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Yesterday was the annual Mermaid Parade in New York ~ Coney Island~. How appropriate that Rose’s memorial/celebration of her life and art was held on the same date, as well as the eve of the summer solstice. The ceremony was elaborate and moving. The entire event was saturated with the spirit of Rose. So BEAUTIFUL. The mermaid parade was spectacular. The GORGEOUS Sirenas were at the heart of the ceremony. It will be etched in the hearts and minds of all that attended and participated.

The painting exhibition room was put together by Susan Sutton. The paintings and other artwork are on loan from the many collectors of Rose’s work. It will be up until June 27th, so there is still time to bask in her art. I am definitely going to go back, once or twice more, before the installment is taken down and the art is returned.

The mermaid procession was unforgettable. My camera was slow and stubborn, so I did my best at capturing as much as I could. But, I don’t feel that I was able to get as much as I wish that I could have. I am more than certain that my photos pale in comparison to the photos taken by all of the professional photographer’s there!

The procession began around a big pond filled with ink, that sits in the center of a huge room with no roof (the Cathedral room). They circled that many times, to the rhythm of a stick and hauntingly, eerie music played by two musicians who also walked in the procession with the mermaids. They paraded into another huge room (the silver room) and continued in the same fashion, circling the silver room several times to the rhythm and the music. Mermaid after mermaid, the love for Rose carried on through the altar room and out to the Memorial Rose Garden where a Buddhist monk was waiting to greet the beautiful sirenas. The kneeling mermaids sat at the base of a special tree that will be planted in her honor ( I was told the tree was shipped here from Hong Kong). The Monk preformed a blessing and the crowd dispersed after one last procession back from whence they came.

I’m loving all of the “angel orbs” in some of these photos!

The Tree dedicated to Rose. Because the season in which the tree will bloom has not arrived, paper, tissue flowers were placed on it for the dedication ceremony.

The altar room was built by Phoenix artist, Joe Willie Smith. A well known local artist. The room included art by Rose, as well as burning incense, sage, flowers, candles….everything you would place on an altar. Of course, I brought Nag Champa incense to burn.

There was also a room to create your own piece of art in memory of Rose. The finished pieces were hung on the wire wall,  with messages of love and goodbyes from Rose’s artist friends and family.

~ BEAUTIFUL ~

photos courtesy of Jane Hamilton Fine Art, Tucson/Bisbee Az and photographer, Tom Murray.

BALI ROSE

Rest in Peace, Rose Johnson

The Phoenix arts community is still reeling today from news that one of its pioneers, painter and muralist Rose Johnson, 48, died yesterday, Sunday, May 31, at Sanglah General Hospital in Bali. The Jakarta Post is now reporting that Johnson most probably died from acute alcohol poisoning as a result of ingesting liquor that had been laced with methanol. Also known as methyl alcohol or wood spirits, methanol is a toxic form of alcohol that is used industrially in antifreeze, fuel and solvents. The Post also notes that this is the 23rd fatality from the poisonous alcohol mixture in less than 10 days; Johnson was the second foreign fatality attributed to the tainted alcohol, according to the report.

British-born Rose Johnson was a fixture on the Phoenix arts scene for years and had done illustrations for the Phoenix New Times in the past. A gentle, well-loved and respected person, Johnson painted a number of murals in the Phoenix area, but moved to Bisbee, Arizona, in 1998 after a visit to the small-town arts enclave. There she continued to paint her distinctive, fantasy-based figurative work on both canvas and in mural form, including a mural featured in Sunset Magazine, entitled Sleepwalking, on the side of Bisbee’s old Jonquil Motel. Trips to Bali had inspired Johnson’s most recent work. A videotaped interview with the artist, as well as footage of Johnson in Bali, is available on line.

A special memorial ceremony celebrating Johnson’s life and art featuring an exhibition of Rose Johnson’s work will be held beginning June 20th at 10 p.m. at the Icehouse, located at 429 South Jackson Street, Phoenix, AZ. There will be a BYOB potluck reception after the ceremony and participants are asked to bring food for this. The exhibition will continue through June 27th until 6 p.m

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ROSE JOHNSON was my favorite creative, free spirited artist. Her work was spectacular and she was incredibly prolific. Personally, she inspired me and her art turned me on. The news of her passing has left me saddened and shocked, along with the entire arts community and everyone who knew her.

I was fortunate enough to participate in a group art show with her, in downtown Phoenix, years ago. I felt like I had truly “made the big time” ! The last time I saw her was about 4 years ago when she came to Phoenix, from Bisbee, to do a huge show. It was so BEAUTIFUL being surrounded by her artwork. And, of course, she was precious….

Rest In Eternal Peace, Kindred Art Sister.