Mural of famous artist saved from demolition, this gorgeous mural is a featured and valuable part of The Irvine Museum - Read story about restoration and background.

1. Featured at The Irvine Museum in Irvine, California is the wonderful tropical
jungle mural of Jessie Arms Botke, 1953, in the show
Inner Visions: Women Artists of California
March 17 through June 7, 2012
The
central
attraction
in
Inner
Visions
is
the
7
feet
by
26
feet
mural
by
Jessie
Arms
Botke,
a
gift
to
The
Irvine
Museum
from
The
Oaks
at
Ojai,
for
which
the
mural
was
painted
in
1953.
Many
people
have
heard
that
FACL,
Inc.
(aka
Fine
Art
Conservation
Laboratories)
was
responsible
for
the
mural
conservation
and
restoration
that
saved
this
wonderful,
gorgeous
mural
of
a
tropical
jungle
by
Jessie
Arms
Botke
from
demolition
but
few
have
heard
the
story.
So,
here
it
is!
In
1992
Scott
M.
Haskins,
art
conservator,
got
a
call
from
The
Oaks
health
resort
in
Ojai,
California
about
a
wonderful
7′
x
26′
mural
by
Jessie
Arms
Botke,
painted
in
1953.
Botke
has
become
very
well
known
in
the
art
history
of
early
California
art
and
is
collected
by
all
the
major
collections
of
this
type
of
art.
Her
prolific
number
of
paintings
of
birds,
fish
and
wonderful
plants
are
usually
all
of
high
quality
and
can
be
expensive
my
most
people’s
standards.
The
Oaks
was
about
to
go
through
a
remodel
which
was
going
to
involve
the
demolition
of
the
wall
on
which
this
mural
was
painted.
Actually,
the
mural
was
painted,
in
oil,
on
canvas
then
was
glued
to
the
wall.
Scott
Haskins
and
FACL,
Inc.
were
hired
to
carefully
remove
the
canvas
(that
was
adhered
with
wall
paper
paste)
in
a
way
that
did
not
set
into
motion
the
mass
flaking
of
the
paint
layers.

2.
Haskins
said,
“It
was
nice
to
be
housed
at
the
health
resort/spa
for
a
week…
although
we
were
not,
of
course,
on
a
retreat!
But
all
of
the
art
conservation
treatments
were
accomplished
as
planned
within
the
week
set
aside.
Then
we
took
the
two
sections
of
painting
to
our
lab
in
Santa
Barbara
for
further
work.”
(for
a
quick
video
tour
go
to
http://www.fineartconservationlab.com)
At
the
lab,
the
painting
underwent
mural
restoration
and
was
processed
with
adhesives,
heat
and
pressure
to
stabilize
the
paint
to
make
sure
that
flaking
would
not
be
an
issue
far
into
the
future.
The
murals
were
cleaned.
Then
the
murals
were
lined
or
backed
and
then
mounted
to
stretcher
bars.
The
work
was
completed
with
layers
of
new
varnish.
Very
little
touch
up
(or
inpainting)
was
needed
as
the
murals
were
in
great
shape.
“It
was
very
gratifying
to
work
with
Irvine
Museum
Director
Jean
Stern
on
this
project
and
to
facilitate
the
donation
process
to
the
museum.
What
a
wonderful
place
for
these
murals.”
Haskins
said.
In
the
late
nineteenth
and
early
twentieth
centuries,
California
had
more
women
artists
than
other
regions
of
the
country.
In
the
East,
the
entrenched
art
establishment
had
existed
for
more
than
a
century
and
it
consisted
solely
of
men
artists.
It
was
deemed
inappropriate
to
have
women
earning
a
living
and
pursuing
a
career
in
the
arts.
By
contrast,
there
was
no
entrenched
art
establishment
in
Los
Angeles
as
both
men
and
women
artists
began
arriving
at
the
same
time.
Artists
who
lived
in
Southern
California
in
the
early
1900s
were
part
of
a
close
circle
of
friends
and
included
men
and
women.
Artists
featured
in
Inner
Visions
include
Jessie
Arms
Botke,
Meta
Cressey,
Anna
Hills,
Donna
N.
Schuster,
Marion
Kavanagh
Wachtel,
among
others.
The
main
attraction
for
Inner
Visions
is
a
mural
from
the
venerable
Oaks
Hotel
in
Ojai,
a
generous
gift
to
The
Irvine
Museum
in
1992
from
the
Oaks
at
Ojai.
The
mural
was
painted
in
1953
by
Jessie
Arms
Botke,
with
assistance
from
her
husband
Cornelis
Botke.
It
is
a
large
work,
measuring
nearly
7
feet
high
by
26
feet
long
and
it
represents
a
scene
in
the
Everglades,
with
a
large
variety
of
bird
life
and
flora
set
on
a
gold-­‐leaf
background.
The
mural
graced
the
ballroom
wall
of
the
old
Oaks
Hotel
for
nearly
forty
years
when,
in
the
course
of
renovating
the
hotel,
the
decision
was
made
to
tear
down
the
wall
in
order
to
enlarge
the
room.
Mindful
that
this
was
an
important
work
of
California
art,
the
hotel
offered
the
mural
as
a
gift
to
The
Irvine
Museum
with
the
condition
that
the
museum
assume
the
costs
of
removal
and
restoration
of
the
work.

3. Fortunately,
the
mural
was
painted
on
two
large
pieces
of
canvas,
and
not
directly
on
the
wall.
The
mural
was
carefully
removed
and
restored
to
its
full
glory.
At
the
time
The
Irvine
Museum
received
the
mural,
the
museum
was
in
a
large
suite
on
the
12th
floor
of
its
current
building.
As
such,
it
was
impossible
to
bring
the
mural
into
the
museum
because
it
would
not
fit
into
the
elevators.
So,
for
more
than
eighteen
years
the
mural
was
displayed
at
Joan
Irvine
Smith
Hall,
at
the
University
of
California,
Irvine.
A
few
years
ago,
the
museum
relocated
to
the
ground
floor
of
its
current
building,
thus
making
the
elevator
restrictions
moot.
The
museum
is
finally
able
to
display
this
majestic
and
magical
mural.
Since
the
museum
does
not
have
a
single
wall
that
measures
26
feet,
the
mural
will
be
displayed
in
its
two
parts
for
Inner
Visions,
one
measuring
14
feet
long
and
other
12
feet
long.
They
will
be
shown
on
opposite
walls
so
the
viewer
will,
in
effect,
be
in
the
middle
of
the
scene.
JESSIE
ARMS
BOTKE
(1883-­‐1971)
was
a
Chicago
artist
who
specialized
in
painting
works
that
featured
exotic
birds
surrounded
by
wondrous
plants
and
blossoms.
Little
interested
in
landscape,
Botke
worked
in
the
brilliant
and
colorful
style
of
Art
Deco.
She
worked
in
oil
and
often
added
gold
and
silver
leaf
in
the
background.
For
art
conservation
questions,
contact
Scott
M.
Haskins
at
Fine
Art
Conservation
Laboratories
at
805
564
3438
or
faclartdoc@gmail.com
For
information
on
art
appraisals
contact
Richard
Holgate
805
895
5121
or
jrholgate@yahoo.com