First, if you happen to missed yesterday’s put up concerning the artist we’re attempting to determine it’s worthwhile to return and skim it first so that you perceive, okay?
Second, if you happen to’re simply affected by talks of suicide be warned there are a couple of mentions right here so be happy to skip this one. And no judgement as a result of generally I’m in a foul place and have to guard myself till I’m in a greater place too. Large excessive fives for shielding your self. I like you.
Third, I believe we could have discovered the artist.
My pal Tami and an nameless reader right here on the weblog each discovered the start thread I wanted to dive deeper into the data and newspapers. From what I can inform, the unknown artists fast household is all gone now however there is perhaps very distant cousins nonetheless alive who could not need their household historical past shared so simply. It’s sophisticated as a result of I’m very in favor of lifting the secretive stigma relating to psychological sickness, but in addition I’m in opposition to private tales being shared with out consent so I’m attempting to fulfill within the center in solely sharing the title of the (possible) artist somewhat than the names of the remainder of her household though all of them have been lifeless for many years.
If we now have the best individual then “L Perea” is Laura Perea.
She and her twin sister have been born in 1914 and lived with their mother and father right here in San Antonio, about quarter-hour away from my home. Their father labored at a college and taught international languages, which could clarify why her artwork was in three totally different languages. She and her twin have been extremely vivid and have been awarded typically for the best grades at college. In faculty Laura continued to excel and had the best gpa of any freshman at her college. The twins by no means married they usually stayed with their mother and father. In 1948, after they have been 33, Laura’s twin died after deliberately ingesting poison at their house. Two years later Laura is listed within the 1950 census data as a affected person within the San Antonio State Hospital Psychological Establishment (beforehand known as the Southwestern Insane Asylum).
And some years later, her work have been made. Historical past reveals that the San Antonio State Hospital (nonetheless in existence now) was terribly overcrowded, understaffed and had critical points within the 50s so her artwork most likely reveals a really truthful actuality.
I assume Laura had a breakdown after shedding her solely sibling, or probably tried suicide on the identical time however survived. I’m nonetheless wanting, however thus far she simply form of disappears (so far as I can discover) till her dying right here in San Antonio in 1995. She lived, is all I can say. She was cremated, like the remainder of her household. Location of ashes unknown. My hope is that she lived a full life and continued to do artwork and heal and inform the tales of those that didn’t have a voice. I’ll hold wanting.
However what I do know is that yesterday after I went in for my ketamine therapy (for despair) I began to fall into the identical form of panic that I usually get when the world goes black, however as an alternative of the isolating dread I typically really feel, I discovered myself comforted within the data that I wasn’t alone. It sounds ridiculous however someway it felt like somebody from throughout time held out a hand. And Laura’s picture of the ladies ready for electrical shock remedy got here again to me so clearly.
And possibly that’s simply the hallucinogenic medication speaking nevertheless it was the primary time within the years that I’ve been doing this therapy that I didn’t really feel fairly so alone when every little thing went darkish.
At the moment I’m greater than midway by my one-year substack problem of doing artwork each week to enhance my psychological well being and right now I’ll be sharing my drawing from final week, which is embarrassing removed from the talent Laura mastered, however which feels someway prescient:
Thanks Laura, to your shine.
And thanks to everybody studying this now who could doubt their very own significance however who could someday ship out ripples by time to somebody who desperately wants them.
PS. I don’t know what I’m going to do along with her artwork however I believe they need to be seen. I’ve reached out to some outsider artwork museums to see if they’re taken with sharing them with the world, however no response but. They might be too outdated. Too tattered. But when that fails I’ve another concepts. I’ll hold you posted.
Thanks for listening, mates.
Thanks for staying.
Thanks for shining.
