Patron Saint of the Concerned
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by Kathleen Cammarata

A saint is a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and typically regarded as being in heaven after death. A saint may be designated as a "patron saint" of a particular cause, or invoked as a protector against illness or disaster.

Here are some examples of historic female patron saints: St. Agatha for breast cancer; St. Anne for mothers and grandmothers; St. Bernadette for orphans; St. Martha for cooks and domestic workers: and St. Mary Magdalene for penitent women.

The historic paintings and illustrations of women patron saints are fairly uniform. They are clothed in flowing garments, their hair is covered by a veil, and their eyes look heavenward or directly at the viewer. Their poses are passive and their hands are in a prayer position or holding an object like a bible or a cross. Often they are presented from the waist up, their facial features are soft and they wear halos.

Patron Saint of Broken Dreams
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"Erased Saints' is a series of pencil drawings that challenge this traditional perspective. These female saints are erased physically in the drawings and metaphorically from history. In the drawings the saints are full bodied nudes reflecting the many images of female nudes in the art world. They are faceless so as not to represent real persons and to remove the soft features and the heavenward gaze. The poses they strike are not passive but rather engaged with the objects in the picture. Their skin is striped like a jailbird created by erasing the pencil shading of the body. Their heads are crowned with forms from nature topped by halos. Their wrists, ankles or hips are decorated with bracelets of thorns.

The titles of these works are an integral part of the pieces. For instance, "The Patron Saint of the Tender Handed" relates to the pose she strikes, the finger-like projections on her head, and the plant known as Buddha's hand."The Patron Saint of Parched Times" has a rain cloud attached to her wrist by a thin string and she is dropping drips of water into a hole. The body, the pose and the sexuality of woman is presented in these works as an integral part of who she is.

The drawings beg the question, "Who decides what is holy and what is not?"

Patron Saint of Mending a Life

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Kathleen Cammarata has been a professional artist for 40 years. She has exhibited her work in over 25 solo shows.She has taught in two museums and a university as well as in her studio. Her work is in both private and corporate collections.

Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2011 New England Biolabs, Ipswich MA
2010 Hampden Gallery, UMass Amherst, MA
2009 AVA Gallery, Lebanon NH
Regis College, Weston MA
2007 Gallery Anthony Curtis, Boston
2006 Art Advisory LLC, Boston
2005 Copley Society of Art, Boston
Boston Printmakers Biennial, Boston
2004 UMass Lowell, Lowell MA
2003 MIT Dean’s Gallery, Cambridge MA
2002 Copley Society of Art, Boston

Selected Juried Exhibitions:
2011 Chain Letter Show, Samson Projects, Boston
Faculty show, DeCordova Museum, Lincoln MA
2010 thINK, Boston Printmakers @ Huntsville Museum, AL ; Buena Vista
University, IA
2009 National Drawing Show (First Prize) South Shore Art Center, Cohasset MA
2008 Northeast Prize Show, Cambridge MA
2006 On the Waterfront (Patron’s Choice Award) Copley Society of Art, Boston
2004 Print Show, Villa Pignano, Italy
2003 Printmakers Show, Copley society of Art, Boston
Blackstone Print show, Brickbottom Gallery, Somerville MA
2002 Figurative show (Second Prize) South Shore Art Center, Cohasset MA
Collage Show, Spring Show, and Fall Show, Copley Society of Art, Boston

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