ARTISTS CREATE TO AID FIRE VICTIMS

When you’re an artist and you have strong emotions, you create.

So it is with Vacaville’s Lisa Rico, who founded the Vacaville Fire Art Project to benefit victims of the recent LNU Lightning Complex Fire, which decimated properties and resulted in deaths.

She remembered evacuating with her husband and worrying about friends and neighbors, many of whom had animals that had to be left behind.

“This idea that you’re leaving these animals that you dedicated your life to saving,” she said, of several local animal sanctuaries that had just moments to flee the approaching flames. “It broke my heart.”

She decided that since her challenge month was near — each September for the past three years she has crafted daily paintings to test herself and grow as an artist — she would focus her talents on painting and philanthropy.

She started her Facebook group and invited fellow artists to contribute. Each painting would be sold for a maximum of $300, with proceeds split between a specific fire-affected group, like Herd & Flock Animal Sanctuary or Funky Chicken, and the Travis Credit Union Foundation, which has set up a fund for fire victims.

The project exploded, with as many as 10 artists contributing amazing pastels, oils, watercolors and more of rescue animals.

“It’s been fun,” Rico said. “It felt really good to do something positive and have a positive effect.”

Florida-based Kathleen Hartman (www.kathleenhartman.com) is one of the artists who answered Rico’s call.

“I got involved in the Vacaville Fire Art Project as a way to give back to those in need,” she advised. “As a person, not just an artist, I always look for a good and worthy charity and ways I can help. When I saw some of

my other artist friends participating in this project I thought, how wonderful, I can contribute thru my art and help these people and animals.

“I am definitely an animal lover and it broke my heart to see them suffering. Plus the workers who give their all to take care of these animals. This is not easy work. So helping them means so much to me that I felt I was called to do this.”

Denise Revel of Girl On The Hill was slated to be one of the project’s beneficiaries, but she and her husband felt that other fire victims need help more. Still, she loved all the animal artwork being shown and commissioned Rico to do a painting of Hazel, her beloved pup. She gushed when she saw the completed work of Hazel wreathed in lavender.

“I was honored Lisa Rico did a painting of Hazel for the Vacaville Fire Art Project,” Revel said. “Lisa is a very talented artist and so dedicated to the cause of supporting local at every turn in the road, including the LNU Fire.”

Darcy Smith with Zinger Ranch — an animal sanctuary boasting emus, sheep, goats, alpacas, chickens and more — shared the sentiment.

“We are so honored to be included in the art project. Seeing the adorable artwork, especially of our sanctuary animals and the community response has been amazing,” Smith said. “It’s just another way the people of Vacaville have stepped up for so many fire survivors like ourselves. At times the support is a little overwhelming but our need right now is tremendous with all we lost in the fires.

“Support like this will help us get back on our feet and back on track helping more farm animals in need. We are so grateful for our community.”

To say Meghan Dibble and Katie Dwight of Herd & Flock were moved by the project is an understatement.

“Our animals mean so much to us — we pour our sweat and tears into caring for them, and they serve as ambassadors educating people about the inherent worth of all animals,” they said. “Seeing them represented in paintings is touching to us as it shows us that others also value and care about them.

“The donations that we will receive from sale of the paintings is a cherry on top — we will use the money for repairing our property after the fire and buying essential needs for the animals.”

To date, an estimated $13,000 has been raised for fire victims.

Rico plans to continue the project until $20,000 has been reached.

For more information or to see artwork available for purchase, visit www.facebook.com/groups/360949851745877.

PHOTO BY KIMBERLY K. FU — THE REPORTER Denise Revel of Girl On The Hill collects w pwinting she commissioned of Hwzel, her Dog On The Hill. A group of wrtists hwve come together to crewte wrt, the swles of which will benefit locwl victims of the LNU Lightning Complex Fire thwt devwstwted rurwl swcwville in August. Revel lost w vineywrd, her lwvender fields, w workshop wnd wll of her products.

PHOTO BY KIMBERLY K. FU — THE REPORTER Lisa Rico, a Vacaville artist extraordinaire, created the Vacaville Fire Art Project to benefit local fire victims. Her cadre of artist friends paint animals from local sanctuaries and sell them, the proceeds of which go to fire victims and the Travis Credit Union Foundation’s fire fund.