Orignal Acrylic Painting CURT HITCH (1935-2012) " PEACEFUL STREET " 9"x 11" Signed By Artist Oregon Coast Artist Artist has attached a bio to the back of the painting. Painted on Board, Plainly Framed. "COOS BAY -- Friends say Curt Hitch was an artist with something for virtually everyone to enjoy. Members of the local arts community remember him as a major, and multitalented, contributor to the local scene. Hitch, who was in his mid-70s, passed away last month, but his friends and his artwork are keeping his memory alive. He had plenty of both. 'Curt was always creating something," said Barbara Mahon, a past-president of the Bay Area Artists' Association and founder of the Artists' Loft Gallery. Steven Broocks, executive director of the Coos Art Museum, said Hitch was one of those artists who was just very accessible to everyone. 'He was very much a populist artist that anyone could relate to and enjoy." And he didn't limit himself to just one particular medium, preferring to experiment. Longtime friend Charles Edmunds, 'Charles of Charleston," said Hitch excelled in multiple areas. On July 14, the 19th Annual Maritime Art Exhibit will open at the Coos Art Museum. Edmunds and Hitch were among the handful of local artists who could say they made multiple appearances in the prestigious show. 'He was so good, the quality of his paintings...he got in to the maritime art show three times, which is extraordinary for a local artist," Edmunds said. 'But also two of the three times were with three-dimensional models of boats." Hitch had a good understanding of his maritime subject matter. When he wasn't creating, friends say you could find him fishing. Another fellow artist, fisherman and friend, Rod Sullens, spent a lot of time in recent years with Hitch at Empire Lakes and out on the bay. 'He was a great artist and a pretty darn good fisherman as well," Sullens said." He did recall Hitch leaving one brand-new fishing pole at the bottom of the bay. Hitch was adept at bringing those two areas of his life together, and not just in his artwork. Mahon said that perhaps his greatest contribution to the local arts scene was his ability to lure an audience. 'He was a wonderful schmoozer. He liked people and knew how to relate to them and get them to take part in the art scene."