BELFAST, Maine — One of the carved wooden faces that act as sentinels of the Belfast waterfront has been stolen, but Belfast artist Ron Cowan said he’s hopeful the statue will come back home to him.
Police are seeking the $1,500 piece of cedar post art, dubbed either “Half Head” or “Branch,” and the person or persons responsible for its disappearance sometime in September from its perch near the French & Webb Custom Boat Builders building. Because it is valued at more than $1,000, Sgt. John Gibbs of the Belfast Police department said the theft is considered a felony crime.
Cowan, whose signature faces can be found throughout the city, including a batch that appear and disappear with the tide in the harbor, said Tuesday that he had brought “Half Head” with him for the Arts in the Park show this summer.
“When we were picking up, it was later in the evening and the light was right on that piece,” he said. “It looked so nice. I wanted to leave it there.”
He said that while other faces have been taken in the past, all but two eventually were returned to him.
“The thieves have been very kind to me,” he said. “I’ve had pieces out there for years and years, with hardly any theft. I like to blend them in with humanity, and I know they’re really well appreciated.”
If anyone has information about the missing statue, they are asked to call the Belfast Police Department at 338-2420.