A Wanamassa homeowner discovered this painting left on her porch one morning in June.
By WILLIAM CLARK
It wasn’t UPS. It wasn’t FedEx. It wasn’t Amazon.
Late last month Kristin Lancton of Wanamassa and her sister Kathy received a special delivery from an unknown sender.
A painting of their house in a weathered frame was leaning against the column on their porch on a late Wednesday in June. There was no note or other indication of who had placed the decades old depiction of their house without knocking or ringing the doorbell. Neighbors thought they might have seen a minivan drive by and with no cameras, the sisters were truly stumped.
With little to go off of other than “P. Shipman” signed in green lettering along the bottom right corner, the sisters took to social media to see if they could work off of the minimal clues they had.
The crowdsourcing determined that the artist was Paula Shipman, now in her 80’s. Shipman’s daughter confirmed her mother’s work but said her mother has no recollection of why she painted that specific house other than the class she had been enrolled in required the use of a specific green.
Lancton said the painting has been on the dining room table since it was received. It was a welcome gift but the mystery is what really piques the interest of Kristin and Kathy. After Shipman finished and framed the work, which the group of women estimate must have been 60 years ago, she had no idea where it had gone or how it ended up on the porch.
“It’s truly a mystery as to who dropped it off,” Kristen said in an email, “It was a kind gesture and we’d really like to acknowledge their thoughtfulness. We’d appreciate hearing from anyone who may have some clues.
The trail has gone dry on social media, but those who may have an answer to the mystery painting are encouraged to email editor@thecoaster.net with any information.
Even if the unnamed gift giver is never found, the recipients are thankful for the surprise.