The discovered painting on display in Bialystok, Poland.
100 small paintings.
One documentary.
One birthday fundraiser.
A painting bought out of the back of a pickup truck in Rockford was eventually traced to a Nazi-forced workshop in the Białystok Ghetto, where Jewish artists were made to copy European masterworks under threat of death. Long believed lost, this painting may be one of the only surviving works from that workshop. The Copyists follows the people who found it, the decision to return it to Poland, and the honoring of the artists, the history, and the truth still hidden beneath the paint.
I’m embarking on the continuing story of the painting. The painting is now in Białystok, Poland, where the conservation process is beginning. I need to be there to film it before anything changes. The X-rays. The lab work. The surface of the painting as it is now. The first careful steps of ensuring its preservation. Once that moment passes, I can’t recreate it. These paintings help fund that filming.
This is not the full film fundraiser.
This is the step that helps me get back to Poland, continue the research, and find the spine of the film.
A filmmaker I deeply respect, Dan Lindsay, gave me a hard and generous note after hearing the project.
He said I had a series of situations, but not yet the story.
He was right.
There are many possible stories inside this film. How does the story get told? We have the forced artists in the Białystok ghetto. The painting that survived. The people in Rockford who found it. The choice to return it. The museum now caring for it. My own connection to Poland, painting, and the strange responsibility of being close to this story. This stage is about finding the story.
The 100
I am making 100 original 5" x 7" paintings on chunky 1.5" gallery-wrapped canvases. Each one is ready to hang. No frame needed.
Every painting sold helps move the documentary forward and your name will appear in the film credits.
It is also my birthday, and nothing would make me happier than seeing you there.
Off the Easel — $150
See paintings as they are made and claim one before the fundraiser. You will also be listed in the films credits .
On the Wall — $100
Choose from the paintings available at the event. You will also be listed in the films credits .
May 16th
5:16pm The doors open to “On The Wall” people to select paintings,
Off The Easel purchasers are also granted entrance.
6:00pm Everyone is invited to check out the show!
The 304 Main Building
304 N Main Street
Rockford, IL 61101
More details being announced.