When Kathleen received her first commission for a mural painting from The Public Art Workshop of Chicago, it was the beginning of a lifelong career in art. Her series of Reunion Island paintings were exhibited over a nine-month period in the main hall of the Museum of Mankind in Paris. In December 2023, she showcased her paintings in an exhibition entitled “Indian Women: Grace and Resilience” in the Town Hall of the 16th Arrondissement in Paris, France.&nbsp;

kathleen.jpg

Kathleen Scarboro

<h3 style="text-align: center">
 An Art Essay by the Joliet Mural Artists
 </h3>
 <h4>
 KATHLEEN SCARBORO is one of a school
 of artists who have developed the ‘Joliet style’ of mural painting in
 Joliet, Illinois, near Chicago. Here she shares their story, and the
 importance of public art in bringing a sense of cultural identity and
 community through environmental enhancement.
 </h4>
 
 Even a brief look at art history illustrates the vital link between
 artists and the societies they represent. We understand diverse
 civilizations by studying and enjoying the great works of art and
 architecture they created. It is a relatively recent phenomenon,
 primarily in western countries, that so many contemporary artists find
 themselves outside society, unable to assume their role as voices for
 the beliefs and aspirations of the populations to which they belong.
 
 <hr />
 <h5 style="text-align: center">
 All human beings, rich or poor, 
 need aspirations to give meaning to their lives. 
 The role of art is to take these aspirations from 
 a latent impulse and translate them into physical form 
 to be shared and used as a source of continued inspiration for
 all.
 </h5>
 <hr />
 
 Art has never appeared less necessary, and the artist has never been so
 alienated from society, but this unnatural situation is beginning to
 change. Starting in the 1960s, community-based public artists worked in
 cities to reunite artists and communities.
 
 
 <img
 class="img-float-left has-img-center-in-mobile lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/joliet2_bbd27497a8.jpeg?updated_at=2023-04-06T12:15:20.966Z"
 alt="joliet2"
 />
 
 
 For the Friends of Community Public Art (FCPA), in Joliet, Illinois, a
 not-for-profit association, the goal is to revive public art by renewing
 and revitalizing links among local artists, civic and political figures,
 and the people of the city. Local authorities support the association,
 as they see the need to invest in public art as a way to express the
 ideals of the community and enrich its environment.
 
 
 FCPA is dedicated to reflecting the entire community of Joliet,
 including its economic, ethnic and racial diversity. The organization’s
 founders and members believe art is the ideal vehicle to transform
 society from within. Without this projection by society into the future,
 humanity could remain stuck in material struggle, never going beyond the
 most basic physical level of existence.
 
 
 Martin Luther King’s simple and unforgettable statement, “I have a
 dream,” embodies this concept. Humanity advances by dreaming itself
 forward, and art is one of the most efficient vectors of this
 phenomenon. The existence of art and its support by the population are
 symbols of the vitality of the inner impetus toward fulfillment within a
 society. All human beings, rich or poor, need aspirations to give
 meaning to their lives. The role of art is to take these aspirations
 from a latent impulse and translate them into physical form to be shared
 and used as a source of continued inspiration for all.
 
 
 The unflagging efforts of FCPA to raise the level of cultural awareness
 in Joliet have been fruitful. Great progress has been made between
 artists and the public. This new partnership has allowed the
 association’s artists to learn and apply basic principles needed to
 promote the appreciation and material support of the visual arts. People
 have to identify with the artwork for a sense of belonging to develop.
 This sense of belonging and identification is vital. The aspirations of
 the public – its most productive and positive aspects – must be
 represented so that the desire for ownership can emerge.
 
 
 Another essential element in the nurturing of public art is the quality
 of conception and execution. Through FCPA, mural participants received a
 conceptual and technical education that guaranteed the quality of
 content and expertise of execution. What was created can be considered a
 school of painting, the result of constant communication among a number
 of artists, all striving to collaborate at the highest possible level.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/joliet3_bf0e358fba.jpeg?updated_at=2023-04-06T12:16:08.578Z"
 alt="joliet3"
 />
 
 
 The ‘Joliet style’ is as recognizable and definable as other schools of
 painting in the history of art, where artists grouped by an affinity of
 ideas influence each other. In Joliet, the shared workspace has not only
 been the interior of a studio, but also the city itself. The artists
 have had the exciting experience of sharing their discoveries and
 efforts with the community in a very immediate fashion. The public has
 been both spectator and actor in a contemporary art movement while it
 was happening.
 
 
 Joliet was ripe for a new vision of itself. Most people thought Joliet
 was not a very interesting place. Because of a lack of knowledge about
 its history, the city’s image had suffered, so it was more a place where
 one ends up rather than a place one would choose to live. We as artists
 began researching the city’s history, and discovered an endless number
 of dramatic and exciting stories concerning its past. These stories
 served as raw material for the elaborate works of public art. The
 community’s cultural identity started appearing on the exterior walls of
 the urban environment. The stories the city had to tell were exclusively
 its own.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/joliet4_103f392612.jpeg?updated_at=2023-04-06T12:16:59.712Z"
 alt="joliet4"
 />
 
 
 The development of public art in Joliet has spurred a profound
 transformation in the local mentality; one that is rapidly evolving. The
 opportunity for people to contemplate their history and heritage in a
 lively, colorful visual form has been educational. People are often
 surprised that their personal histories can serve as subject matter for
 a work of art and that people like themselves who are willing to get
 involved in the daily life of their communities can leave their mark on
 history. They realize they can make a difference if they see themselves
 as capable of making positive changes. And they start to understand that
 our urban environment is our collective work, reflecting what we are and
 how we see ourselves.
 
 <hr />
 <h5 style="text-align: center">
 Mural paintings, sculptures and mosaics have an overall 
 effect&nbsp;that alters our existence in a positive way, 
 just as everyone who puts a flowerpot on a windowsill makes a
 small, 
 yet appreciable, gesture toward making our daily lives more
 poetic.
 </h5>
 <hr />
 
 Mural paintings, sculptures and mosaics have an overall effect that
 alters our existence in a positive way, just as everyone who puts a
 flowerpot on a windowsill makes a small, yet appreciable, gesture toward
 making our daily lives more poetic. As attention to the environment
 awakens, and we see not only our homes but also our neighborhoods and
 cities as belonging to us, then a great transformation can take place.
 As the city is ‘dressed up’, we start seeing ourselves differently, too.
 The exterior environment reveals how we feel about ourselves. If we make
 efforts to enhance our urban surroundings, we give form to our desire
 for inner refinement. As we reflect our environments back to the
 community, it creates and reinforces a sense of pride and dignity of
 belonging to a special, unique place.
 
 
 If FCPA has been given space and material support to create lasting
 works of public art in Joliet, we can assume that other cities will
 recognize a need for similar programs. All it takes is a few enlightened
 and devoted minds to put the wheels in motion. It is our hope that
 Joliet’s example will inspire other cities to awaken their innate need
 for environmental enhancement and education through the revelation of
 cultural identity.
 
 
 <img
 alt="joliet5"
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/joliet5_bd06a9d12c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T12:17:36.997Z"
 />
 
 <hr />
 <h4 style="text-align: center">
 Article by KATHLEEN SCARBORO 
 Art by THE JOLIET MURAL ARTISTS
 </h4>
 <hr />

Cultural identity

<h4>KATHLEEN SCARBORO tells her own personal story about being the best grandma
 she can be.</h4>
Becoming a grandmother revolutionized my existence. It was a chance to be the loving
 parent I wish I had been when my son was young. When my son was little, I knew I wasn’t as mentally available
 for him as I should have been. I lacked patience and was worried about too many other things like money,
 constantly looking for work – all the pressures of daily life. I was an anxious, guilt-ridden young mother.
Coming to a spiritual path and slowly divesting myself of my mental burdens made
 life become more and more palatable. Gradually life seemed to be less of a battle. I came to realize that I had
 made things unnecessarily complicated for myself. I was on a slow but sure path towards inner balance.
It took about 20 years of spiritual practice to completely change my mental attitude
 and feel grateful for the joy each day could bring.
So when Alice came along in 2012, I was given the opportunity to be the best grandma
 I could. Even during the first week of her existence I was the one who could get her to sleep. She was one of
 those babies who would fiercely fight to stay awake, so I would empty my mind and walk and dance with her until
 she slid into sleep.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">If we devote ourselves&nbsp;to the
 children, 
 the world will move&nbsp;in the right direction.
</h5>
<hr>
For Alice, I know my presence is totally reassuring. Even when she was only one and
 her parents left her alone with me for a couple of weeks, we had a great time. She did not cry once.
Why are meditators reassuring? I think it is because they have made peace with
 death. We can only reassure others if we are at peace with ourselves and feel safe. And we can only really feel
 safe if we are not afraid of leaving this world at any moment. We also feel safe and confident because we have
 taken responsibility for our lives and believe things happen to us for good reasons and for our benefit. So we
 don’t think that we are in danger and our children profit from our attitude. We show them that they can be bold
 because life is not threatening.
Alice will have to face many difficulties, as all of us do, but I think the
 unconditional love and solidarity of her parents and grandparents will give her the confidence to always feel
 like she can cope with whatever life brings her way. She knows we all think the world of her and feel blessed to
 be her family. All we want from her is for her to be totally herself.
Wouldn’t it be a different world if all children who came here were surrounded with
 helpful, caring, devoted, happy adults? Diogenes said, “The foundation of every state is the education of its
 youth.” If we devote ourselves to the children, the world will move in the right direction.
<h5 style="text-align: justify;"></h5>
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Art and article by KATHLEEN SCARBORO</h4>
<hr>

A safe future for our children

<hr><h4>KATHLEEN SCARBORO has a career in public art. Here she describes the motivation behind her painting and how she has developed her themes and techniques over the years.</h4><hr>Why would an American artist from Chicago, residing in Paris, choose India as a theme for her paintings? A lifelong interest in other cultures than my own eventually led me to this choice.In the mid 1970s, many American artists were tired of being isolated in their studios. They wanted a role that would allow them to participate in the lives of their local communities. The Public Art Workshop of Chicago was a group of urban artists who painted murals in cooperation with the local inhabitants, so when I received my first commission for a mural painting I contacted them for mentoring. This was the beginning of a lifelong career in public art. With each succeeding commission, I synthesized the preoccupations of a particular group (ethnic, professional, etc.) into a work of art that was placed in a specific public site. So I spent a lot of time observing and listening to others and putting their ideas into visual form. I realized that artists can have a useful and meaningful role of sharing aspects of a designated culture with others.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/KATHLEEN_SCARBOR_2_66a3fa6288.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-03T08:20:16.665Z" alt="KATHLEEN_SCARBOR_2">Life is But a Dream<hr>In France and in Reunion Island I continued painting murals. Eventually I felt a need to paint about village life on the island back in my studio in Paris. A series of these paintings were exhibited over a nine-month period in the main hall of the Museum of Mankind in Paris at the Place Trocadero.My interest in meditation and consciousness studies, as well as art history and general culture, motivated me to go to India in the mid ’90s. For a person who loves to paint people, India offers an infinite source of inspiration. Traveling around the country, the colors, the textiles, the elegance of the women in their saris, the temples, the landscapes and citiscapes all stimulated the painter in me, proposing a multitude of exciting visual possibilities. I decided to make India the theme of my paintings and continue to paint India exclusively today.<hr>&nbsp;<hr>For a person who loves to paint people, India offers an infinite source of inspiration.&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;My composition was strongly influenced by the Mexican and American mural movement. In these schools of painting, e.g. Diego Rivera and Thomas Hart Benton, many different images are combined, creating a collage effect. By combining imagery – a landscape, a figure, a close-up of an object – all can co-exist and collectively tell a story. A narrative of this type would be closer to poetry than prose if we search for a literary analogy. In other words, the viewer has some leeway to make up his own tale from the elements presented. The difficulty with this type of composition is to create a coherent image from components that do not visually co-exist in the real world. The eye should be able to travel around the canvas smoothly, and not be shocked or halted by the transition from one segment to the next.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/KATHLEEN_SCARBOR_3_bbd6aa3013.jpg" alt="KATHLEEN_SCARBOR_3">Introspection<hr>Aesthetics really matter to me, and beauty is a goal. In each painting I am preoccupied by color harmony, fluidity of composition and execution, as well as technically good drawing. Everything and its opposite can be found in this world; I have chosen to concentrate on a positive vision.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/KATHLEEN_SCARBOR_5_7320d1bcda.jpg" alt="KATHLEEN-SCARBOR5">Blessing&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;I adopt subject matter that reminds us we are fortunate to be human. My goal is to bring people an instant of respite from our difficult world. I believe it was the American author John Barth who said that we could judge our own behavior by asking ourselves whether we were adding to or subtracting from the general misery. Every day, every moment, we are bombarded by negative and frightening information concerning our society and environment. I try to create compositions that encourage hope and reveal the innate elegance of humanity. Hopefully I am bringing some solace and joy to those who take the time to look at my paintings.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/KATHLEEN_SCARBOR_4_1_e20f82dccb.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-04T04:31:26.784Z" alt="KATHLEEN_SCARBOR_4">Learning Hearts<hr>I trained at Southern Illinois University in the US, then at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. During my years in art school at Southern Illinois University, I found a teacher, Mr Patrick Betaudier, who had mastered Renaissance oil painting technique and taught me his painting methods. I didn’t realize until much later in life just how rare excellent teachers are and am very grateful to have benefited from his guidance.<hr>&nbsp;<hr>I try to create compositions that encourage hope and reveal the innate elegance of humanity. Hopefully I am bringing some solace and joy to those who take the time to look at my paintings.&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;My works are classical oil paintings; I work with oil glazes, using thin layers of color over an underpainting. The underpainting is sketched in, then the forms of the picture are enhanced with white. Between each glaze, a layer of white is brushed over a darker tone (scumbling), and when it is dry a glaze is applied to reinforce the color. For strong color, many layers of glaze and scumbled white are required. To assure longevity, I also use a glue emulsion, which I make myself. I am generous with the number of glazes, keeping in mind that oil paint becomes transparent with age. Paintings of this type take weeks and months to complete; in a normal year I can make four paintings.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_innate_elegance_of_humanity_768x333_3b11021e9c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-03T08:18:57.737Z" alt="The_innate_elegance_of_humanity">A Glimmer of Hope<hr>Currently I am working on a book entitled Painting India: Women and Color with Catherine Servan-Schreiber and Deva Villeroy. We are combining reproductions of my paintings with quotes derived from the works of talented Indian writers of the past and present on the themes developed in the paintings.&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;www.kathleenscarboro.fr<hr>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Art Essay by KATHLEEN SCARBORO</h4>&nbsp;<hr>

The innate elegance of humanity

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">KATHLEEN SCARBORO shares her journey as an artist, explaining why she has chosen the subjects that are so dear to her heart. In December 2023, she opened an exhibition entitled “Indian Women: Grace and Resilience” in the Town Hall of the 16th Arrondisement of Paris, France, to celebrate that journey, and we showcase some of those paintings here.</h4>&nbsp;When I met Chariji in 1988, I had no idea that India would be important in my life, or that for thirty years I would devote myself exclusively to painting this subject.&nbsp;For meditators, life unfolds and reveals its main themes over time. As I look back over my trajectory, it seems that there was an inner logic that had its own momentum and all I had to do was follow along and do the work. I remember my painting teacher, Patrick Betaudier, used to say that when a painting is ripe to come into existence, it paints itself. I often feel that way.Before starting meditation, I was already a professional painter. I had a good technique and I had the desire to produce art, but my true message, what exactly I wanted to paint, was not clear to me. So much art had been created, in so many directions, by so many artists, and I wasn’t sure of my place in the general scheme of things. One day, as I was working on murals on Réunion Island, it suddenly seemed obvious what I wanted to paint, why, and for whom. I am certain this realization was the result of the meditation I had begun practicing. Meditation gives us the clarity to know ourselves, which leads to an understanding of how to use our abilities to share with others.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india3_b4dfcf1fa8.webp" alt="painting-india3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_painting_india3_b4dfcf1fa8.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_painting_india3_b4dfcf1fa8.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india3_b4dfcf1fa8.webp 1000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;What inspires me are the lives of people of modest condition, in tune with nature, and the beauty and harmony of the natural world. I generally paint women and children; their universe is more accessible to me, and I share the love of drapery, textiles, and vivid color with the women of India. The beauty that inspires me is not that of movie stars or the perfection of youth. I seek a quieter beauty that is unaware of itself and not dependent on passing modes.Nature is an important element in my work. I love gardening and the delicate designs and&nbsp;the fleeting&nbsp;elegance of&nbsp;flowers. I enjoy interweaving natural elements and landscapes with portraits of people in various postures and activities.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:60.29%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india4_79d1eeb8b7.webp" alt="painting-india4.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_painting_india4_79d1eeb8b7.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_painting_india4_79d1eeb8b7.webp 800w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india4_79d1eeb8b7.webp 800w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Indian women are often mothers and combine a practical sense of daily reality, work, caring for others, and a graceful, natural elegance. They are the pillars of our world. I try to evoke this in my paintings, and this is why my latest exhibition in Paris has the title, “Indian Women: Grace and Resilience.”<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">I generally paint women and children; their universe is more accessible to me, and I share the love of drapery, textiles, and vivid color with the women of India.&nbsp;</h4><hr><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:70.08%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india5_d5d7ddf2bb.webp" alt="painting-india5.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_painting_india5_d5d7ddf2bb.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_painting_india5_d5d7ddf2bb.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india5_d5d7ddf2bb.webp 1000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;My approach to painting was greatly influenced by classical art. I make my medium and emulsion myself, and my technique is a modernized version of the techniques of the Flemish and Italian Renaissance. Paintings take months to do using this method, and intense color is created by layers and layers of transparent oil glazes.I became a professional artist in 1981.&nbsp;Throughout a career in public art, I always dealt with a commission system. In other words, customers would request a work of art and I would find a way to express their ideas and ideals.&nbsp;This kept me very close to a general audience who generally knew nothing about the art found in galleries or museums.&nbsp;Thanks to this link with an&nbsp;audience, working with cities, schools, and other public entities, I came to understand that the basic role of a work of art is communication. To be successful, the work has to please the client and myself on the conceptual and aesthetic levels. This was the hardest part of public art.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:70.26%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india7_eb397d9152.webp" alt="painting-india7.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_painting_india7_eb397d9152.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_painting_india7_eb397d9152.webp 800w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india7_eb397d9152.webp 800w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Strangely, public art prepared me as an easel painter; I sensed that my mural and sculpture experience taught me to concentrate on grand themes and pulled me to a situation where I was no longer interested in my own personal trajectory, but with our shared story. This is the opposite of what we&nbsp;learned&nbsp;to do in art school where we were encouraged to explore our own personal psyche and idiosyncrasies.&nbsp;Thanks to this public art orientation, my eyes were directed toward the outside, toward other people and their ways of life, rather than looking inside. I was first given many opportunities to explore a culture different from mine in Réunion, where I visited villages, spoke with people, photographed their animals and their environment. For ten years, I worked on this theme.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:71.51%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india6_f78b4d6dd6.webp" alt="painting-india6.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_painting_india6_f78b4d6dd6.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_painting_india6_f78b4d6dd6.webp 800w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india6_f78b4d6dd6.webp 800w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Then I turned my eyes toward India. Going from Réunion to India, the light, the iconography, the style of dress, the architecture were all different; the range of colors too. As a result, my painting style changed completely. India has provided a marvelous opportunity to explore intense, highly saturated color as well as the power, compositional opportunities, and opulence of drapery (thanks to the women in their saris). The Indian pantheon of gods and goddesses,&nbsp;the non-temporal landscapes and temples, and the Indian people&nbsp;provide an unending inspiration for my paintings.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:70.57%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india8_c54dd887bd.webp" alt="painting-india8.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_painting_india8_c54dd887bd.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_painting_india8_c54dd887bd.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/painting_india8_c54dd887bd.webp 1000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Artwork by KATHLEEN SCARBORO</h4><hr>

Kathleen Scarboro

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