NB – this competition is now closed for new entries (boooo), but readers can still cash in a 10% discount on the print until 1st December (yaaaay!). Full details below. The competition winner will be announced on 8th November here on the blog.
Here’s a piece of art Columbo fans will be desperate to get their fingerprints all over – a print of a magnificent painting created by the uber-talented Alistair Little.
Yes ladies and germs, there’s a gap on your wall that needs filling with this spectacular piece, which is entitled One More Thing, and which is one of the best Columbo-inspired artworks I’ve ever seen.
It’s clear that Alistair is no ‘hack’ like Sam Franklin, as he’s captured the essence of the dear Lieutenant to a tee. Little surprise, then, to hear that Big Al is a huge fan of Columbo, and created the original acrylic painting as a sign of appreciation to the man who introduced him to the series.
“I made the painting in 2007 for my friend and mentor Bill Bradshaw,” Al recollects. “Bill and I had been working together for 8 years and he was the best teacher I could have hoped for. He really got me on my feet artistically speaking and the painting was a thank you for that and his invaluable friendship.”
Long hours at the studio regularly featured background movies and TV shows to help pass the time, and it was here that Al was introduced to Lieutenant Columbo. “Bill, being 18 years older than me, had grown up watching Columbo when it first aired and is a lifelong fan,” said Al. “He would often extol the virtues of a particular episode and put them on whilst we worked.”
It wasn’t long before Al was hooked. “The irrepressible detective started to work his magic on me,” he says. “The fantastic formula of the knowing who the murderer was and watching Columbo unpick the clues was so original and really let you in on both the killer and sleuth’s personalities. Also the episodes were shot with such high values it really feels like you’re watching a movie rather than a TV show.”
Having watched the original series more times than he can count, Al decided to share his love of Columbo with the world through release of a print version of the original painting.
Available as a high quality giclee 16 x 13.5 inch print, One More Thing is can be purchased via Al’s website at a cost of 42 GBP (approx US$55). But he’s such a HERO that he’s offering one print as a prize to a lucky reader of this blog!
How you could win a copy!
Fancy a copy of the print for your wall? I know I do. So do enter the prize draw! All you need do to throw your hat in the ring is add a comment below outlining why you feel you need this particular piece in your own art collection.
Try and make us smile with your entry, and get amongst it fast because the competition will close at midnight on Wednesday 6 November, with the winner announced on the blog on Friday 8 November.
If you’re not lucky enough to win, take heart! Big Al has made the print available at a discounted rate for Columbophile blog readers. Simply enter the discount code ONEMORETHING10 at checkout to secure 10% off the full price.
Please note, this offer is only available from 30 October – midnight (UK time) on Sunday 1 December.
Find out more, or order online here.
About Alistair Little
Al is a British-based artist working primarily in oils, whose work is heavily influenced by his love of classic cinema. Represented by Paynter & Hall, Al’s work has been exhibited all over the UK, as well as in New York.
Find out more about Al and view his work at www.alistairlittle.com. You can also catch him on Instagram (@alistairlittleart) and Twitter (@al_ambition).
Al’s favourite Columbo episodes are Murder by the Book; Lovely but Lethal; Negative Reaction; Forgotten Lady; An Exercise in Fatality; and Candidate for Crime.
I’m attempting to write a series of 70s era Columbo stories in the style of Raymond Chandler, only soft boiled, rather than hard boiled. It will be called Four Seasons and I could do with a muse like this on the wall.
Also, if you have three novel methods of getting away with murder and three villains (that may or may not bare a resemblance to Robert Culp) then that would also be most helpful.
Regards,
Nik.
My parents were watching TV one night many years ago and my dad said, “Woah, do you remember this show (to my mom)?”. My sister and I were like, what show. That show was Columbo and that then led to pretty much every Sunday night watching Columbo together. His character is well developed and he fools everybody with his appearance and sort of absent-minded nature. Nobody thinks twice about him being a problem, but he always proves them wrong and catches the murderer in the end. Having this painting would be amazing and it would be inspiring to look at it and think of Columbo and all the memories I have associated with the show.
Some of my earliest memories as a kid are seeing this odd man named Columbo on TV while my sister baby sat me, his raggedy old raincoat and “weird eye” fascinating me. Growing up around LA I would watch on TV as Columbo would visit so many of the same landmarks I would see in daily life, making him, strange as it sounds, like a friend I was growing up with. Now in my mid 40’s, Columbo is still a friend, and is a daily staple in my household. Whether having him on in the kitchen while I’m cooking or playing on the TV in the garage while I’m working on the car, he’s at my house at some point in the day. The sights and sounds of that Los Angeles era are now past, but are forever captured in the patina of that 1970’s film quality, the clever wit and undeniable cunning of Lieutenant Columbo, my friend, still fascinating me all these years later.
Watching Columbo with my mom when I go to visit her is what keeps her happy throughout the week. She works two jobs and doesn’t have any other family left. With Christmas around the corner I know she would love this as a present. She could look at on the day’s I can’t visit and maybe be a little less stressed. That’d be nice for her.
Why do you feel you need this particular piece in your own art collection?
Me? Art collection? Noooo… well, there are drawings from the children on the fridge, but…
It’s a painting of a detective who outwits murderers and…
Well, I am a detective in homicide, but on my salary…
Oh no, there’s no cost, you only need to tell me why you feel you need this particular piece…
That’s awfully nice of you, but I tell you there’s something bothering me – if you were a talented artist, why would you give away a …
It’s not quite a giveaway…
Riiiight – I must tell you why I feel I need this. You see, the boys and I down at headquarters, when the coffee machine isn’t working… do you have a match? I seem to have… we need to work around that, you see, and its like a case, a puzzle with pieces missing and, well, we get to talking to each other and sometimes, if we’re lucky, something just clicks…
What’s your point?
Oh, I wasn’t making a point…
You seem distracted…
You see, sir, it’s the details, I have to sort them out, get them in their place.
Like the fellow in the painting…
Yes… I think you’re right – they tell me I look like that. Anyway, it’s probably not that important…
I think it is. That’s just like you when you’re solving a murder, or at least one of the pieces in the puzzle…
Weeeell, I appreciate that. As for appreciating art, I leave that to the experts…
But I’m no expert and I appreciate the painting…
You have a point… then maybe you should have it…
It would be a privilege to gaze upon it in my home and know that there are people like you who solve murders all the time. Thanks for making the world a better place – and for being yourself when you do it.
The scene: Kitchen. Morning. A man and a woman seated at the table with the remnants of a hastily prepared breakfast. He’s scanning his phone, only half paying attention.
Man: “So, enter. I mean you love the guy, right?”
Woman: “Who? Columbo? Falk? Alistair Little?”
Man: “Which episode is that?”
Woman: “What episode?”
Man: “You know. The one with the guy.”
Woman: “What guy?”
Man: “The guy who loves the art student. Although he really doesn’t. It’s about a
painting, right? Or was it a set of drawings?”
Woman (perplexed): “What are you talking about?”
Man: “Art.”
Woman (musing): “He’s got a really great way of capturing The Moment.”
Man: “Columbo? Yeah, I love the way he always turns around at the door and says,
‘Just one more thing.’”
Woman: “No! Alistair Little.”
Man: “Who?”
Woman: “Alistair Little. The artist.”
Man: “You mean the guy with the nude model? The one with the hairy back?”
Woman (exasperated): “Not the actor. The REAL artist. Alistair Little. His paintings
always capture the moment – the tension, the way I can see a person *thinking*.
We could hang the painting over the desk. You know. Inspiration.”
Man: “Or you could put it by the door. You know. Just One More Thing. A reminder.
Woman: “It’s a painting, not a Post-it note!”
Man: “I thought you said it was a print.”
Woman: “It’s a print of a wonderful painting. Giclee.”
Man: “I thought you said it was Columbo.”
Woman: “Oh, never mind.”
So, um, yes. I need this painting by Big Al – one Columbo lover to another. By the desk. You know. Inspiration. So I can watch him thinking, and remember all the wonderful episodes.
Linda – congratulations! Al has chosen your entry to be the print winner! Please get in touch with me via email to organise the prize – columbophile@hotmail.co.uk
Ummm I’m not feeling very witty just now unfortunately. But I do love Columbo and have a little shrine with Columbo books and DVDs and a few bits of memorabilia. This would be the pinnacle and I would place it on the wall directly above my Columbo shelf. X