April 5, 2025
Surprise was expressed at how much we were willing to spend to ship and have our DeRubeis’s artwork “Autumn Wind” repaired. (We were both sick to realize it had been damaged.)
I want to explain why we are willing to spend so much to ship it and have it repaired.
Bruce and I love all our DeRubeis’s artworks. We purchased “Autumn Wind” and “Nebula” in 2010 while in Hawaii on our 25th wedding anniversary trip. At the gallery in Hawaii, I fell in love with DeRubeis’s artwork and luckily, Bruce felt the same way. Bruce does not normally like abstract artwork, but Chris DeRubeis’s distinct style called “Abstract Sensualism,” appealed to Bruce.
Over time, we’ve collected a total of six of DeRubeis’s artworks.
DeRubeis won the MUSE award in “New Movement” in 2005 and is now known as “The Father of the Conceptual Movement.”
His artwork is not static, light interacts with the grinding on the aircraft aluminum panels to bounce out behind the layers of transparent and translucent paints. As you move around his artwork, it looks different from different positions. It is fun to shine a flashlight on his work and watch how the light interacts with it. Places in the artwork will look almost black until light hits them, then the brilliant color will shimmer into existence from the dark space.
One of the lovely things about DeRubeis’s floating artwork is how it invites you in. With no frame surrounding it, there is nothing to separate you from the artwork.
Here is a 19 minute video about DeRubeis: https://vimeo.com/19684748 (You can also google Behind The Artist: Chris Derubeis. Abstract Sensualism.)
His artwork is best viewed, not as a picture, but as a video.
You may enjoy seeing the short videos of his artwork at the DeRubeis Fine Art Of Metal, a gallery in Scottsdale, AZ:
https://www.derubeisscottsdale.com/derubeis
“Autumn Wind” is a masterpiece and a wonderful memory of our trip to Hawaii. It is worth it to us to have it repaired. If we left the scratch, seeing it would always make us feel sick. Imagine if you owned a famous artist’s artwork and it got scratched, wouldn’t you want it repaired or restored? We feel very lucky the artist can repair his work.
Blackberry Homestead 
No! It’s not strange to spend money to restore a work of art! I can see why you fell in love with this artist and his work. Each piece feels meditative…where you could lose yourself just by sitting front of it.
Hope your restored masterpiece is soon back home!
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I didn’t think it was strange. I feel we are holding his work in trust for future generations, maybe a museum.
His work is meditative. I would often just sit and enjoy his work when I was very stressed with work. I would feel the stress leaving my body after a while.
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I spend a pretty penny to have my husbands favorite artwork of the Hawaii marathon framed. It is iconic and inspires me to know at one point in our life both of us were in fantastic shape. At least he was and ran marathons. I did not but I am a very strong swimmer. The poster gives me lots of pleasure as I work my hip exercises on a mat. That, and the black pug watching me exercise!
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I know people talk about experience and not things, but art is an experience as well as a thing. Money spent on something that brings you joy is justified.
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Definitely! Some of the best artwork we have is from original artists bought at festivals and through the wonderful University of Tampa sale they have every year. Spectacular finds!
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It is lovely to find original artwork at festivals and starving artists’ sales. The Denver Botanical Garden held a show of botanical and outdoor artwork one year, which was really fun. I always enjoyed the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver. You never know where you might find something that speaks to you.
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That is the beauty of art: that we each interpret it differently, and express it differently. The video of DeReubis was interesting, and I particularly enjoyed his early drawings as a young child. I personally found that scratch interesting–like a little check mark, but I am often intrigued by things others think are quirky of me. If you wanted it repaired, that is really all that matters.
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I found the video interesting as well. I did enjoy the picture of clown!
Who knows? The check mark may become a permanent part of the painting once he’s worked on it. I know the painting won’t look quite the same.
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It will be interesting, to be sure! I could picture him with his spray gun!
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So could I!
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