The photo above is called “Mother Earth.” It is by the artist Blue, and I’m selling it for $50. ([email protected], first come, first serve).
The Bishop Maginn High School Silverstein Art Gang is red-hot. I sold four paintings last night, two each for Blue and for Paw Lway Shee (one of her sold paintings is below).
I am just beginning to grasp how talented these two remarkable young artists are. Both are spending as much of the summer as they can painting and sketching in Sue Silverstein’s class. She comes in for them, she isn’t getting paid but wants them to have a space while classes are shut down for the summer.
I am excited by the response to these paintings, they sell very quickly and people are telling me with great earnestness how much they want one.
As a professional photographer, I know how hard it is to sell art these days, this is a great testament to these young artists whose have been opened up to sensitivity and emotion by the traumas of their lives.
Refugees by definition have lost everything – their work, homes, money, much of their family, their language and identity and peace of mind. Most grew up in crowded and often dangerous refugee camps. The world is an uncertain place for these children, who have lost everything familiar and safe.
The adults tell me they live for their children, they came here for their children. It is a sacred task for me to help these children, who have such great hearts and spirits. I am a descendant of refugees. I am alive because of their courage and sacrifice.
In her work, Paw Lway pays tribute to the rich and colorful and spiritual Karen culture that she grew up in and that has formed a large community in Albany and other cities.
Being a refugee is all about loss and pain and change. And courage. Blue and Paw Lway Shee show this in their very creative and colorful work. They are both full of hope and quick to laugh. Blue has also flirted with anger and frustration.
Blue gave me this painting – “Mother Earth” – when I first met her.
She seemed a little angry and disconnected to me then, but not now. This work has lifted her spirits. We got her art supplies to take home and it was a wonderful investment, she is deep into watercolors.
I thought these paintings would be wonderful to put on somebody’s wall. People are buying the paintings for different reasons, I see that some are looking for special gifts for their daughters and granddaughters, others want the paintings for their living room walls.
Blue’s paintings come out of nature – the earth and the night sky.
She calls this photo “Mother Earth,” each of the colors signifies a different element of nature: blue for water, green for grass. It is, she says, a painting about the earth. Blue is a dreamer, when she is down, she sits up all night looking at the stars. You’d make a great artist, I said, laughing. She got the joke.
This is where she takes her pain, hope and intense emotions. In my new role as art manager – I do get to keep on learning – I’m asking $50. If you are interested, please e-mail me, [email protected]. If you agree, you can then pay me via Paypal, [email protected] or by check, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.
The photo below was painted by Paw LWay. Brittany, who purchased her painting from last night, said she would love to look at the next one while she was at it. I texted her the one below, she bought it right away for $30. I wanted to share it with you. This painting has such a special feel to it, we are hoping to help these two into a special art class if it’s possible and they want to go.
The above photo, “Girl In The Woods,” is sold.
Two things: One, please check out the new Bishop Maginn High School Amazon Wish List. We need more microscopes and inexpensive Acer Chrome laptops. There is one microscope left on this list, and three laptops for $202 each.
Secondly, I am looking to get some things for some of these young artists. There are lots of things American kids take for granted but that these children have never had. Good shoes, books, comics, DVD’s and the personal items people call essentials. These families are very, very poor. They have nothing, and that causes them to be ver conspicuous. It won’t take a lot of money to fill some of the holes in their lives. If you wish, you can contribute to me for this work. You can do it via Paypal, [email protected] or you can do it by mail, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Mark the contributions “Bishop Maginn.”
And thanks. Small contributions add up to big things, I love the $5 donations I get from all over the country. The bigger ones are pretty sweet also.
Again, Blue’s “Mother Earth” photo is $50. E-mail me if you wish to purchase it, I’m batting 100 per cent as an art agent so far.
People are good, given the chance.