When you think of the crew on a construction site, the word “artist” probably doesn’t come to mind. But for Michael Reilly, a union operating engineer, it’s a work of art.
That’s more true than ever as he and his partner, sculptor Colleen Statt, stand on the land where their home and her studio used to be before the Altadena fire consumed it.
The loss was huge for Colleen who lost five years of her body of work but after months of visiting the ashes of what once was, a new feeling has taken hold.
“I had a studio full of work, a 50 year archive of my work on paper, so it’s overwhelming,” Colleen said, “but having been here a number of times over the last three months I really feel it’s time to let go and move on.”
It’s a sentiment of turning the page shared by both as they start to look at the cleared land not as a site of loss but as a canvas for their future.
Now the focus is on rebuilding—not just a house but a home that’s more resilient to the threats of the future.
Michael’s construction knowledge and Colleen’s artistic vision are merging as they plan what’s next. As he says, “when I drive around Los Angeles and I look at the buildings and the bridges and all of the things that have been built, I see Beauty.”
