Maud Lewis painting found in thrift shop enters final week of auction

Thepainting found in a New Hamburg, Ont. thrift shop a little over a year ago willfinally be sold this week in the second round of an online auction.

By Monday the bidding had reached$45,000. The auction ends Friday.

The painting is by the prolific Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis, who's the subject of an independent biopic that took Atlantic Canada by stormthis spring.

• Painting's online auctiongets 'bad faith' reset
• Bidding reaches $45,000 in re-started Maud Lewis auction

The auction had to be stopped and restarted, becausesomeone bid $125,000 in "bad faith," RickCoberBauman, the executive director of Mennonite CentralCommittee Ontario, told CBC News.

Lewis life

Lewis lived in poverty for most of her life and sold herpaintings from her home near Digby, N.S., for as little as $2 and
$3. She died in 1970, but her paintings have since sold for up to$22,000.

Cober Bauman said it's been an exciting journey since Portrait of Eddie Barnes and Ed Murphy,Lobster Fisherman, Bay View, Nova Scotia,was found in donations made to theMCC thrift shop.

• Maudiebiopic movie a surprise hit

"It just so happened that one of our volunteers that day had ahunch that it might be something out of the ordinary," he said.

Painting traveled

After having it appraised and valued at approximately $16,000 the painting has been ferried back and forth between New Hamburg, an exhibit at a Nova Scotia art gallery and a Waterloo, Ont., theatre.

• Visitors flock to N.S. gallery for Maud Lewis exhibit

"We were always planning to go to some sort of an auction," Cober Baumansaid.

The proceeds will further MCC's relief work, including inSouth Sudan, where the organization is working to help alleviate theeffects of a famine.

Cober Bauman said the $45,000 bid that has been made would more thansatisfy his organization, given that it's twice what Lewis'spaintings have garnered in the pastand it's nearly three times thevalue at which the work was appraised.

Cober Bauman said he thinks the high bid may be in part because of thebuzz surrounding the Lewis biopic, but that people also may bedriven to pay more because they know the money is going to charity.