LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TO ACQUIRE COURT ARTIST'S COLLECTION

MARILYN CHURCH DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO ASK BERNARD MADOFF, MARTHA STEWART, WOODY ALLEN AND JOHN GOTTI TO SIT FOR THEIR PORTRAITS. SHE SIMPLY FOUND A GOOD SEAT AND PULLED OUT HER PAD, THEN GOT PAID. SOON, THE NEW YORK COURTROOM ARTIST'S 3,500 SKETCHES COULD BE HEADING TO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, WHICH SAID WEDNESDAY THAT IT PLANNED TO ACQUIRE THEM AND IS FINALIZING AGREEMENTS WITH CHURCH. 'IT'S A GREAT SPECTRUM OF ALL THE THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON IN OUR CULTURE AND HAVING A FRONT ROW SEAT ON THAT', CHURCH SAID IN A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW WEDNESDAY WITH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. CHURCH HAS DONE SKETCHES FOR VARIOUS NEWS ORGANIZATION OVER THE YEARS, BEGINNING AS A FREELANCER FOR WABC-TV IN 1973 AND LATER INCLUDING THE AP AND THE NEW YORK TIMES. THE LIST OF THE FAMOUS, AND THE INFAMOUS, IN HER REPERTOIRE IS LONG, INCLUDING DAVID BERKOWITZ, 'THE SON OF SAM KILLER' WHO TERRORIZED NEW YORK IN THE 1970s; AMY FISHER, KNOWN AS 'THE LONG ISLAND LOLITA'; AND THE FANATICAL BLIND ISLAMIC EXTREMIST ACCUSED OF CONSPIRACY OMAR ABDEL RAHMAN. CELEBRITIES ARE AMONG THE HARDEST TO SKETCH BECAUSE THEIR FACES ARE WIDELY FAMILIAR, CHURCH SAID. SHE FOUND STEWART, THE DOMESTIC DOYENNE CONVICTED IN 2004 OF LYING ABOUT A STOCK SALE BEFORE IT PLUNGED, AMONG THE MOST CHALLENGING TO DRAW BECAUSE OF HER BEAUTY. 'IT'S MORE DIFFICULT TO READ CHARACTER THERE, MORE DIFFICULT THAN DRAWING MADOFF BECAUSE ALL THE FEATURES ARE SO PERFECT', SHE SAID. SHE ALSO FOUND ALLEN, WHO WAS ACCUSED BY MIA FARROW OF MOLESTING THEIR 7 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HARD TO DRAW. 'IN THAT CASE, THERE WERE TWO FAMOUS PEOPLE', SHE SAID. 'YOU HAVE TO DRAW WITH A DEAD-ON LIKENESS. IF YOU MISS, IT'S PRETTY BAD.' WHAT MADE IT EASIER WAS THAT IT WAS A NON-JURY TRAIL, MEANING SHE COULD SIT UP CLOSE, IN THE JURY BOX. 'THERE ARE NO PROVISIONS FOR ARTISTS TO SIT', SHE SAID. CHURCH OFTEN OVERCAME SUCH OBSTACLES BECAUSE OF HER PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY, SHE SAID, CAPTURING IN HER MIND'S EYE THE DEFENDANTS' FEATURES THE MINUTE THEY WALKED INTO THE COURTROOM. CHURCH MADE HER OFFER OF A 'COMBINED PURCHASE AND GIFT' TO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, SAID SARA DUKE, CURATOR OF POPULAR AND APPLIED GRAPHIC ART. ALL HER DRAWINGS WILL COME OUT OF COPYRIGHT UPON HER DEATH, AT WHICH TIME HER WORK WILL BE ACCESSIBLE VIA COMPUTER, DUKE SAID. CHURCH SAID SHE WAS THRILLED TO BE GIVING HER WORKS TO THE LIBRARY. 'I CAN'T IMAGINE A BETTER HOME FOR MY WORK', SHE SAID. 'IT'S A CHALLENGE TO KEEP THEM ALL AND KEEP THEM WELL-PRESERVED.'