Have you seen this chameleon? Artist appeals for stolen painting's return

When Julianne Harnish stopped into Flipburger, she saw something troubling. Rather, it was whatshe didn't see at the Halifax burger joint that troubled her.

For years, one of Harnish's paintings a colourful, psychedelic rendering of a chameleon perched atop a bottle could be found on a wall of the downtown restaurant.

Now it was gone.

"I've never had anything stolen from me before," said Harnish.

"It feels like a violation."

When the daycare worker and artist saw her creationwas no longer hanging in the restaurant, she emailed Flipburger tosee if they had taken it down or sold it.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Harnish said employees believethe painting was stolen around St. Patrick's Day.

Halifax Regional Police are investigating the theft.

Painting more than a metre tall

Harnish does not individually price her paintings, insteadchoosing to negotiateprices with a prospective buyer.

When asked to ballpark how much the stolen piece wasworth, Harnish said the last paintingshe sold was priced at $800.

Not only is the painting expensive butat more than a metre tall, it's also quite large. That's only added to the mystery of exactly how it was taken without anyone noticing.

"If somebody walked out with it, it would be very obvious," said Harnish.

Displaying art 'has its risks'

Harnish said displaying artwork in restaurants or cafs is an easier way to get the public to see her art, rather than displaying it in an art gallery.

"I'm not a very well-known artist, I have a full-time job ...I don't really have a presence in galleries right now."

Displaying in restaurants or cafs"has its risks...but I decided it was worth it to prevent the painting from collecting dust in my apartment," she added.

Harnish said there was a small sign next to the painting with her contact information if someone wanted to buy it, but she noticed the note was missing during a previous visit to the restaurant.

Shesaid she doesn't hold Flipburger responsible for the theft.

"The staff work there really hard and it's not their job to make sure my property doesn't get taken."

Feeling hopeful

Harnish admittedthe theft has shaken her trust when displaying her art in restaurants but feels hopeful the painting will be returned.

"There's more people who are upset that it was stolen and there's only one person who stole it," she said.

Harnish has received hundreds of shares on herFacebook post where she shared details about the stolen artwork.

Shehas also been posting other drawings and comics on Facebook, chronicling her mission to locate the stolen piece.

"I think my best chance of getting it back is just letting people know and hopefully the person who took it will see."

Harnish said the painting can be returned to Flipburger if found.