MILWAUKEE, Wis. – A Milwaukee artist is working to restore about 30 large paintings damaged in a January fire at a U-Haul storage facility — pieces he spent 11 years creating as a tribute to the United States.
READ ALSO | Massive fire destroys U-Haul storage facility in Milwaukee's Walker's Point, customers devastated
Jesus Avila reached out to TMJ4 after the fire, saying his storage unit did not burn. However, his paintings sustained water damage and tearing in the aftermath of the fire. He has launched a GoFundMe for those who want to help fund the restoration.
"The fire was just out of control," Avila said.
Avila immigrated from Mexico to Madison, Wisconsin, as a child. At 13 years old, he started and ran a Mexican folk dance company for more than 50 years, which allowed him to travel the world.
He lives in Milwaukee now, and for the past 11 years, he has been working on a series of large paintings capturing the history of the United States and the character of certain cities.
"The one thing that I always wanted to do is give back to this country, because the United States gave me and my family so many opportunities," Avila said. "To me, it's more than just paintings. It really is poetry on canvas.”
Watch: Artist works to restore massive paintings damaged in U-Haul storage facility fire
All of his paintings survived the fire but were left with water damage and tears. Avila spends 8 to 10 hours a day painting and plans to hire helpers to assist with the tedious restoration work.
"This one is going to take some doing; it's not the only one with big rips," Avila said.
His sister and wife say when he isn’t working on the paintings, he’s thinking about them.
“It is probably day and night,” said sister Martha. “Sometimes he says he starts at four o'clock in the morning doing his art.”
"I can see how he poured in all of his energy, all of his knowledge, into these paintings," wife Luz Avila said.
Despite the damage, Jesus Avila remains focused on his ultimate goal.
"It's inevitable that people see the beauty of this country through these paintings," Avila said.
According to a statement from a U-Haul communications spokesperson, about 400 of the 1,200 units at the facility were affected by the fire. Two sections — C and H — will be demolished and rebuilt. Section C was empty at the time of the fire. U-Haul says it is currently clearing debris around Building H and will not demolish it before customers have the opportunity to check what remains of their belongings.
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