Social Media (Sometimes) Works: This Is How It Worked For Me

Karen Villarreal, Artist and Animator

Sometimes social media works the way it was once supposed to. Remember the days when Facebook and My Space were all about reconnecting us with long-lost family and friends? No? I thought not. But it’s what happened to me recently.

Karen Villarreal, an enormously talented artist friend whom I met decades ago when our husbands worked together was looking for me. She found me through googling and eventually landing on my Twitter page where she recognized my avatar.

No wonder. It’s a watercolor/colored pencil portrait of me smoking which Karen painted back in the days when I still smoked. (I don’t think smoking is cool, at all, but I think Karen made me look cool in this painting. No?)

My husband, Joe, and I then commissioned Karen to paint the first house we built in Brewster, New York. She painted that one in watercolors and ink.

And then asked her to work on a life-size oil painting. of our son, Daniel, age 2.

Fast Forward 30 Years

A couple of months ago, Karen was cleaning house and getting rid of stuff in preparation for a move. She came across the photos and sketches she’d made for Daniel’s painting. She wondered if I’d like to have them now? That’s when she set out to find me through social media since we’d lost touch over the years.

It was an opportunity to catch up with a very interesting friend. Decades ago, Karen who’d trained as a Walt Disney animator in California found a full-time position working on Saturday morning cartoons for Hanna-Barbera. It was a company that allowed animators to work from home — a boon to Karen who had five children, three under school age, back then.

Artists Like Writers Never Retire

Eventually, after moving East with her family, she freelanced as an animator for small, commercial New York studios. “But, I’m retired now,” she told me as we chatted.

“C’mon,” I said. “Artists are like writers. We never retire.”

“Okay,” she agreed, adding that she was enjoying herself painting, experimenting and learning new techniques. For example, the acorn painting (above) was created with water-soluble wax pastels. When photographed from a certain angle, the painting of the acorn (right) appears to be real (actual acorn in the background) You can see more of Karen’s stunning artwork on her website.

A Gift

As for the sketches and photos Karen had contacted me about, of course I offered to buy them. I immediately knew what I was going to do with them. Karen said no to my offer; she would send them just for the price of the frame and postage. Deal!

Earlier this year, Daniel, now 30-something and his partner Adrienne had moved into a new house. The framed sketches made a terrific housewarming gift!

View a glorious selection of Karen’s oils, watercolors and pastels at http://www.karenvillarrealpaintings.com