. Likely a Toronto, or Ontario, or at the very least a Canadian artist. She emailed an art gallery but they had no idea.
posted by chococat to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

So cool!! Those probably even came from the same house since they have matching frames and matching water damage! How wildly lucky that she found the match!

It doesn't quite look like Smulders, almost more like Smuilders or Smiulders - which seems like a very nonstandard spelling, but it does look like there's an extra letter before the L, right?

Fr could also mean Francis, Frederick, Fraser? Or maybe a monk .... Father?
posted by nouvelle-personne at 2:16 PM on August 17 [2 favorites]

Fr. Smeulder?
posted by limeonaire at 3:41 PM on August 17 [1 favorite]

Best answer: John Smeulders!

This is also him, with his more recent art and signature.
posted by extramachine at 4:42 PM on August 17 [19 favorites]

Oh wow extramachine! I was so hoping someone would identify the artist! Chocolat, I love these prints and think it’s so cool you and your wife were able to find not one but two of them at two different thrift stores, at two different times. What a neat thing.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:13 PM on August 17 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Amazing!
Thanks so much extramachine!
How did you find him?
posted by chococat at 9:23 PM on August 17

Using the spelling suggested by limeonaire, plus an 's', plus the word 'serigraph' was the magic google search that got me to the first link. It was definitely a group effort!
posted by extramachine at 6:54 AM on August 18 [2 favorites]