EXCLUSIVE: Argentine artist thanks police for recovering stolen works of art in Los Banos

LOS BANOS, Calif. (KGO) -- Dozens of paintings on canvas, stolen from a parked vehicle Monday night, are sitting atop a long conference table at Los Banos Police Dept. The Argentine artist is on his way to reclaim them and to assess how much damage was done.

The paintings of trees in various stages of health and decline are part of a special ecological art project proposed for the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga.

They were stolen from the artist's vehicle at a Los Banos motel where he stayed overnight.

The paintings were found dumped along a walking trail a short distance away from Pacheco Blvd. and Place Road.

Some of the paintings were found strewn over a half-mile area. Some had been picked up and taken home by residents of a nearby mobile home park, thinking the pieces had been discarded. Detectives think they have recovered most of the works after going door-to-door in search of them.

Artist Maximo Gonzalez will take inventory and assess damage later today. ABC7 News was able to see a tear in the canvas of one painting but little to no visible damage to most.

Police said it was fortunate weather conditions were favorable with no rain to damage the dumped artwork.