It’s a Small World!
I recently attended a baby shower at a San Francisco property that I sold about two years ago. I hadn’t seen the property since selling it, so I was excited to see what changes my clients had made. While they were giving me a tour, I walked into the dining room and immediately recognized the painting on the wall as one of my uncle’s. What are the chances of that? They found the painting online and decided they had to buy it. They knew the artist, John Sumner (www.johnsumner.com), shared my last name, but never in a million years thought he could be a relative of mine (I inherited none of my family’s artistic talent).
John and the other four Sumner brothers, Don (my Dad), Ron (my Dad’s twin), Richard and Bob are all accomplished artists. Ron, before moving to Santa Rosa, had a popular gallery in downtown Menlo Park where he specialized in pet portraits. His work can be viewed at http://www.localcolorgallery.com/ron.htm. Richard was the founder and owner of Sumner Frames, a successful frame shop and gallery on Emerson Street in downtown Palo Alto (it’s still there today, across from Buca di beppo). My Dad and his four brothers will be having a Sumner Reunion Show later in the year, somewhere in Sonoma County. They all make me very proud!
My uncle’s painting looks fabulous in the dining room of my clients’ magnificent, one-of-a-kind, San Francisco Loft!