In some cases the works were returned to the market as part of an estate, after the original collector has passed away. In one of the instances here (Red Moon) the work was stolen from a medical clinic in Bremerton. I had seen the work pop up on eBay, alerted authorities to it but found them unresponsive, and finally saw it pop up at auction. Presumably the current owner does not realize that it was stolen.
Often the work that I find on Google is one that found its way out of my studio before being documented, and the online image is the only record that I have. Such was the case with “City of Bridges,” a work that was part of the estate of the late William Beeman Smith, a Portland OR attorney.
And works might also find their way to auction when a friend or an ex-girlfriend relocates, downsizes or simply moves on. I rarely know the circumstances of why a painting is sold or traded, and often I wish that I still owned it. Such is life, a long series of desires and regrets.
