[MSN] Art theft mystifies Claycomb's Plaza Mall community

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Art theft mystifies Claycomb's Plaza Mall community
Muralist Adele Hiles says the painting is now surrounded by negative energy
By john darling
for the Mail Tribune

ASHLAND — Noted artist and muralist Adele Hiles received a nasty surprise Christmas weekend: Her large still life of a pumpkin was stolen off the wall at Claycomb's Plaza Mall downtown.

The painting, titled "The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" was discovered missing when the mall opened at 10 a.m. Saturday. Priced at $950, the 2-by-3-foot acrylic on canvas is thought to have disappeared after 5 p.m. Friday, when the mall was locked but one adjoining store, Nimbus, was still open, allowing an exit. Bug A Boo of Ashland, with a door to East Main Street, also was open until 8 p.m., but its door to the mall is blocked by merchandise.

The painting had been sold, but was hanging until the end of the year.

"I don't know how someone could sit and enjoy a painting, or give it to someone, with that kind of energy around it," said Hiles, who has painted nine murals at Rogue Valley Medical Center. "I would love to have it back."

Tenants of the tiny mall, such as photographer Molly McBeth, said they look out for each other and are aware of anyone walking into the common space. "It's our home away from home, like our living room, and to have something taken by a guest feels invasive, a real violation," McBeth said.

Ashland police could not be reached for comment Tuesday. But Medford Police Detective Sgt. Tim Doney said art theft is rare in the Rogue Valley. His records show only five art objects listed as stolen in Medford in the past three years, mostly likely lifted off walls when staff weren't looking, he said. Big cities have full-time staff assigned to art theft, as damages can run into the millions of dollars, but the crime isn't big enough for that here, he said.

"I'm shocked and dismayed anyone would do it," said Hiles' publicist, Pat Fretton. "They must like her painting. That one had a real glow to it and drew a lot of attention at the First Friday art walk."

Hiles said friends have been joking that it's the "ultimate compliment" that someone would risk arrest and imprisonment to have one of her paintings, but while "it's a high compliment to my art, I can think of higher compliments."

Conny Shadle, owner of Bug A Boo, was puzzled how the heist could have happened, especially with such a large object. If it had been stolen before the mall closed, the thief would have had to walk by many shops and clerks to reach an exit.

"I thought it was very unusual, very sad, because we're all very trusting here — and that was Adele's Christmas money. It was a beautiful painting. All Adele's paintings are beautiful," said Shadle, pointing out a whimsical Hiles mural of an elephant spouting a stream of butterflies on her store wall.

A graduate in art of San Diego State University, Hiles, 55, has been painting seriously for more than 20 years, but she said it's a hard career in which to make a living. She works as a clerk at Bug A Boo and paints in her off hours.

It's a possibility an unauthorized person had a key to the mall doors, said Shadle. The locks were not forced. Hiles said it might also have been a prank done on a dare by kids. Ashland police are investigating the theft.

Murals by Hiles at RVMC are painted in children's and emergency room areas. They usually have animals, such as giraffes, lions, zebras, tree frogs and rain forest scenes, intended to amuse or comfort.

Hiles said she should have taken a cue when a giraffe statue was stolen from out front of Bug A Boo (and the new one had to be chained to the store). But "even when we are all aware and watching, it's difficult (to stop a thief) when he has an intense will."

Summing up her mixed feelings, Hiles said, "I try to see my growth in this. I'm a forgiving person and it (resentment) is not what I want to carry around."

Hiles' work is viewable during regular shop hours at the mall or on her Web site, www.muralsbyadele.com.

John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at jdarling at jeffnet.org.

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