In loving memory of Lauren E. Simonutti (1968-2012)

[benrains]

Lauren E. Simonutti passed away recently.


years end-07 I- cross your heart by lauren.rabbit, on Flickr

An announcement from the Catherine Edelman Gallery, where she was represented, can be found at the link bellow:
http://cyclopsblog.com/2012/04/19/in...tti-1968-2012/

For those of you unfamiliar with Lauren's work, digitized examples of it can still be found on her Flickr account and around the web-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurensimonutti/

I'll miss her.

[cosmicexplosion]

i like her dark work, INSPIRING...R.I.P.

[genotypewriter]

Was just about to start a thread here. All I know is she was unwell. Does anyone know the cause?

At the same time, I thought of posting the interview links below:
http://www.lensculture.com/simonutti.html
http://colinpantall.blogspot.com.au/...1968-2012.html

Mental illness is not something to make fun of.

[Renato Tonelli]

Thank you for posting - I did not know her work.

[benrains]

Was just about to start a thread here. All I know is she was unwell. Does anyone know the cause?

I haven't heard anything definitive, and I won't speculate on the matter. Having talked with her regularly, I know she often struggled with the consequences of her mental illness. She'd been hospitalized earlier in the year, and more recently she had a bad fall down the stairs in her house (although I don't think that was a directly a cause of her recent passing.) More than anything I feel like she was a casualty of the lack of there being any sort of safety net in our country for those most in need of basic healthcare--particularly mental healthcare.

[Richard Rankin]

I wasn't familiar with her, either, and it was nice to see her work. Thanks for posting.
Richard

[RickV]

God bless you Lauren. You will be sadly missed.

[John NYC]

I have two of her handmade books -- She was a unique artist. I am sad to have read this news. Rest in peace and God bless.

[Alan Gales]

I haven't heard anything definitive, and I won't speculate on the matter. Having talked with her regularly, I know she often struggled with the consequences of her mental illness. She'd been hospitalized earlier in the year, and more recently she had a bad fall down the stairs in her house (although I don't think that was a directly a cause of her recent passing.) More than anything I feel like she was a casualty of the lack of there being any sort of safety net in our country for those most in need of basic healthcare--particularly mental healthcare.

In my opinion mental illness is just starting to be understood and accepted in this country. May she rest in peace. I was not aware of her art until reading your post. Lauren was wonderful.

[Kerik Kouklis]

I was not familiar with her work, so thanks for posting. Mental illness is devastating and not well understood. May she find peace.