A Jeff MacNelly painting of a local Inn in North Carolina that he created in the late 1960’s, while Jeff was still attending UNC-Chapel Hill, has been found after decades of being missing. Jeff painted the inn as a freelance project for needed cash and the painting quickly became the inn’s iconic image – used on menus and brochures. Then it went missing. In the early 1990’s a couple purchased it at a garage sale. By that time, Jeff had launched a successful career in cartooning earning a rare three pulitzer prizes.
A month or so ago, the couple contacted the inn, which agreed to purchase the painting (they’ve made several unsuccessful attempts to locate the painting over the years) for an undisclosed price. The painting was unveiled last Friday at the inn.