One of the things I’m occasionally asked to do is to verify that a painting was done by Lone Star Dietz or estimate what one would sell for on the open market. I am completely unable to estimate the value of Dietz’s (or anyone else’s) paintings. However, I’ve seen enough of his works to make an educated guess regarding it authenticity. Another factor in my reasoning is that the sales I’m aware of have been of relatively small amounts, so small that counterfeiting his paintings wouldn’t be a worthwhile enterprise.
Like many artists, Dietz changed the signature he used on his paintings and illustrations, so expecting his signature to always be the same is unrealistic. I was recently sent three photos of parts of a painting someone purchased relatively recently.
The first photo is of a harbor scene painted on a canvas board (included above). The artist’s signature is located in the lower right hand corner and is blown up in the third photo (at the bottom of this article). The second photo (below)is of the back of the painting. Harrison Art Center may be where Dietz bought art supplies and had paintings framed while he was assisting Pop Warner coach the Temple Owls football team. The store seems to be no longer in business.
I bought a painting titled “Vacation Land” some years ago. The work, also painted on canvas board, seems similar enough that it might have been painted by the same person. It is signed “William Dietz.” On the back below the title of the painting is “by Wm H Dietz.” His birth certificate, recorded five years after his birth, gives his name as William Henry Dietz. He signed the painting one way and put his name on the back another way. This inconsistency is not unexpected.
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