http://2cccd5dfe1965e26adf6-26c50ce30a6867b5a67335a93e186605.r53.cf1.rackcdn.com/Portrait Wrap_Mary Wilson _SOC.mp3
An artist from Bucks County has been painting portraits of people who do not have health insurance.
Theresa Brown Gold, a Bucks County resident and artist, said her interest in health care issues stemmed from her work as a small business owner, when she observed that she was tempted to hire part-time employees so she wouldn't have to pay for their health care. It got her wondering about the stories of people who were going without health care, and she began interviewing people and painting them as she listened to their stories of being without adequate health insurance.
"I deal with real people. I deal with real life," Gold said. "I don't deal with whats politically expedient."
Some portraits tell horror stories, some accompany dodged bullets, as Gold puts it, and her subjects gaze straight out of the frame. Each frame seems to contain the whole color wheel greens shade a forehead; blues and pinks contour one subjects neck.
"I always forget about the art, believe it or not," Gold said. "I love the art, I think the art is so much a part of me, that I never think about it. All I ever think about is the information. And I'm reminded that I have this art project because I use it to get the information out."
Gold says after this falls election, she'll be doing more art and less demonstrating.
"I have other social issues to inquire about," Gold said. "I'll keep painting this issue and I'll keep documenting it though portraiture, and I want to see how the health care law plays out and if and when there are weaknesses, I want those addressed. I am going to be on it."
