Leeteg

“Velvets are dark and mysterious…as something you might see in your best dreams of Tahiti. It's about creating an island fantasy wherever you are… a fantasy that is warm and cozy outside the doldrums of your job and city life. Leeteg actually lived out the fantasy lifestyle.” —Otto Von Stroheim, author, and founder of TikiOasis

“Even now, Edgar Leeteg’s velvet paintings are very novel and he has influenced me and many artists. —Mookie Sato, Black velvet and Polynesian pop artist from Japan

“My father, author Robert Dean Frisbie, referred our friend, Charlie McPhee to Edgar Leeteg on Tahiti because Dad knew Leeteg was the originator of the unique talent of oil painting on black velvet. He was sure the two artists Charlie and Edgar, would have a lot of fun together, and they did." —Florence “Johnny” Frisbie, author, Miss Ulysses from Puka-Puka (1948)

“Leeteg was the best velvet painter ever” —Cecelia “Cece” Rodriguez, Sep.4, 2020 (101 years young and the best female oil on velvet painter of the 20th century)

“C.J Cook draws Leeteg out of the velvet shadows created by the myth making “American Gauguin” —John Turner, co-author with Greg Escalante of Leeteg of Tahiti, Paintings from the Villa Velour, 1999

Author and historian, CJ Cook has long held an interest in the history of the South Pacific. His first book, Tyree, Artist of the South Pacific (2017) was a wonderful success, winning two Gold Awards for Best Cover and also for Best Biography from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) in April 2018. Cook is a lifelong manuscript collector who has a special interest in art, poetry, and the South Pacific. He also is a collector of art and artists of the South Pacific. Some of the paintings and many of the photos in this book come from his collection.

A former Disney screenwriter, Michael Ashley owns the creative content company Ink Wordsmiths. He is a Forbes columnist and the author of twenty-six books, including four bestsellers. Michael specializes in turning his clients into thought leaders via ghostwriting books, articles, blogs, and websites, as well as consulting businesses on storytelling. A former newspaper reporter and current professional public speaker, Michael’s writing has appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, the National Examiner, Orange County Business Journal, Newsbase, & Orange County Register