The "Muse"

A friend of mine told me that I should go to the AltaMira Fine Art Gallery in Scottsdale and see a show of paintings by Robert Townsend.  I'm so glad I did just that.  His paintings gave me a rush of feelings, flooding me with memories and nostalgia.

Robert Townsend is a realist artist who has created a series of paintings celebrating the life of a woman he's never met.  It all started when he purchased a box of slides from Ebay and was confronted with a woman who would become his muse.

After reviewing the slides carefully, he found one photo of her and her husband and they were wearing name tags.  He discovered her name was actually Helen and more internet research led to her obituary.  He contacted the funeral home and asked if they would contact her next of kin and have them call him.  Two hours later, he got that call from Helen's niece.  From there, the project of painting Helen grew in scope.

Film makers Ric and Jen Serena started documenting his journey which resulted in an award winning documentary film called "My Indiana Muse".  You can see a clip of the film here.  (I highly recommend taking a look.)

I was so touched by the show and the story, I just had to share it with all of you.  I want to thank Audrey E. Parish, the director of the AltaMira Gallery for letting me take these photos. I enjoyed the show with a tiny tear in my eye and a full heart.