Painter Tackles a Giant "Hero"

Eric Waugh's latest painting, "Hero," will be twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty. Three trucks will be needed to move it. "Hero" will be shown just once, at the North Carolina Museum of Art in December. The Montreal-based artist hopes to raise $4 million for children with AIDS and other illnesses by selling posters of the original painting and framed, sliced-up pieces of the original. The money will benefit Minnesota's Camp Heartland, which serves children affected by HIV/AIDS, and the Starlight Children's Foundation.

The inspiration for "Hero" -- whose image is a bright abstract of an adult with an arm around a child -- came from a 1995 CBS News documentary, "Before Your Eyes: Angelie's Secret." The show chronicled a young girl's battle with HIV, and soon after Waugh saw it, he visited Camp Heartland, which was featured in the film, and created "Hero." The poster-size version has already appeared in background shots on the TV shows "Seinfeld," "Baywatch" and "Caroline in the City."

Waugh chose the North Carolina Museum of Art after his sponsor, art.com, suggested that the museum, with its 165 acres of parkland, would be a good setting. This summer, he pitched the idea to museum Director Larry Wheeler. "I had to be persuaded that it was, first of all, a good cause," Wheeler said. "We don't generally do fund-raisers for charities or other organizations. I also wanted to make sure the art wasn't schlock."

The unveiling is set for Dec. 1, World AIDS Day. Waugh has completed about 22,000 square feet and has 19,000 square feet left to paint. "Eric will get it done," reassured Tom Lotrecchiano, art.com's national sales director. "He's a painting machine."

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