(Source photo by Joshua Crawford Barry)
Batik artist Doreen Walsh presented her venerable piece “Parade” to friends and art enthusiasts on Thursday at the Schneider Regional Medical Center. The lively and festive atmosphere witnessed Walsh place her name plaque on the wall beside the art after years of it sitting without an artist’s claim.
“Dynamite comes in a small package,” said Teri Pearsall, an attendee at the presentation, referring to her friend’s talent as a woman of small stature, insinuating that creating such a large piece is no easy feat.
The towering 8-foot by 7-foot piece has been in the front lobby of the medical center for about 17 years now, having been donated in 2007, but it is only now being accredited to Walsh. It sits on the far right wall, framed by other historical works by well-known artists such as Bill Thompson.
The pieces in the hospital hold great significance and add a more warm and welcoming touch, as mentioned by the hospital’s Senior Vice President, Jordan Wathen. The artwork has persevered over many years, lasting through both hurricanes in 2017 and the harsh weather the storms brought to the island.
The journey of “Parade” began in ’95 when the Royal Caribbean cruise line was searching for art to put in its lounge downtown. Discovered through Corinne Van Rensselaer’s art gallery, Walsh was tasked with creating a piece that would capture local culture and spirit. The work’s original name was “Main Street Jumbie,” and it does exactly that.
To support the creation of this piece, she was given an apartment downtown above one of the local restaurants to work in. The piece took roughly two months to complete, an impressive accomplishment for such a large and spirited creation. Before creating “Parade,” Walsh admits she had never attempted a piece this expansive, yet still decided to accept the challenge, which was completed masterfully. Once the lounge downtown closed, the artwork inside was redistributed and bought, which is when the manager who facilitated the distribution graciously donated “Parade” to the hospital where it now proudly sits.
Walsh was unaware of the updated resting location for her piece, not thinking much of it until she saw her art hanging on the walls during a visit to the medical center. She would mention her work unpretentiously to the security guards, yet the proper credit would not come until later. Realizing that her name was not next to the display, Walsh’s friend and advocate, Betsy Sheahan, decided to take action to help the artist get the recognition she deserved. After talking with the directors at the hospital, Walsh’s friends were able to bring light to the piece and reopen the discussion of attribution as a birthday gift to their beloved friend. They succeeded in their attempts, giving Walsh the ultimate gift of presenting her process for this piece on Thursday and her origins as a Batik artist.
Having attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduating in 1977 as an art education major, Walsh had yet to be exposed to the beautiful craft of Batik artistry. It was when a guest speaker was brought into her fiber class that she found her spark. The fast-paced procedure involved in creating a piece of art with melted wax did not exactly come easy to Walsh.
She describes her first pieces as being “covered with dots,” as she would spill bits of wax where they didn’t belong. Through years of learning and much practice, she lost the dotty appearance and made a name for herself in the Virgin Islands, where more of her pieces lay scattered throughout. A piece of Walsh’s still hangs in the St. Thomas Reformed Church downtown that beautifully depicts a light-filled interpretation of Christ’s rebirth. Her presence in the St. Thomas community has been a great addition to the art and culture, and she continues to reaffirm her voice as she is recognized for her impressive works.
