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DURHAM, N. R HERALD D. 35,000 S. 41,600 AUG 2 3 1964 I ' ?√ß yjr \ yr^p Has Become ,, ?√ß ?╟≤ ' ?√ß ; ?√ß - ?· . . \ ?╟≤ . ?√ß ( ?√ß Worlds Great Clown By SHARON LAWRENCE HOLLYWOOD (UPD-^Some, 3*i nnra.rii.^iW Jlnj gCSTf ras^i funny man wno [ the years has become more ?╟╓than a comic>*;* . he is now one of the world^ great clown^^ a 1 star who can touch the heart as well as the funnybone/?╟╓ > The thousands of visitors to Red?╟╓s first art' exhibit discov- ered that this is true not only of Skelton the performer but also of Skelton the artist. /?╟ I came to the exhibit out of sneer curiosity/?╟╓ said a woman, who spent two hours examining the 52 Skelton oil paintings in the Emerald Room of Las Ve- gas?╟╓ Sands Hotel. ?╟úI?╟╓ve always admired Red as a performer, but I never dreamed that his paintings would be anything more than a pleasant diversion. ?╟úNow l know that his paint- ings have the same sensitivity that, he displays as a clown. The Sands management had Anticipated that perhaps a few hundred persons would stop by to see the paintings, but they were soon playing host to more than 3,000 visitors. The exhibit came about when Jack Entratter, president of the Sands and long a friend of the Comedian, hoticbd a stack of paintings in a closet of Red?╟╓s Palm Springs home. I v ?╟ 'Red, these shouldn?╟╓t bC btifi, -"k"**" ^ ?╟ -ft?╟ frM y-uto. ?╟≤i W .U . ^v:/V ied away/' said Entratter, a serious art collector. ?╟úLet?╟╓s do an exhibition at the Sands where people can enjoy them.?╟Ñ ?╟úAwww, they?╟╓re n o t good enough,?╟Ñ shrugged Skelton. ?╟úWho?╟╓d be interested??╟Ñ But Entrattei* won Skelton over. Not only tourists and Las Vegas residents came to the exhibit. It drew art. collectors and fellow performers,. Some of Red?╟╓s paintings are still lifes of fruit and flowers, others are of animals, and one especially outstanding work shows a charming little french town which he first modeled from his supply of cigar boxes. However, the majority of his work is, appropriately enough, of clowns. Many of his finest paintings are those patterned on such real life 'clowns as Paul Jerome, Bozo Snyder, Fe- lix Adler and Lou Jacobs. People often comment about the elongated faces and big eyes of Skelton?╟╓s subjects. ?╟úThe first thing I notice about a per- son are his eyes,?╟Ñ he explains. ?╟úTo me, the eyes are the fur- nace of the soul and when I paint, I exaggerate to capture the true person as I see him.?╟Ñ Why are the faces so thin? . . ?╟╓?╟╓Again, it?╟╓s because I?╟╓m try- ing to express the real person, not the fat they might have accumulated through the years. That?╟╓s not an integral part of their truS 11 j