When the Original portrait of the “Witch of Pungo” vanished from a Witchduck printshop in 2017, it was a shock not only to me; the printshop’s staff, manager, and company headquarters were also shocked. They don’t lose originals and they affirmed that they “don’t throw originals away, even if a kid drawing.” I, myself had been using their attentive services for years, without any problems. Things got errier when, for my loss, I was awarded a check - it was dated the same day that the “Witch of Pungo” received her award (apparently, her only award in over a dozen cases). Come pose with the painting of the original vanished portrait, that is positioned in the front of the Norfolk Pretlow Library in Ocean View where I grew up blocks away and live again. I spent teenage years living on the river where Grace Sherwood was ducked in 1706. The story behind the portrait took on a life of its own when as I was working on the 4’ x 4’ painting - touching up the eye, my wife shouted out the back door to the garage, that my mother-in-law (her mother) just died. I quickly altered the vertical line from the left eye into a teardrop in memorial. Continuing a long string of connections, the funeral was up in Stafford, CT, just some 30-40 mules from where some of the first witch trials in colonial America occurred in Springfield, CT. My book sporting the portrait, “Curse of Witchduck,” published this year, has so many connections to real life events. The description written for the book, has all along been prophetic: “What began as an author’s light taker on his neighborhood’s famously dark past, unearthed eerie links to the present, climaxing with a tragedy way too close to home.” More connections are in the book. The curious portrait is a poignant expression of how art and writing merge with an artist’s/author’s real life.
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“Curse of Witchduck” Book Surfaces at Pretlow Library /
It all started as a postage stamp sized portrait of local “Witch of Pungo” as she appeared in my comic strip featuring her old “ducking” grounds at Witch Duck Point. I figured if I couldn’t sell them, I’d give them away at Cool and Eclectic as a weekly give-a-way where winners were drawn from dropped off entry forms. It went okay, until a portrait of the “Witch of Pungo” was featured in the strip. Then some mischievous magic happened - the original portrait vanished from the Witchduck printshop. Apparently the first and only time an original went missing there. Then something eerie happened - the compensation check for his loss was dated - get this - the same day that the “Witch of Pungo” received a rare award in court, apparently, her only win in over a dozen cases. I featured the “Vanished Portrait” of the “Witch of Pungo” on the cover of my book, “ Curse of Witchduck” which was picked up by the Slover Library and the Pretlow Library where I was invited to give a book talk soon. I then submitted a large hand-painted version of the portrait to sit at the entrance of the library facing theChesapeake Bay. I’m now organizing a trip from the ducking spot to the library on a boat.
Christmas Bonus from the Witch of Pungo /
Strip featuring local Witch of Pungo mysteriously vanished from printer not far from her dunking. No one knew where the original went. A check for compensation arrived the other day - A Christmas Bonus from a "Witch?"
Grace Sherwood's Spirit revived by Headless Betty off Witchduck Rd. /
Local Gang ducks Headless Betty off Witchduck Rd. (Va Bch), stirring up over 300 years of Grace Sherwood's anger. She was the last know person convicted of witchcraft in Virginia. Like her, Betty floated to the surface, endowed with the power of a witch.