Art Restoration

Call for Art Restoration Professionals to
Help with One of the Most Important Paintings of Heart O' the Hills

The July 4, 2025 Guadalupe River flood created an "inland tsunami" that wiped out the primary facilities at Heart O' the Hills Camp for girls in Hunt, Texas. The Camp office, where hundreds of historical photos and mementos lined the walls, was flooded off its foundation. Only one piece of wall art was found on the Camp grounds. Weeks later, only a few others have been recovered down river. Beyond digital copies of our more modern relics, the Camp is left with very few original keepsakes. But by the grace of God, not all of our history has been washed away!
The Camp's famous four-story lodge (the original Heart O' the Hills Inn) was flooded to the top of the second story, where the main foyer held four historical paintings from the late 1940s and early 1950s. This timeframe was a critical era in the Camp's history. In 1953, the Inn was transitioned into a girls camp in memory of the innkeepers daughter, Jo Jones, who died at a young age in a car accident in 1948.
These paintings were done by Mexican artist, Juan R. Avila, who from my understanding, was the resident artist of the Hunt area at that time. He painted the Inn, pastels of Jo Jones and her sister Jan, as well as a watercolor of the newly endowed Camp in 1953. These pieces mark the critical turning point -- from prestigious inn to a cornerstone of growth and character building for thousands of young girls across the globe.
As the camp owner's youngest sister, I know how much Jane Ragsdale cherished the history and the incredible story of Heart O' the Hills. As I pulled these special antiques from the mud, I made a promise to Jane in the heavens above to be the best trustee of these treasures that I could be! (For those who may not know, Jane was killed by the July 4th flood.)
With the help of Debbie at River's Edge Gallery in Kerrville, I have made many strides with Avila's four historical paintings. However, I have been unable to find that special someone willing to take on one of our most precious remaining piece -- the Inn's original brochure painting below.
And this is where you come in...
We are seeking an artist and art restoration professional who could help paint, retouch, and restore this piece. Details are below.
I welcome all those interested to reach out to me at 512*350*0169 or [email protected].
Thank you and God bless all of those impacted by this tragedy, -Jody

The Original Inn Brochure Painting: Oil on Canvas, 50x39 inches

Photo taken before we cleaned the dirt off. Some of this detail was lost during the cleaning.

Again: Photo taken before we cleaned the dirt off. Some of this detail was lost during the cleaning.

Red box marks the details of the lodge architecture that have been lost. These will be difficult to restore without help from other historical photos. For this reason, I am including some other photos that may help.

Close ups show the cracked paint. The vast majority of the work will need to address the clouds above and the center portion of the painting. The left, right, lower sections are in better shape. Also pictured, the inside lodge where the painting was recovered shortly after the flood.