Painting of schoolhouse bell generates hundreds of requests for prints.
Becker's work — a simple wrought iron and porcelain bell, casting a shadow on a white, sunlit wall — has become a sensation.
By Jack Brubaker
Updated Feb 20, 2007 12:19
He was working on the painting when the story broke on that Monday morning.
“I stopped working for a couple hours to watch the news. Then I went back to work,’’ he says. “I had to make some positive use of this for the public. It was too coincidental.’’
Becker’s work — a simple wrought iron and porcelain bell, casting a shadow on a white, sunlit wall — has become a sensation.
The artist offered to give away 1,000 prints in exchange for donations to the Amish School Recovery Fund operated by the Mennonite Central Committee. Ephrata radio station WIOV broadcast the offer last week.
Becker spent much of Saturday signing and giving away prints at the Ephrata and Manheim Township EMS buildings. All of Becker’s prints have been given away or promised.
Hundreds of individuals, including many Amish, showed up seeking prints. Each family was allowed to take one. Contributions have reached nearly $8,000.
“The surprise of the day was when some of the family members directly involved in the incident came to Ephrata,’’ Becker notes. “They were parents and grandparents, including some of the families with fatalities.’’
The Amish families asked to speak with Becker. He spent 20 minutes alone with them.
“Here I am with families who had just lost children,’’ he says. “I tried to express the condolences of everyone across the nation.’’
The Amish families requested that Becker save prints for all of the families that had children in the school, as well as for the teacher and first responders — about 40 people altogether.
“It was very moving, very humbling to be a part of that,’’ Becker notes.
Becker, who lives and works in West Lawn, just outside Reading, has exhibited and sold his work throughout the United States. He is best known for painting simple objects realistically but with a sense of abstraction.
The bell painting, for example, contains several vivid colors that Becker says reflect “an Amish feel to the piece.’’
The artist says his painting does not commemorate the day of the killings.
“That was a tragic day, and nobody wants to remember that,’’ he explains. “What this commemorates is the outpouring of sympathy for those people. It reminds us to always respond with kindness and compassion to a tragedy.’’
Talkback on LancasterOnline
Welcome to the new TalkBack on LancasterOnline. Please use the comment box below to share your opinion on this
article. If you would prefer to use the previous TalkBack forums instead, please use this link.
