Art in motion: My Art Legacy Experience #RCArtLove

   The past few weeks, I've been preparing for an art event called The Art Legacy Project, where stories and art come together. It's about connecting, working together and inspiring others, it's highlighting someone's passion and after it was over, I know I was meant to be chosen for this event. A huge thanks first off to the sponsors The Elks Theatre, Simpsons Printing, The OWN, The Rapid City Arts Council and the Suzie Cappa Art Center.....and all the wonderful people in the audience who were hopefully impacted by this event in some way.

My display area featuring artwork,

my travel coffee table book, photography

Copyrighted by Sydnie Ness

Along came Judy.....I was first approached by a member of the Art Legacy Committee in January/February if I would be interested and wow was this in my realm....a storyteller is weaving a tale while I'm illustrating live with 20 minutes to start and finish a painting?! Yeah, this project could be amazing!
As many of you know, my recent diagnosis of Hashimoto's has been a big breakthrough and I'm still learning how to handle all those situations that life throws at you. Your endocrine system is critical in handling social situations, body temperature, heart rhythms, metabolism, controls your growth, critical thinking... it has a huge impact on your body and your life. I have been striving to operate at full capacity and sometimes my body still  questions me. I kept focus on my day to day and for a change, I thoroughly enjoyed this moment. My anxiety was low and with the help of my family, my Hashimoto's didn't stand in the way of  my day.
During a quick meet and greet at the offices of the Dahl Fine Arts Center, Rapid City, South Dakota, a month before the schedule event, I met my storyteller. He was late for the initial meeting and when he entered the room, there is no way a guy of that height can enter undetected!

Fred and I looking at my creation after his story was told

Copyrighted by Sydnie Ness

He started talking about this woman he admired,  his coworker and it struck me because he wasn't her brother, husband, father....he was a man admiring this woman  who impacted his life with her quick wit, can do spirit and drive to succeed. This sounded like my kind of woman! There was a big connection.....There has never been a challenge I shirked away from and especially with my Hashimoto's, I quickly became my own advocate and began learning all I could, when I wasn't sleeping, that is. My husband would attempt to keep up with my research and watch with supportive tones. I want to paint Judy's story!
Judy Bialka was her name and over the course of two meetings with Fred, I learned they were in the sanitation business together, she built her own company, she had a successful 'pink cart' campaign and that she commented how she would "kick cancers ass!" . A woman in that kind of business is a strong one. And she built bridges with her mouth to get things done. For 10 years., I was an aquatic director and head of the maintenance of the pool (that my friends is overwhelmingly dominated by men). Another similarity. He talked about the great lengths she would go to help people. She was diagnosed with melanoma cancer and fought for six years! My father-in-law whom I've grown to love and admire is on the war with melanoma...another sign for me that this match-up was destined.

"United against cancer"

By Cris Ness 2016

I spent my free time painting almost daily when I wasn't serving tables or serving beers.  My husband would ask in the mornings, "so, what are you going to paint today?" He quietly sits in the same room and occasionally looks, and when I'm done, he always get a giant grin on his face and hugs me...I love this kind of artistry reward system! Lots of great things came out onto the canvas....but I still didn't know how I could bring to life this woman who Fred so admired for being a trailblazer, a whirlwind, a colorful woman to admire. Days ticked by and a week before the event, I still just had a blank canvas going on in my brain with fleeting images of pink garbage cans, a colorful whirlwind, and a pig and a chicken putting on a breakfast together.
Fred, Anne who was our Black Hills Storyteller liaison, and I again had a coffee meet. A week earlier, I had shown the duo my style of work. In  the winter months, I started this random candle light series...and it made my family go hmmm, made my dog bark and growl at the painting, of which I exclaimed, "Honey!!! I pulled  emotion out of  the dog!!!!" They looked at the woman and stared.

My very own bookmarks "Into The Night" :)

I JUST LOVE HER!!!

At this last meeting, Fred had been thinking about my candle series and how that might just be a good focal point for the painting. I had gone to that meeting with that very thought in mind. Earlier in the day, I had been talking to my husband about Judy (I didn't mention much about what this story was going to be about before then.) and he quickly uttered,"that candle stuff you were doing a few months ago would be perfect".
I decided to work on the background some more. I looked up her obituary online late one evening  and Fred had described her perfectly and this other background information filled in gaps as far as her achievements throughout her short life. Judy was a mere 47-year-old youngster when her fight was over. She was vivacious, victorious, tenacious, winning....how do you put that on canvas???

"She would come into a room like a whirlwind...and that's the feeling of how it is now that's she's gone..."---Fred Folsom

This quote from one of our meetings continually clicked in my mind. I painted a storyboard filled with all the images jumbling around in my mind. The next morning, I popped out of bed and began painting vibrant colors on the black...and then thought of tears washing and dimming that spirit away. My dirty dish sponge was the first tool and boy did it work brilliantly! The "tears" streamed down the colorful spirit, dulling the shine....and then a single candle appeared. This fit perfectly....and I could easily complete the entire art piece in that timeframe blowing away the viewing audience with the creation forming before their eyes. I knew what I was doing and I had four days to spare! Life was GOOD!
My husband was my stage hand and handled all my artwork and setting up---we woke up the morning of the show and made table easels out of sticks from our backyard, giggling and chatting about "my big day". He is so awesome!
Before I knew it, the display was up and people were taking their seats, the show began and after I took in the two pairs ahead of us, it was GO TIME! I've performed musically for several audiences, been in large orchestras, had the honor of being first chair in orchestra and have had the honor of being passed the conductor's baton...OH THE POWER!!! But I speak through my music, through the written word and if I get a microphone in front of me I lose my mind really...it's just blank LOL. Fred on the other hand is a chatty booming man who has a story for any occasion.

The process began...the colors came out, Fred's words rang in the darkness, I can hear people reacting behind me as the water trickled down the wet canvas and the colors ran down. I pulled the
lines through. Then Fred's voice cracks and I tune in for just a second and I can hear him taking a gasping breath and a slight pause to regain his composure. I tune him out and sink down in my chair...this man whom I just met and shared coffee with, has shared his soul with me and I him through my art and I'm going to get emotional. The candle begins to appear and before I know it, we are headed to the center of the stage and he gives me a big Fred Bear hug!

"Judy's Light", Cris Ness and Fred Folsom

Photo by Sydnie Ness

WE DID IT! And I think everyone in attendance will remember Judy, or in the very least remember
someone they love like that. We created a wonderful remembrance in honor of Judy, and Fred challenged everyone to be a Judy,-be that colorful person who never backs down.