July 15, 2004

‘Farfalle del Mio Cuore’

Local artist transforms a 700-pound heart into a message of hope

By Julie Davis Berry
Executive Editor

Artists really do see things differently from the rest of us.

Take Debbie Arambula for instance. The 44-year-old artist, who grew up in Almaden and attended Simonds and Bret Harte Middle Schools, was recently enjoying a Campbell Thursday night concert with her daughter and munching on potato chips when something caught her eye. The potato chip she was about to bite into was just the right shape for her next art piece, which happens to be a public art project the city of Campbell has asked her to bid on. “It was shaped like a heart but it has a really unique shape. I’m going to “freeze” it somehow and put it in a box so that I can use it when I design my next project!”

Arambula’s enthusiasm and ability to think outside of the box has propelled her far as of late. She was recently chosen to transform a 700-pound steel heart into a painted sculpture for The Hearts in San Francisco Project.

Arambula’s piece is joining other heart sculptures that can be found in locations throughout San Francisco, such as Union Square, Civic Center Plaza, Golden Gate Park and Crissy Field through October. Emerging and recognized artists are creating a total of 130 hearts for the benefit of the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Twenty to 25 hearts will be sold at a Nov. 11 auction benefiting the foundation.

Arambula’s work, ‘Farfalle del Mio Cuore’ (Butterflies of My Heart), is dedicated to her parents, her Italian heritage and all the families who migrated to the San Francisco Bay Area and our Valley of Hearts’ Delight (Santa Clara Valley). “My dad just retired so I wanted this piece to represent a message of hope and peace for people like my parents who take chances and always wear their hearts on their sleeves,” said Arambula.

The piece is made of four steel leaves, which together give shape to a massive heart. Arambula has added two antennas to ‘Farfalle del Mio Cuore’ and, through her whimsical brush stokes, has transformed the sculpture into a colorful butterfly carrying a vibrant romantic heart. Arambula says that when she saw the blank slate of the heart she saw a vision of a butterfly flying with the heart on its back.

“Throughout history, butterflies represent a transformation of new life, a new beginning, and hearts are the universal message of love. I want ‘Farfalle del Mio Cuore’ to inspire this message of hope to our world.”

‘Farfalle del Mio Cuore’ was recently unveiled and dedicated with a prayer for “World Peace and Universal Human Rights” at the Church of Scientology on Saratoga Avenue in San Jose. On Monday the piece was transported to San Francisco and its temporary home in, appropriately enough, the Yerba Buena Butterfly Garden.

This is just another feather in the cap of the effervescent Arambula. She has been receiving a lot of commission work lately, including a piece for a restaurant in Glen Ellen as well as several pieces for private clients. She was also recently named Best in Show at the 2003 San Francisco Harvest Festival. Next up on her calendar the July 10-11 Los Altos Art & Wine Festival where she is a juried artist.

Not bad for a Campbell mom of three who only started painting eight years ago.

“My goal in life,” says Arambula, “is to create beautiful works of art that uplift and inspire people.”

Debbie Arambula’s gallery is located in the Courtyard in downtown Campbell. Call ahead for an appointment to view her artwork at (408) 378-7278. For more information on Arambula visit her studio on line at www.heartworksgallery.com or email heartworksstudio@earthlink.net. For more information on The Hearts in San Francisco visit www.heartsinsf.com.