Helen Zapata Fine Art

THESE ARE PRIVATE PAINTINGS BELONGING TO THE ARTIST.  THEY ARE NOT FOR SALE, BUT ARE HERE SIMPLY TO SHARE WITH YOU.

EACH ONE MEANS SOMETHING SPECIAL TO US.

My father, Richard Van Camp, was my biggest fan when I was a child learning to draw. He bought me my first real art supplies, and proudly displayed my artwork, no matter how horrible it was!  He would even brag to his friends about my latest "masterpiece" and make sure they took the time to properly admire my childish efforts.  Everything that has come after, has come about because of his faith in me.

My Dad always wanted me to paint some "cowboy pictures" for him. After his death, I came across the wonderful slides and photographs he took on trips with my mother throughout his beloved Southwest. I painted "Taos Memory" and "Adobe Morning" in his memory.

"TAOS MEMORY"

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The story behind "Adobe Morning" is a funny one. Mom and Dad saw this very picturesque Indian sitting regally in front of his home. Dad asked if he could take his picture. The man grunted and held up two fingers (meaning that it would cost Dad $2.00 to photograph him). Dad shook his head and held up one finger in return ($1.00). Another grunt, and the two fingers held up again. This went back and forth for quite some time, until finally there came a voice from up on the roof overhead, "C'mon Pop! Take the dollar!" Dad's stoic Indian shook his head and muttered "This younger generation.... they have no respect...."

"ADOBE MORNING"

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In 1991, I became quite disabled with Fibromyalgia. Because of this, I was unable to paint at all. The good thing was that, because of my illness, I met and married my husband. Richard was my therapist (He still is!) and he soon had me back in front of my easel. In fact, he made it a requirement of my therapy. I was ordered to paint every day, even if it was only for 2 minutes a day. I started out slowly, but was soon painting full time again. "Little Tree Too" is that first painting I did during my recovery.

"LITTLE TREE TOO"

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I painted Genesis 2:24 for a wedding gift to my husband, Richard. We were married May 17, 1993.

"GENESIS 2:24"

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Solo is a painting of one of the tiny carnations which my husband loves to give me. He sends me several bouquets, and their cinnamon spicy scent fills the room. I decided to add one of our beloved Koi to give it a bit of surrealism. Solo was one of our first Koi. We named him Solo because for a long time, he kept to himself and didn't play with the other Koi in the pond. Eventually he became part of the gang though. Solo was stolen out of our pond one night, probably by an owl or a coyote, and I miss the old guy very much! I decided to keep this painting for myself.

"SOLO"