The news of the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral made me think of the complexities of repairing or restoring artwork, specifically the nuances of merging art with art, while trying to preserve the beauty of the original art, yet improving with newer skills and materials, but without being able to confer with the original artist.
Last year I collaborated with four different artists to create symbiotic artwork that was a meld of both our visions and techniques, and we were able to go back and forth on the ideas before proceeding. In the last month, another collaboration project appeared before me. A friend had purchased a painting from the estate of Helen Petre – an artist I knew, though not very well. After deciding she didn’t care for the painting after all, the friend donated it to Borrego Springs Art Guild as a fundraiser – but no one bid on it. During a serendipitous conversation about this unwanted artwork, I decided to buy the painting for a few dollars with the specific intent to rework it with my influence. I had no clue what I was letting myself in for.
Blissfully Helen, like me, also writes the names of her paintings on the back so I had a start point – “Escape”, though I wished I could have asked her more about the image and whether it is an egg or a planet. After messing around unsuccessfully with watercolor pieces and the concept of repainting the brown area, I wrote a sonnet for it and painted it on, hoping that my change won’t be causing Helen to roll over in her grave:
Escape
There's many things in life we wish to leave
behind - escape from things that cause us pain,
but as our hearts still beat and lungs still breathe,
all kinds of problems find us out again.
We've tried to escape earth, flown to the moon;
we search for worlds that circle other suns.
Some days we say we'd crawl back in the womb
if we could just start over, shuck the tons
of weight we feel. Vacations give respite,
or quitting jobs, divorce; but back we go
to town, to bills, to love, to normal life,
to dreams of freedom. Is it there? Oh no!
It's not until you take your final breath
You realize you've simply escaped to death.
This month, I will be doing a lot of my own rolling – four art fairs, six shows, but only one class (unless anyone wants to take Absolute Beginners either at sm’Art, Vanguard or my house or schedule a paint and wine evening!)
Fairs
May 4-5th: Calabasas Arts Festival, Calabasas, CA.
May 11-12th: Sunset Beach, CA.
May 18-19th: Strawberry Festival, Oxnard, CA.
May 25-27th: Art in the Park, Morro Bay, CA. Morro Bay
Shows
Apr 18-May 31. Designer's Showcase, Desert Polymer Flooring
Apr 25-May 17 Group Show, Artistic Expressions, Artists Council members. UCR Palm , CA Reception May 3rd, 7-9pm.
Apr 30-Jul 30 : Group Show, High Desert Medical Center Joshua Tree, CA. Reception May 21st 5:30-6:30pm.
May 2019: Solo Show, Indio Senior Center, Indio, CA. (Oils and acrylics)
May 6-9th: Shaking up the arts. Carmen Durazo Cultural Center, Calexico. Reception May 9th, 6-9pm.
Apr 29-May 24 : Group Show, Collage Artists of America "Reality is highly overrated" at Betsy Lueke Creative Art Center Burbank, CA. Reception and Awards May 3rd 7-9pm.
Classes:
May 8th 10am-1pm approx. Watercolor collage fun workshop $45 includes all materials. sm'Art Studio, La Quinta. sm'Art Studio Contact me (310) 720-1552 or Alana (760) 902 7985 by Apr 8th to book.
If you email me and then don't hear back within 48 hours, check your spam folder and if you don't find my response, call/text me.
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