Art that deserves to be stolen

Reporter: Olivia Jean
Published: Updated:

The search is on to find this missing painting stolen last month from the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center.

It’s the work of a 17-year-old girl named Isis McGhee. Unfortunately, the taken art piece was a part of the Fort Myers High School IB senior show.

The thief snuck into the building and removed the painting. Staff who were on the premises heard the door open and went to confront him, but the person had already left.

Most would be upset if a painting of theirs were stolen. Here’s what Isis thought when her teacher pulled her out of class to tell her.

“She showed me the email, she had me read it. And she was like, I’m so sorry that this had happened to you. And I was honest, I was just standing there smiling,” McGhee said.

She thought it was cool.

“I really like it’s amazing to me that someone liked my artwork so much that they would be willing to steal it or risk jail time for it,” McGhee said.

McGhee has always been creative, she told WINK News Reporter Olivia Jean. It’s part of the reason why The Franklin Shops in downtown Fort Myers has a section of pieces from her own brand, Blue Forest Treasures.

“My favorite color is blue. So I call it like blue forest treasures,” McGhee said.

The shop also plans to sell prints of her stolen artwork.

In all of her paintings, you can see that the colors drive the story, especially in the painting titled “Golden hour,” the one that was stolen.

Not many17-year-olds can say they’ve had one of their artworks stolen, but she can. This was the first time the Davis Art Center had anything ever stolen too.

“I’m flattered that someone would like my artwork so much,” McGhee said.

This whole situation gave her the confidence she needed.

“After seeing someone take it, I was like, wow, maybe maybe my art like is a little bit better than I thought it was. So that’s, that’s pretty cool,” McGhee said.

Isis told WINK News that she made the painting for her grandmother, which is why it was her favorite painting yet. She never planned to sell it.

She might repaint it so that her grandmother gets what was supposed to be hers.

The suspect and painting are yet to be found, and the active investigation is ongoing.

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