The painting Water Nymph is the beginning of James and my love story. It’s a longer campfire story that I will fill in at another time.

I had originally created a 170 foot living mural on a called The Artery art gallery with 27 artists painting on 4×8 foot sign boards to represent the the lifeblood of the artist community in Eureka Springs. Each season had a different theme. After the city council gave The Artery the greenlight, I stopped into Chelsea’s Bar with a thumbs up to Chris Bradley, who would help me produce the installation on a crumbling retainer wall next to my Lucky 13 Outdoor cinema.

Before I saw Chris, I saw the artist James Yale, and we had our first conversation, when he stopped me with a genius idea to add to The Artery with a Master’s Apprentice twist. His idea was to pair young artists with today’s technology to work with elder and disabled artists, who had not had computers in their times. The apprentices would help in documenting their artwork.

I became so excited with the idea that I invited James to be one of the Artery Artists. The theme that year was “Water.” Every panel all the artists created was beyond what I had imagined for the Water installation. And today, looking at Cara in this painting still leaves me breathless.

The original Water Nymph was sold before the installation, and James made me a reproduction to join the other 26 ARTERY panels…. eventually a year later on St. Patrick’s Day. By September the 2nd…he asked me to marry him.

I was my pleasure to reconnect with Cara Ercolino with the interview that follows.

Charlotte Buchanan Yale