The Solace Project #23

Dear Friends,<br/><br/>The painting called Heddy by Ed Paschke took my breath away when I approached the South Bend Museum of Art a few weeks ago.&#160; On approach, I say, because the image is on the banner on the front of the museum, welcoming all in a boldly inclusive hello.You may have heard that I&#8217;m here to help this fantastic, small, regional institution through a leadership transition and what, in museum circles, we are calling post-pandemic reopening.&#160; The <a href="https://southbendart.org/">South Bend Museum of Art</a> was closed only for a short time and its strength in the community, through programs and exhibitions and classes in ceramics, weaving, painting and more, kept it strong even when capacities were limited and protocols were strict. Now, the staff and board are looking ahead, to a future vision of how much more this museum can do for its visitors.&#160;&#160;<br/><br/>And Heddy has always been right there.&#160; What I mean by this specifically, the painting seems to morph through time, chameleon-like, from the 1970s when Paschke painted it and it entered the museum&#8217;s collection, until now.&#160; The picture is an almost complete mystery.&#160; Let&#8217;s have a quick look.<br/><br/>A larger-than-life size figure stands before us, full body tattoo, brilliant red hair, nails, and thigh-high boots, a dark green fur wrap seems to be the only item of clothing, shoulders bare, left thigh and hip exposed, arms crossed holding the fur across the chest.&#160; The face is riveting&#8212;laughing or talking, mouth open, straight white teeth showing, flame-like eye makeup. The pose with one shoulder down, opposite hip pointing toward us, head leaning, sort of a cross between what art historians would call contraposto and fashion photographers would call voguing. The background is a wash of pale color, green at the bottom turning into pink at the top.<br/><br/>The picture is a test in looking, a subject so curious and wonderful, that trying to look at it as a painting is challenging. At