My mom, Eleanor Karp, was an original. A weird, crazy, difficult, deeply intelligent woman born and raised in NY, she was an architect, writer and amateur scientist with an impressive list of achievements, though “painter” is what best describes her contribution to the world.
A hermit, mom rarely left her apartment. Every 3 weeks or so she’d get groceries, or sometimes she’d go on a hunt for something odd to make a slide for her microscope (the acquiring of a sheep’s brain was the last big event), but she was generally always at home. So on Thanksgiving 2006, when neither me nor my brother could get ahold of her to wish her a happy holiday, we knew something was wrong.
The next day, cops entered the apartment and found her on the bed, where she’d stabbed herself in the stomach several times.
Me and Nick, my boyfriend at the time, hurried down to Arkansas where we met up with my brother and nephew to take care of her belongings and clean the apartment. The awfulness was confined to a small area – anatomy was one of her interests; she knew what she was doing.
She left behind 90 panels of large paintings, 4ft. x 6ft., all done in oil on masonite (she painted on both sides of some) that she’d been working on for decades, stacked thick against the walls of her tiny apartment.
The paintings are incredible. I made a website for her with the intention of getting representation or gallery interest but I’ve since changed my mind. I don’t have the energy or heart to think about something that large, I’d rather forget about it and the responsibility. So aside from the pieces my brother and I have displayed in our homes, the rest will probably stay in storage forever.
Here is a 4-panel piece and my favorite of all her paintings, I always just called it “The Subway Painting”. The little girl and the woman sitting on the train are my mom and her mom. My grandfather’s in it, my brother and I are in it, even my father (whom mom divorced and never spoke to afterwards) is in it. This photo doesn’t do it justice, it’s pieced from 4 photos because the whole thing is 16 feet wide.
Closeup inside the train
After it happened, I began re-evaluating my life, looking for something to jump wholeheartedly into, something to keep my mind occupied and at the same time, clear my head. So I bought a bunch of exercise DVDs and two months after that, for no reason I can fathom, a pair of running shoes. That’s how it began.
Flo,
I thank you for sharing a very tragic and sad part of your life with us. The death of a parent is often a life changing experience ( My father passing was for me as well but in a different way.) Your mom sounds like she she was quite a unique individual. The paintings she leaves behind reveal much of who she was I bet.
thanks for posting the painting as well. I would love to see the rest of them some day.
Flo, so sorry about your mom…
The painting is so beautiful! My husband and I collect art and we have spent quite a bit of the little money we were able to save over our life together to buy pieces we liked. This painting your mother made, it is incredible! Priceless…She must have been a real genius. It must have been difficult at times to be the children of such a person…
Thank you Julie (Matt, too…I never did thank you for the post above).
I so appreciate your comments on her work and yes, difficult moments, indeed. Then again, the more I live, the more I realize everybody’s got their share of crap. One of my t-shirt designs says, “Dysfunctional is the new functional.” I believe it, too.
Flo:
Just read your piece about your mom. I am SO sorry that you had to go through that, but i’m sure running has got to be therapy for you. I too, have had my share of depression, and tried to end my life twice, but I got the help i needed, and I am doing well, with running as my therapy and meeting new and interesting people that I can share my passion and pain with. Thanks for being brave enough to share that with us all, and your mother’s paintings are beautiful. I hope you can learn a little more about her through them.
God bless,
tracey
Thanks Tracey. So sorry to hear you’ve had a rough time of it yourself, but thrilled that you’ve found such a positive outlet and joy in your life through running. Here’s to miles, miles and more beautiful miles!
Dear Flo,
I am the president of the architectural firm Aaron Green Associates, Inc. Eleanor worked for the firm in the late 1950′s and very early 60′s. I came to work for the firm in 1964 and amazingly remained there ever since.
Aaron had been a student of Frank Lloyd Wright in the late 30′s and maintained a close relationship with the master until Mr. Wright’s death in 1959. In 1951 Mr. Wright opened a joint office with Aaron Green at 319 Grant Avenue in San Francisco. This is where Eleanor worked at for Aaron.
I have been doing some research on several projects Eleanor worked on closely with Aaron. They are master works to this day and still have a beauty and freshness that only fine timeless design can endow on a building.
I decided try and locate Eleanor and discuss her tenure at the firm. I knew it would be a very interesting conversation. I also hoped to discuss her recolletions of Mr. Wright.
I am saddened to learn that I was too late and that Eleanor has passed on. I offer you my heartfelt condolence. I have let others who worked with her know and to a person they shared the same feeling that she was an architect of great talent, itegrity and skill. Her contributions to the work of the firm “shine on” here in Northern California to this day. One project is a fine residence on a spectacular site in Belvedere and the other a Public Housing Project for the very poor. Two vastly different clients but two equally great designs.
If you visit our web site you will find the two projects she assisted on with Aaron Green:
Eldred Residence
Marin City
Sincerely yours,
Jan Novie
President
Aaron Green Associates
Architects / Planners
web: agaarchitects.com
Mr. Novie,
I am speechless.
I will reply to you privately but in the meantime, thank you so much for sharing this with me. I know my brother and uncle will be as moved to read your letter as I was.
The projects are wonderful, I am even more proud of my crazy mom than ever.
Gratefully Yours,
Flo
On a lighter note, you must now do the NYC Marathon. That painting is set 2 blocks from the course, the No. 2 (that’s how we describe subway trains) at Nevins Avenue in Brooklyn.
One of these days, maybe. I’m a scaredy cat of monstrous, clusterfuck races, though it would be a blast, I lived in Manhattan for many years. Must get older and more race nonchalant first.