Original hand decorated large metal bucket or pail with bail and handle by noted American folk artist Peter Ompir. It is dark green with a black wash making it look mostly black with a little green showing through here and there. There is a colorful proud rooster on the front with large stylized floral sprays on each side. The decoration continues around the back with a large floral band in the center and smaller decorative bands at the top and bottom. There is a metal handle on the back at the bottom rim for emptying the bucket. The interior and bottom are painted green and it is signed on the bottom by Peter Ompir. It is a large and impressive piece by the artist with a bold color scheme and always popular rooster.
Height - 14" including the small metal parts that stick up on the sides to hold the bail, this isn't counting the bail. Diameter - 12 1/2.
Condition: There is some light scratching to the finish around the rooster's head and above it. There is some paint chipped off on the bottom and top rim, the worst spot is on the bottom in the middle front below the rooster. There are a few other small paint chips near the back bottom handle. The wooden handle on the bail also has some wear to the paint. The bottom interior is slightly soiled. The metal bucket has some small dents but I believe it was this way before it was painted, as there is no damage to the paint where the dents are. Ompir bought antiques and used items and then decorated them, imperfections and all. There has been no touch-up to the paint.
The name "Peter Ompir" translates to Peter the Great, as he sometimes liked to refer to himself. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the National and American Art Academies during the depression years. He had a hard time making a living as a painter during the depression era and switched to decorating antiques and common household items in his own personal style and has been called "The Dean of American Toleware", the "Dean of Decor Painting" and "The Father of American Decorative Painting". He mixed his own colors and had his own "antiquing" process to make newly painted items look old. Each piece took at least two weeks to finish. He had a workshop in Sheffield, Ma. for many years. Ompir's work was very popular in his day and his painted items were sold in stores such as Macy's, Neiman-Marcus, Sloan's of New York, Meier and Frank and other places. His work is highly collectible. He was born in 1904 and died in 1979.