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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend December 16, 2006 Art and memorabilia collector Terry Hill of Ashland saw a painting from his collection (on the wall to his right) in a 1967 �freak-out� movie, �Riot on Sunset Strip.� He�s selling parts of his collection to raise money for KSKQ radio. (Mail Tribune / Jim Craven) A collector's dreams for sale Garage sale this weekend showcases rare art, artifacts By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Art lover and film buff Terry Hill of Ashland can't resist an auction, estate sale or thrift shop. His passion? Picking up poster art, old photos and especially original paintings from unknown artists — stuff that may be headed for the landfill if he doesn't rescue it, document its history and recycle it into something usable for someone else. At his big garage sale this weekend — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Sunday — the star of the show is a big abstract oil painting of a "chaotic, abstract" forest, whose provenance he discovered by sheer accident while viewing the 1967 B-film "Riot on Sunset Strip." There, in the background, behind a gaggle of tripped-out dancing "hippies" was his painting. It was the sort of clue Hill loves — and it set him off on a hunt, tracking down the film's posters, lobby cards, vinyl album and promotional photos, some of which clearly show the painting. It's no Van Gogh — Hill bought it a decade ago in Grants Pass in a $200 lot of 30 paintings — but the supporting memorabilia elevate it from gaudy all the way to kitsch. Hill figures it may be worth a couple hundred dollars to collectors of the psychedelic era. "It doesn't have a lot to make it socially redeeming. It's about sex, drugs and rock 'n roll, after all," says Hill, 41. "It's not about the movie. It's about the art — and the amazing coincidence of finding where it came from. I mean, what are the odds?" Advertisement The painting (artist still unknown) is featured in an eye-grabbing menagerie of hundreds of such items — old engravings, a 1965 yearbook from Southern Oregon College, Currier and Ives prints from 80 years ago, a raft of paintings from a 1961 high school art show — in Hill's storage unit at 330 E. Hersey in Ashland. The sale will benefit KSKQ radio, which streams on the Internet and is working to get on the FM band. In his mission as curator of castoffs, Hill admits he isn't getting rich — but "it's a hobby out of control and I love to find the stories that go with the art." Among his finds is a large, 1778 engraving "In the Hunting Hall of Houghton," by John Boydell, valued at $1,500. A large, 1950s watercolor of Bele'm harbor in Brazil by noted illustrator Arthur Shilstone is also priced at $1,500. A well-executed oil painting of a dog, labeled "Joe," by William Ehlke, 1914, will go for $50. Two skilled Oregon landscapes from the 1940s by little-known artist J.R. Hornaday, are $150 each — and a striking, Picasso-esque portrait of a woman, done by "Jessica," (no other information) will be $35. Limited edition pen-and-ink prints (and a few originals) of Jacksonville artist Dodie Hamilton are offered, along with 20 limited edition prints Hill cadged from someone tossing them in the landfill. "They're a collector's treasure," says Hill. "I mean, why go to Wal-Mart for a $19.95 poster when you can get a vintage, collectable, limited edition print that has a history and a story, for the same price or less? And in galleries, what you get is brand, spanking new and not affordable." Hill will show the movie and trailer of "Riot on Sunset Strip" Saturday at 6:30 p.m., on site. The film sprang from actual riots where early hippies protested police oppression of their enjoyment of LSD, pot and free love. The film's poster proclaims, "Meet the hippies, the teenyboppers with their too-tight Capris and the pot-party goers, out for a new thrill, a new kick!" Public reviews on the Internet Movie Database are not flattering and the film's stars are not household names. The sale is "one of a kind, something that draws a very different crowd — and brings out stories with an amazing amount of history," says Jessica Russo, a member of the KSKQ steering committee. "And by the way," notes Hill, "if you're buying more than one thing, I haggle." John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com