Rusty Scruby: In Pursuit of an Angel

Rusty Scruby, Palm Angel, 2007, mixed media reconstruction, 74” x 50”; one of the works kindly returned to him by a gentleman who had purchased the piece from the thrift store.

By Carolina González

When Rusty Scruby began planning his first solo show in Los Angeles, he could never have imagined it would take him on a two-week journey across states, through countless towns and their corresponding police stations, to a stranger’s home, and eventually to the Angel View thrift store warehouse in Palm Springs, all in search of his artwork. He would embark on a pursuit of seventeen pieces that were stolen from the U-Haul he had rented to drive the works from Dallas to Los Angeles. Rusty was just three hours away from L.A. Tired from the long drive, he decided to get a good night’s sleep at a Motel 6 in Indio, not knowing that while he slept a group of unidentified individuals would rob him of years of dedication and countless hours of studio time.

The incident left Scruby with no choice but to pull together a new selection of works in order to meet the January 15^th exhibition deadline at the PYO Gallery. After filing a police report, the artist headed back to Dallas to gather thirteen new pieces for the show. On the night of the opening, five days after the incident occurred, Rusty received an email from a gentleman in L.A inquiring about one of the stolen works, “Palm Angel”. He informed Rusty that he owned said piece, and that it had some damage. “Palm Angel” was completed in 2007, has been exhibited extensively, and was included in an exhibition last year at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas. The gentleman who contacted the artist had purchased it a day or so after the robbery, along with two other works, from the Angel View thrift store in Indio for a mere $80. After explaining the situation to the gentleman, the artist was allowed to go pick up his works.

The morning after the crime Rusty walks out to the parking lot to find an empty U-Haul.

It turns out that what could be seen as a Robin Hood-like stroke of remorse on behalf of the robbers was offset by an unfortunate ending. The thieves donated an undisclosed number of works to the Angel View thrift store, whose staff proceeded to shred some of them as they were deemed unsalable. The others were sold for not even a fraction of their worth. When Rusty was finally able to locate the warehouse where the remainder of his creations were being kept, he would arrive to encounter a store manager who refused to return them to their rightful owner. Instead Scruby had to buy back the three remaining pieces.

The details of this horrific experience are far too complex and baffling for the length of this article, and they are ultimately details that will be forgotten. However, what will not be thrown to the wayside of our consciousness is the aftermath of such events. Theft, of any sort, is undoubtedly an utter invasion of one’s privacy, an erasure of one’s history. But when talking about art theft, especially when perpetrated against a living, working artist, we are dealing with a situation in which a person has not only been robbed of his belongings but also of his livelihood.

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The artist wrapping three works recuperated from the thrift store, all had sustained damage.

Rusty Scruby has been left with no choice other than moving forth with new works and putting behind him the mishaps that can come with being an artist. As things remain, eleven of Rusty’s works are still missing. Each piece takes the artist weeks to complete, as he creates unique grids of images which he weaves together to recreate a photographic image. Each intricate work is executed by hand, resulting in a complex work that makes the viewers feel as if they are staring at a window in which parallel universes collide.

But leave it to Rusty to make the best of a grim situation. His upcoming exhibition at Pan American Art Projects will be a “response to an event that just kept unfolding until it came to an unfair end.” His meticulous photographic recreations will be on view at the gallery from March 12 - April 2, 2011.

Pan American Art Projects 2450 NW 2nd Avenue. Miami, FL. 33127. Phone 305 573 2400 / www.panamericanart.com

Carolina González is an art critic and writer based in Miami, Florida.