When a relative passes away, one rite of passage involves divvying up that relative’s possessions. For siblings Amy and Joseph Findeiss, deaths in the family led to finding a treasure trove of photos with Catholic and military themes. The brother-and-sister artists then collaborated on a series of portraits based on those images. Amy, a Denver resident, would paint the initial portrait and then send it to Joe in San Francisco, where he’d add a collage with symbolic images — halos, sacred hearts or smoking warships — and then send back the piece. Each in their own way, the Findeisses searched for ways to address the family ethos.
“Some of his choices for imagery I can relate to, but some are completely surprising,” Amy says of her brother’s additions to the portraits. “It tickles me, in a way. I’ll look at them and think, ‘That’s a cool connection. I never would have made that one myself.’” It took the pair about eighteen months to complete the series Saints & Sailors, currently on display at Jonesy’s EatBar, 400 East 20th Avenue, where it will remain on view through April 15. Meet the artists there at a reception tonight at 7:30 p.m. For more information, go to www.jeatbar.com or call 303-863-7473.
Feb. 15-April 15, 2010
