Their artwork once hung on the walls of an upscale inn. The artists want it back | CBC News

Artists who had their work hung on the walls of a well-known destination inn in Newfoundland’s Trinity Bay say their artwork went missing after the business was shuttered — but they have tempered hope they will soon be reunited. 

Wayne Maloney of Bay Bulls told CBC News in a recent interview he had several painted pieces he’d made that hung on the walls of the Doctor’s House Inn and Spa in Green’s Harbour.

The property, overlooking Trinity Bay, started off as the private home of Dr. Charles and Mary Boddie decades ago. The 100-acre property featured a Tudor-style home, vast greenery and an ocean view.

Engineer and entrepreneur Jerry Byrne bought the property in 2013 and turned it into the Doctor’s House Inn and Spa, which became known as a scenic getaway and wedding venue.

The business has since closed and the property is being managed by Veranova Properties on behalf of the mortgagee.

Maloney says he entered into an agreement with Byrne years ago to sell his artwork on consignment, with his art hanging on the inn’s walls for sale.

“I trusted him. I went and visited there and actually posted the art on the walls myself. So I had, like, a nice prize position right in the front foyer,” Maloney said.

One of his missing paintings is of the Ferryland lighthouse, which Maloney said is one of his favourite pieces. He recalled when Byrne first saw the painting he called it a “show stopper.”

The other paintings he had on display, he said, were of other iconic Newfoundland imagery like boats — his father was a fisherman.

In total, five paintings, worth thousands of dollars are missing, he said.

Maloney said he last spoke with Byrne in December 2022, when he arranged to pick up his artwork at the inn. But when he made the 100-kilometre trip to Green’s Harbour, the gate was closed, he said.

“They had my property so I thought, ‘Well, I should go see him. There’s a manager here and I’ll talk to somebody.’ But nothing. There was nobody there,” recalled Maloney.

The door was open, he said, so he looked around and while the place was in a state of disarray, he didn’t find his art. He wasn’t able to get in touch with Byrne, he said, and he’s talked to other artists in the same position.

“He’s just ignoring all these questions of where the art is.”

Byrne did not reply to requests for comment by publication time.

An engineer by training, Byrne worked in the oil and gas sector for decades and led DF Barnes, an offshore equipment manufacturing company, before he sold the company. In 2011 he ran as a federal Conservative in St. John’s East and pivoted to tourism ventures after losing.

Loss leaves deep impact

Maloney said it was Byrne who stopped by his Bay Bulls home and initiated the business relationship, he said.

“Who would think that somebody would take your art when they come looking for it to display it?”

He isn’t sure where the artwork is now — or if it still exists — and wonders if it was stockpiled somewhere.

“But I don’t know where the art has gone. That’s the biggest question.”

Trust shaken

Michelle Penney Rowe has been an artist for more than 20 years. She was born and raised in Carbonear, where she makes art and teaches others.

Three of her paintings that once hung on the Doctor’s Inn walls are missing.

“I’d just love to have my painting back. Paintings are a very personal thing. You know, artists are emotional, connected people, in a lot of cases,” Penney Rowe said.

One of the missing paintings has a very personal meaning to her. During an annual Mother’s Day trip with her children she spotted a striking scene near Bradley’s Cove. The ensuing painting — which featured a shed and icebergs in the distance — came naturally, she said.

“I felt really good about it, but it’s mine, so I’d love to have it back.”

Penney Rowe met Byrne through her involvement with an event for another artist. She remembered he talked about the big plans he had for the inn he’d recently purchased.

From there, artists like herself would collaborate on events at the inn. They’d go to the property to paint the scenery or showcase art at the inn and then have a shared meal.

“It was quite a nice working relationship at the time,” Penney Rowe said.

In 2018 Byrne asked her to hang some of her paintings on the wall of the inn and if someone wanted to buy them, he would connect them, she said.

“And so he then took them and hung them at the Doctor’s House. I saw them there.”

WATCH | These artists want their work back from an inn owner:  

A popular N.L. inn and spa has closed — and artists are demanding their work be returned

The Doctor’s House Inn & Spa in Green’s Harbour was a popular site for weddings and getaways. But it has shut its doors and several artists have had no luck getting back works that had been for sale. The CBC’s Elizabeth Whitten reports.

Penney Rowe said she sold one painting that way.

During a pandemic lockdown, she heard people were collecting their artwork from the inn because business was slow, but at the time she had no reason to pull her own artwork out. Then she started hearing rumours that other people had had artwork go missing at the inn.

In September, Penney Rowe decided to ask Byrne about retrieving her paintings but didn’t hear back, which she said was unusual because he had always been prompt to reply.

The experience has left her feeling disappointed because the relationship was based on trust. She also wonders if she should have headed to the inn to retrieve her paintings when she first heard rumours the business was in trouble.

“I didn’t file a police report because I thought, let’s give him a chance to do the right thing and just, you know, start giving some of the stuff back if he can,” Penney Rowe said.

She’s heard rumours of where her artwork might be, from a local shed to a Nova Scotia coffee shop.

Penney Rowe said it will change how she displays her artwork in other places.

“I think when something like this happens to somebody, it does take a little piece of you. It takes, you know, that little bit of trust away, you know, kind of makes you feel like a bit of a fool for trusting in the first place.”

Maloney advises artists to draw up contracts if they want to enter a consignment agreement and to take photos of their artwork hanging on the wall as proof.

Byrne reaches out

After CBC News began pursuing the story, the artists say they’ve heard from Byrne after months of silence.

The day after CBC News interviewed Penney Rowe at her Carbonear art studio, she said, Byrne contacted her over Facebook. The same thing happened to Maloney the same day.

They said Byrne told them their artwork had been accidentally packed up and shipped out of the province and was in a storage container in Halifax.

They say they’ve been told their artwork will be returned shortly.

Byrne also said he’s left Newfoundland and Labrador, has been dealing with serious medical ailments and that he thought the artwork had been returned and never meant to cause any distress, said Penney Rowe.

But Penney Rowe and Maloney both say they’ll believe it when their artwork is back in their hands, undamaged.

“Wouldn’t that be fantastic?” said Maloney.

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