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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Columbia Rembrance Painter

Aired February 01, 2004 - 18:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: At another observance tomorrow, NASA will unveil a painting, officially memorializing the lost crew. It is the work of artist Barbara Ernst Prey, who is in the New York bureau to share not only her work, but some of her insights into working on such a prestigious project. Thank you very much, Barbara, for joining us today.
BARBARA ERNST PREY, PAINTER: Hi, Carol.

LIN: Tell me a little bit more about the image that you decided to use to memorialize the shuttle disaster.

PREY: It's a large painting of the Columbia at the takeoff, because that was the moment when I felt that all their dreams and the hopes and the spirit of the people was best exemplified.

This is something that they had worked for all their lives and these people, they dreamed dreams and they really are a great inspiration for all of us.

LIN: You know, Barbara, your work was renowned before, even the work that you've done for NASA. But tell me about what it's like as you developed your career, here you have a certain amount of fame for the water colors that you did of many beautiful landscapes in Maine. And then you get a phone call one day from NASA. How did that relationship start?

PREY: I know. I had -- I was actually working on a painting of the International Space Station. And when I presented it to NASA, they liked it so much, they asked if I would do a painting to commemorate the Columbia.

And I actually had to think bit, because that's such a, you know, watching the event and being so involved, it was a very -- I wanted to make something that was really a tribute to the families and these amazing astronauts. And being, you know, it's a piece of history as well. So I wanted to make something really positive.

LIN: But it was different the second time around. You did the painting of the International Space Station and during the whole process, you became part of the NASA family.

PREY: Right, right. And I worked closely with some of the scientists and the engineers. So when the shuttle did -- when the shuttle disaster did happen, that was, you know, it was -- I was more involved than the average person. I was also working on the White House Christmas Card at the same time, so I think the wonderful juxtaposition of doing something that's very upbeat and happy and then that really pulled me through doing the Columbia tribute, because I wanted, as I said to do something that was positive, knowing that nasa would be giving images of the painting to the astronauts' families.

LIN: We were just showing the Christmas card that President and Mrs. Bush sent to more than a million people who got to see your work.

Getting back to the shuttle, though. What is your process in trying to figure out what it is that you want to paint and how you capture the spirit of something, not only so magnificent, but also so terribly tragic?

PREY: Right. I spent probably three months just thinking about it, mulling it over. NASA had sent me photos, a huge stack of photos. I looked at the photos of the astronauts and I started to cry and I just put it away. I think they're still put away.

And I started to think again, what is something that -- that's the photo, actually that I couldn't look at. But the lives of these people -- and they worked -- I researched it, talking to other astronauts who had known them, and they worked together as a team, they were happy, they were always smiling. They had a wonderful time together and they loved what they were doing.

And this is what they had worked all their lives to do. So, I think, that was going through my mind when I was thinking what to do. I didn't want to do something very esoteric, but something that the families could really appreciate and would represent the spirit of their spouses.

LIN: And it's going to be hanging where, very quickly, Barbara?

PREY: I think it's going to the Kennedy Space Center.

LIN: All right. Wonderful indeed, the memories we'll hold there. Thank you very much, Barbara.

PREY: Barbara Prey.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 1, 2004 - 18:26   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: At another observance tomorrow, NASA will unveil a painting, officially memorializing the lost crew. It is the work of artist Barbara Ernst Prey, who is in the New York bureau to share not only her work, but some of her insights into working on such a prestigious project. Thank you very much, Barbara, for joining us today.
BARBARA ERNST PREY, PAINTER: Hi, Carol.

LIN: Tell me a little bit more about the image that you decided to use to memorialize the shuttle disaster.

PREY: It's a large painting of the Columbia at the takeoff, because that was the moment when I felt that all their dreams and the hopes and the spirit of the people was best exemplified.

This is something that they had worked for all their lives and these people, they dreamed dreams and they really are a great inspiration for all of us.

LIN: You know, Barbara, your work was renowned before, even the work that you've done for NASA. But tell me about what it's like as you developed your career, here you have a certain amount of fame for the water colors that you did of many beautiful landscapes in Maine. And then you get a phone call one day from NASA. How did that relationship start?

PREY: I know. I had -- I was actually working on a painting of the International Space Station. And when I presented it to NASA, they liked it so much, they asked if I would do a painting to commemorate the Columbia.

And I actually had to think bit, because that's such a, you know, watching the event and being so involved, it was a very -- I wanted to make something that was really a tribute to the families and these amazing astronauts. And being, you know, it's a piece of history as well. So I wanted to make something really positive.

LIN: But it was different the second time around. You did the painting of the International Space Station and during the whole process, you became part of the NASA family.

PREY: Right, right. And I worked closely with some of the scientists and the engineers. So when the shuttle did -- when the shuttle disaster did happen, that was, you know, it was -- I was more involved than the average person. I was also working on the White House Christmas Card at the same time, so I think the wonderful juxtaposition of doing something that's very upbeat and happy and then that really pulled me through doing the Columbia tribute, because I wanted, as I said to do something that was positive, knowing that nasa would be giving images of the painting to the astronauts' families.

LIN: We were just showing the Christmas card that President and Mrs. Bush sent to more than a million people who got to see your work.

Getting back to the shuttle, though. What is your process in trying to figure out what it is that you want to paint and how you capture the spirit of something, not only so magnificent, but also so terribly tragic?

PREY: Right. I spent probably three months just thinking about it, mulling it over. NASA had sent me photos, a huge stack of photos. I looked at the photos of the astronauts and I started to cry and I just put it away. I think they're still put away.

And I started to think again, what is something that -- that's the photo, actually that I couldn't look at. But the lives of these people -- and they worked -- I researched it, talking to other astronauts who had known them, and they worked together as a team, they were happy, they were always smiling. They had a wonderful time together and they loved what they were doing.

And this is what they had worked all their lives to do. So, I think, that was going through my mind when I was thinking what to do. I didn't want to do something very esoteric, but something that the families could really appreciate and would represent the spirit of their spouses.

LIN: And it's going to be hanging where, very quickly, Barbara?

PREY: I think it's going to the Kennedy Space Center.

LIN: All right. Wonderful indeed, the memories we'll hold there. Thank you very much, Barbara.

PREY: Barbara Prey.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com