Are you the type of person who likes to discover hidden treasure?
Maybe you’re an Indiana Jones fan. Or an armchair archaeologist.
Maybe you can’t pass a country antique store without stopping for a look around.
Or you never miss an episode of Antique Road Show.
Maybe you’re a sucker for those “What Ever Happened to…?” stories.
If so, here’s one I think you’ll like.
Almost fifty years ago, in July 1975, a Kansas City art gallery was featured on the cover of Décor Magazine.
This gallery, Serigraphix 1, was owned, operated, and supplied by artist partners Barry Biddle and Larry McMillan.
Both formally trained artists, Barry had been an art teacher and Larry had worked for Hallmark.
Their gallery featured their own pop-art-style silk screen prints (serigraphs). It was located within blocks of the famed Plaza shopping district in downtown Kansas City.
Serigraphix 1 was so successful, the partners started a second location, aptly named Serigraphix 2.
Over the course of less than a decade, they produced and sold hundred of images in limited editions of 125 or less. Some were copied by Hallmark and adapted for greeting cards. Others were featured in the “30 Miles of Art” juried invitational show at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Barry and Larry eventually closed up shop. As with most such decisions, it wasn’t just one thing. The heavy workload, the toxic fumes, and wanting to do something new all played into the decision to move on.
Fast forward to today…
Since the close of his galleries, Barry has been a pastry chef in Key West and a gentleman farmer in Western Pennsylvania. Then, when fracking brought him an offer for his hilly Pennsylvania farm land, he packed up and returned to Kansas City… and to a renewed emphasis on his art.
He’s working in other media now: acrylics, watercolor, and woodburning. But his style, especially his evocative animal portraiture, is easily recognizable to those who know his early work.
But what about that early work?
Barry had been getting questions periodically from collectors about whether a particular image was still available.
Unfortunately, the manual silk screening process of the 1970’s destroyed each of the master images as a new one was prepared using the same screen. So there is no way to make additional serigraphs.
And that’s the point of limited editions anyhow. You aren’t supposed to be able to make more of the exact same image.
Then came the light-bulb moment.
This is where Barry’s step-sister, Sharon Hines, entered the picture.
Sharon has been in internet marketing for over 10 years. She was browsing a gift shop at a tourist trap south of Miami when the thought hit her… Barry’s art would look great on a t-shirt, just like the ones in that shop.
What’s more, she knew how to make that happen.
Barry bought into the idea immediately, and a new business was born. They decided to call it Serigraphix 3.0. The name honors the original two galleries while reflecting the new online location.
Houston, we have a problem…
Back in the days of the brick-and-mortar locations, Barry and Larry had intended to save the #1 image of each run. But that didn’t always happen. In fact, it often didn’t happen.
And they didn’t take photos, either.
Barry and his family have a small collection of his images. Yet it’s only a fraction of the total portfolio.
So here’s where things stand.
Sharon is busy digitizing the images in the family’s private collection. They are available for purchase through this website as wall art, t-shirts, mugs, greeting cards, and other items.
As for the “lost” images not in the family’s collection, we are actively looking for them. We are calling it “The Hunt for the Lost Biddles.”
And that’s where you Indiana Jones types come in. If you spot one of the original limited-edition serigraphs from the 1970’s, please send us a photo (sharon@barryabiddle.com). We’ll give you credit for the find. If we’re able to, we’ll digitize it and make it available once again to you and other collectors.
In the meantime, have a look around. We’re going to be posting pictures of Barry’s newer artwork as we get it photographed. And we’ll be posting pictures of all the old serigraphs we find.
Don’t forget to sign up for our Hunt Club (i.e., subscribe to our mailing list) to get notices of what’s been found and what we’ve digitized. We can’t wait to get to know you!
Barry & Sharon
