Ingrid Betancourt
This just in from Michele Guieu, a local artist who cares:
Hi Kinsee,
I cannot believe Ingrid Betancourt is free! That’s great! I am very impressed by her courage, her story - and revolted by the nonsense of some political situations. A few months ago I painted a large portrait of her. I don’t know if you can do anything with it, I was thinking maybe there will be an article about her in the magazine. Anyway, I am sending you the picture of the painting.
[Here’s what I wrote in my blog April 3, 2008:
A humanitarian mission sent by the French government arrived today in Colombia. Its goal is to meet with the FARCs and obtain contact with Ingrid Betancourt. Ingrid Betancourt has been the hostage of the FARCs for over 6 years now. She is in critical condition: she refuses to eat and does not want any medication.
The portrait I painted of Ingrid Betancourt will be in my exhibition “Here it’s Peace”. I made this portrait because I feel close to her, as a woman, as a mother. She is a symbol now because the media talk about her and she is "the best-known of the 4.200 Colombian hostages".
Recently I have painted a portrait of Jill Carroll, the journalist abducted (and released) in Iraq in 2006, two portraits of ex Prisoners of War in Iraq, Shoshana Johnson and Edgar Hernandez, and a portrait of a wounded soldier, Marine Jesus Vidana. It is my way to pay a tribute to them, and all of the other people like them who are working in absurd and unsolvable political situations.
For Ingrid, site in Spanish, English and Canadian.]
Bonne journee Kinsee!
Michele
(858) 490 0568
