(KRON) — Thieves in San Francisco stole handmade artwork over the weekend just as the woman who painstakingly created the one-of-a-kind piece was getting ready for holiday sales. She is heartbroken and would like to get those irreplaceable items back.
The artist, Simone Guimaraes, shared surveillance video with KRON4 of what looks to be three people ransacking her truck then taking off with those precious designs.
“Happy Saturday today I am selling my artwork at Telegraph in Berkeley take a look at my table!” Guimaraes said.
Guimaraes happily showcased her art in Berkeley on Saturday. It’s a passion she hopes brightens peoples’ spirits by upcycling materials like jeans and tin cans to create vibrant pieces like handbags and Christmas ornaments.
But a group of thieves dampened her holidays the next day when she said they damaged, then ransacked her truck in the Outer Mission at Ocean Avenue and Delano Street near City College in San Francisco at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
She said they broke into a lockbox and took off with the unique designs leaving her with very little to sell at her upcoming events.
“It’s devastating for me I feel so off and stressed right now,” Guimaraes said.
The artist who goes by @FridaCatloArt took to Instagram for help. She wants people to keep an eye out for her artwork that is colorful and easily recognizeable.
“Maybe somebody sees somebody selling my work and it doesn’t belong to them I can go to the police and say this is my work,” Guimaraes said. “I really miss it and it’s part of my life and that’s how I make a living, selling my art.”
Guimaraes explained this handmade work takes countless hours and will require time and energy to replace the inventory. Unfortunately, her Virgen de Guadalupe pieces were swiped just before the Dec. 12 holiday.
You can contact her at @FridaCatloArt on Instagram. She will bring what few items she has left to San Francisco City Hall Tuesday for an event hosted by the city.
She is one of several local artists that were selected to take part at a pop-up shop event inside between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
