The latest in a series of doors being auctioned off from a house where Jim Morrison once lived has been painted with a “Love Her Madly” theme. “The Jim Morrison Home Legacy Series” enlists artists to use doors collected from a Clearwater, Fla., home that belonged to Morrison’s grandparents as their canvases. The doors are then donated to various causes.
The latest, taken from the master bathroom, will go up for auction on eBay Saturday after being unveiled during a Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra concert dedicated to the band’s music. Proceeds will benefit the orchestra and an anti-gang initiative.
Painted by Florida artist Doug Wright, the door quotes from “Love Her Madly” and pictures a thoughtful Morrison, who died in 1971 at 27, beneath an image of seven horses. A doorbell will play snippets of the song. It’s the fourth door Wright has painted for the foundation. The last two have quoted Morrison’s writing.
“That’s kind of the direction I’m going to go, to include the words of Jim Morrison with the pictures,” Wright said by phone.
Triangle Development of Clearwater, Fla., gathered up the doors from a house that was on land being cleared for a condominium project. Morrison had lived in the five-bedroom house as a young child from 1944 to ’47, and again while attending St. Petersburg Junior College in the early 1960s, Triangle spokeswoman Meg Murphy said. The house was no longer in the family when it was torn down.
There was talk of moving the house off the site, but it was in bad shape, Murphy said. Instead, Triangle co-founder and Doors fan Ben Kugler had the idea to save and paint the doors to help charities. In all, 36 doors including 14 cabinet doors were saved.
A “Break on Through” door was donated to Largo Cultural Center in Largo , Fla., a “Feast of Friends” door is on display at the Clearwater public library and a “Light My Fire” door is in the works.
Legacy Series coordinators offered the door to the Buffalo Philharmonic after hearing about its Doors-themed concert.