John Neill...
An Ogunquit Treasure
by George Michael

   One of the most charming spots on the Maine coast is Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine.
   For years, it has been known for the lobster restaurants which always serve the freshest lobsters taken from traps a short distance away. Gradually, a few small shops located there and soon it became a premier tourist attraction.
   One of the greatest attractions was a curly haired artist, who backed up his pre-war Plymouth van at one end of the parking lot, and set up shop for the day. Paintings would be lined up along the van body and over the hood. John Neill became a fixture at the cove and everyone expected to see him there as they continued to buy his work. The late Walt Kuhn, who lived nearby, once predicted that John would become very successful. Subsequently, however, John was badly injured in a hit and run accident. He amazed the doctors by recovering so well and he ended up with metal parts which enabled him to continue his life and work.
   By the 70’s, he had legions of friends and customers. He liked to paint scenes in the cove, especially the bridge which had to be raised to permit sailing vessels underneath. His attempts at portraiture were not too successful - one with the profiles of JFK with Christ earned him much criticism.
   John’s home was just off the street leading into the cove. He always joked about the stone chimney he built, when he installed a wood heater. As he raised it, he noted that it would collide with the eave above it, so turned  it outward, making what many called “John’s crooked chimney.” It is still there, today.
   He attracted many of the stars who performed at the nearby Ogunquit Playhouse. Stars like Van Johnson and Tallulah Bankhead were seen talking with him. He liked the theatre, as his mother, Angela Warde, debuted as a ballerina at age 17 at Carnegie Hall. Her grandmother was a Romanof and a cousin of the Tzar, and she was a celebrated ballerina in Russia. John performed on stage for several years, but gave it up in favor of his art.
   There are many John Neill paintings in circulation. Now is the time to search one out for your collection. At first, his renditions may not turn you on, but I recall turning down the opportunity to buy Grandma Moses paintings for 5 to 10 dollars when they sold them in a drug store in Mechanics Falls, NY. Some of it is naive work, yet others have a coastal charm to them, which in time will be more and more appreciated.
   We sold paintings for him in 3 auctions; one in Ogunquit, another at the Sheraton Rolling Green in Andover, MA and finally a group at an auction at the Brookline, NH Auction Gallery. We made sure we bought 5 of them for our 5 sons who grew to know and talk with him ? their pictures are of the Ogunquit bridge which they helped lift from time to time to let boats pass through.
   Several years ago, the town fathers remodeled the parking area at the Cove and notified Neill that he had to move and sell his paintings elsewhere. The outcry from the citizenry and the tourists was so great, they relented and allowed him to occupy his favorite spot until he died a few years ago. The coast of Maine lost one of its most interesting and talented characters with his demise. We miss him.

7/26/2002