Camelia

Winter painting:

Down-to-Earth

The newest news is that Earth Gallery in the Heights is now representing me. The owners, Mandy and Phillip Tague, are very personable, and it's a delight to work with them both. Though the gallery is young, the owners have a history on the Houston art scene. Phillip was the manager/curator for October Gallery before making the move to open his own place. The space is filled with a cohesive variety of art, from Chinese Silk Scrolls to a Norman Rockwell sketch to Murano Glass and French lithographs. One of the artists they represent recently gained international attention when he was named Russia's artist of the year, Yaber Sultanov.....I think that's the story. The gallery is in a great location, and Phillip is held in high regard within the Houston art community.

A few of my pieces will be a part of a group show on February 17th.

Sweetness

When I was a little girl, Miss Dortha gave me a giant coloring book, probably as a Christmas gift. It was filled with the outlines of young ladies in elaborate dresses. There was a lot of detail to color in, and for a while I was content. But to my recollection, I never finished even one of the pages in the coloring book. There was just too much detail, and I wasn't satisfied to color with a solid where a flower pattern was indicated.

Fast forward to today. There just isn't a lot of precise detail in my paintings. Instead of painting what I know is there, I paint what I see. So even if I know that something is physically there, if I can't see it, it doesn't get included in the painting. Also, I tend to leave out excessive patterns. My brain can't handle pattern overload.

An instance of painting what I see, and leaving out detail is evident in one of my newer paintings, Young Girl with Fan. Intellectually, I know that this young girl has blond hair. But when the sun light was shining in her hair, it looked like golden honey. And maybe her eyes aren't exactly that shade in real life, but the look in her eyes is just as sweet and true. What I really like, though, is the precious smile, most likely caused by the fact that she was the undivided center of attention of two teenage young ladies. How sweet and wonderful life is when we are priviledged enough to see true delight in the eyes of a child.

Fiesta Forever

Mexicans are very enthusiastic about life. Celebrations and festivals start with booming cannon fire way too early in the morning, and continue long into the night with sporadic, yet continuous fireworks. By the end of our week in Mexico this past summer, I was yelling, "Viva la revolución!" at each thunderous bang. (Though corrected for my ignorance of the actual date of the Mexican revolution, the loud booms naturally prompted my visceral response, especially considering that we were in Mexico, and my "command" of the Spanish language is limited to various, easy-to-learn phrases.)

Several charming evenings were spent on the rooftop terrace of our rented casa in San Miguel this past summer; telling stories, laughing, and watching the sun set. Just to the south, the view included the tree in the above painting. Maybe it was the cerveza, or the combination of loud and continuous fireworks with a cerveza, but this tree looks as if it celebrates all that is wonderful about Mexico. Hearty and firmly rooted in Mexican soil, it trembles in excitement as if a Mexican fiesta has exploded in it's branches.









Which is true....we also used the same tree for Joy's birthday piñata.

Harlequin Romance

The latest addition to my evening wardrobe are my very own harlequin designed Gap pajama pants. Only because of a conformity to societal norms am I choosing not to wear them all day every day.

Though clownish by nature, harlequin is and always has been one of my favorite designs. It is perhaps for this reason that Picasso remains in my top twenty artists. Picasso used the harlequin design in several of his paintings. In Harlequin with Glass, Picasso put himself in a harlequin costume surrounded by friends, or at least acquaintances at a cafe. It looks like he was heavily influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec with the rather cartoonish figures in the background. The painting is a departure from his more somber blue period with his addition of reds, yellows and greens with warmer tones of brown for a background.

Another painting of his with a harlequin design is Family of Saltimbanques. Even though the family members seem distant emotionally, the physical proximity of the figures, especially with the father holding his young daughter's hand, is altogether charming. Much has been written about the melancholy nature of the figures, but to me they seem content in each other's company.

Perhaps my favorite Picasso painting of all is Paul in a Clown Suit. The absolute command of his portrait abilities is reflected in the subtle expression on Paul's face. Masterfully drawn, the sketch like quality of the rest of the painting further emphasizes our focus on his son's face. We aren't distracted by frivolous lace or an ornate chair. We only see a father's love for his young son. Given Picasso's well-documented narcissism, it's pleasant to see a painting that demonstrates a love for someone besides himself.

Anchors Away

More often than not, we have dinner together as a family every night at 6:30. Reese and I started as a young family, and as we added daughters, the habit carried forward. This supper schedule kept us as sane as one can be in the middle of all the changes that happen as a family grows. It has been our anchor of courtesy and community as the Reese Hazel family.

The main thing we do for every meal, besides pray and hold hands before we begin, is everyone tells their favorite thing of the day. This way, everyone gets an opportunity to talk and be heard, and the conversation is kept positive.

As our daughters are growing up, and keep schedules of their own, a very small dilemma is taking place. Sometimes only one somebody is home. But to me it's important to keep on keeping on. So two or three of us sit together and share a story and a meal.

Yet, here I am tonight, it's 6:25, and I've fixed so much turkey tetrazini that it had to go in two different casserole dishes. And I'm the only one at home. It's not quite the same to tell my favorite thing of the day to the empty chairs around the table. Oh wait, I hear voices...someone unlocking the front door! They're home for dinner!

Mrs. Claus

One of the things that I like about my studio is that there are usually several paintings going at once. Leading up to the show, I spent a lot of the last month or so re-working around 20 paintings. Then I was so busy with preparing for Via Colori, and Thanksgiving...that it took me a little time to get settled back in the studio (which is our downstairs/guest/daughter Erin's bedroom.)

Now that I'm getting settled again, it's Christmas holiday, and time to paint gets squeezed around other family activities. Not that there's anything wrong with that....I love my family.

The point is that in the last two weeks, I have made tremendous strides toward several painting projects, though I'm still miles away from the finish line. OK, maybe yards instead of miles, but still several paintings are in the works. And with this busy season, there is conflict with the desire to paint versus the desire to be a good mom. But what does it mean to be a good mom? In this instance, part of it involves the whole Santa conundrum.

So with five, maybe six canvases ready to be worked on, I still need to remember the priority of being the Mrs. Santa Claus.

Red, White, and Blondie

Our alpha male white toy poodle, Skipper is head over heals in love with the at least four times his size Blondie, the Xoloitzquintle, or Mexican hairless dog who lives a few doors down. When Blondie's owner, Fran drops in, she usually brings Blondie with her, which absolutely thrills our little poodle. Skipper spends most of his time trying to become intimately acquainted with Blondie, which is endlessly annoying to my friend's pet. Skipper is completely undaunted with his one-sided devotion and admiration of the large mostly hairless Latin lady dog.

While painting yesterday, Fran and Blondie, so named for the few tufts of blond hair on her forehead, came over for a visit. A few minutes later, my friend, Deb also stopped by, but that's another story....We were all outside in the backyard enjoying the sunny weather and light refreshments when I noticed two big globs of red paint on my khaki trousers. No problem. People (and their pets) are more important than things, so I ignored the paint; there would be time to clean it later. That is, until Blondie, in a valiant effort to escape Skipper's advances, rubbed against my trouser leg. She ended up with red paint smeared all over the skin of her back. Fran sent me inside to change clothes before the mess spread to other random dog or body parts. Had the paint been on Skipper, it would have been a major ordeal to clean, but the paint on Blondie's skin cleaned right up with Dawn dish soap, water, and a little light scrubbing. Not too worse for wear, with more scrubbing and Dawn dish soap (Dawn takes grease "and oil based paint" out of your way), the khakis cleaned up, too.

Skipper is on pins and needles waiting for the next social call from Blondie. As I enjoy my companionship with Blondie's owner, Fran, I'm also looking forward to their next visit.

It's All Relative

Over the weekend, The Amazing Reese and I went to Austin to watch sweet daughter Erin graduate from UT.

Two Weeks Before Christmas....

'Twas two weeks before Christmas
and life was sure busy
with regular chores such as
feeding our Lizzy.

The stockings aren't hung
they are in a big box
with the other decorations
in the attic, perhaps?

The daughters were asked
to write a wish list
of which I've seen one,
the other three missed.

A nap would be lovely
this time of the year
maybe restoring
that lost Christmas cheer.

I look out the window
see the delivery truck
take presents to others
And I say, Oh,....look,

They remembered to order
their presents online,
It's all coming early
for those who plan fine.

But how can I shop
when there's painting to do
three canvases full
of red, green, and blue?

And yellow, and lavender
and orange in the sky
the mountain all swirly
and foreground sublime?

As I paint and I think
of house decorating
and shopping and cooking
and endless list making....

and laundry and sweeping
and all the leaf raking
and shopping again
and more Christmas baking...

The question I struggle
with everyday,
"Will this bring God glory
in any small way?"

Or is life just too busy
to slow down a bit
and visit the neighbor
who's kid just got sick?

Cottage Industry

My daughter, Anna added photos of her two latest house commissions to her website. Click on the title of this piece, or Anna Hazel Art at right to view her work.

Complimentary Complements

The American Heritage Dictionary says: "Complement and compliment, though quite distinct in meaning, are sometimes confused because of the context. Complement means 'something that completes or brings to perfection' : The antique silver was a complement to the beautifully set table. Compliment means 'an expression of courtesy or praise' : He gave his hostess a compliment on her beautifully set table.

I would say that a perfectly thoughtful compliment is the unparalleled complement to any conversation.

In the case of art, what this blog is about, there is such a thing as complementary colors. These colors are exact opposites on the color wheel. For instance, the opposite of red is green, therefore they are complementary colors.

In the newest painting in the works, I decided to paint the entire background basics in complementary colors. So far, the sky is a pale orange, the shrubbery is deep red, the tree is dark yellow, and the rest is a cross between tan and pale yellow. It looks pretty cool, and my daughter, Anna suggested that I work in solids for the whole piece. Maybe. When it dries, I can start working in the complementary colors to create the piece/painting that's already in my head. The complement of the sky will be a pale blue. There will be a variety of greens in the shrubbery. The tree's basic color scheme will be lavender, with violet blues (or blue violets) in the background. Some of the background colors will peek through on the finished piece.

But I just so happen to think that these colors will also be excessively polite to one another. "Oh, aren't your color variations stunning today?" "Oh no, not me, I insist that it's you who has the lovely hue."

The Art of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, what a concept. Gather friends and/or family for a mighty feast, and remember events from the past year for which we are grateful. No pressure, no stress....just thanks.

To paint pours vitality into my soul, and I am thankful.

Time is an amazing gift. May we all use it well.

And it's pretty wonderful to have dear ones in my life.

For what are you thankful?

A Square to Spare

Today's Via Colori sidewalk painting extravaganza was magical....and exhausting. Because it was such a public event, there was time to chat while painting. The most common questions were: 1. Have you ever done this before? answer--"no." 2. Would you do it again?...to which I answered, "Like having a baby, not any time soon." 3. Does your back hurt? answer--"I feel like Cro-Magnon man every time I try to stand upright." Ouch.

For inspiration, I copied my own painting, Arches at San Jose Mission-2, and worked almost non-stop from 10 in the morning until 6 in the evening. (Several people walking by recognized the mission!) Reese was my everlasting support.

Again, the event was to raise money for the Center for Hearing and Speech here in Houston. Over 100 local artists participated, with at least two "ringers" flown in from California.







100 square feet sponsored by Simmons and Company International!

Nick of Time

Last week Monday, we dropped the paintings off at the gallery. I came home to empty walls, and wasn't prepared for the onslaught of raw emotions that assaulted me. What had I done?

By Tuesday, David, the gallery owner had curated the exhibit, and everything looked great. He gave us a small tour, and wall after wall put the paintings in the best possible light, literally and figuratively. Toward the end of the walk through, he said, "I need one more painting for the show. Do you have one more small vertical painting for this wall?", and then he showed us a small wall that indeed could use a small painting. I mentioned a few paintings that I still had at home, and he said, "too big, wrong size, not right....do you have anything else? Can you paint something?"

Dumbly, I said, "Sure, no problem."

So right away, I went to the art supply store, bought an 8" x 10" canvas, stopped at the florist on the way home, bought some tulips, got home, set up a still life in my studio, and started a new painting. I say still life, but tulips are anything but still. They kept following the sun, and opening and closing, so that I finally had to just paint them in place. Painting that day and the next did wonders for my fragile psyche.

Every painting needs a frame, and bless his heart, when I agreed to paint another image, Reese also agreed to have it framed in time for the show on Thursday. We both got busy; me in the studio, and Reese in the garage with all his tools. Mind you, Reese made at least 50 frames for the show...not one accident. But making this tiny frame, he sliced off the end of his right index finger and fingernail. Lord, have mercy. He almost passed out on the kitchen floor.

We both finished our parts by 2 o'clock on Thursday afternoon, and when we got to the gallery at 6, handed the wet painting (and the haiku description card) to David Baquero, who put it in it's place. The end.

The Big Event

The gallery show went wonderfully well. There were a few glitches and things that we forgot, but nothing that made the evening less fun.

Starting at 6pm, or slightly before, we had a few people lining up outside the gallery waiting for the keys to arrive. For our part, earlier in the day we mentioned to the gallery owner that we would see him by 5:30, and he said not to worry...just show up at 6, that people don't usually come to galleries before 7. We had already communicated that several people had told us that they were going to stop by between work and supper, so I knew we would have a small crowd there early, and we did.

The crowd kept arriving. It was great to see everyone enjoying themselves. My friend, Michael Coker drove Elli and Erin in from Austin---sweet! Some of my youngest friends came; the Jonsson boys turned the evening into some sort of project to find the paintings in numerical/alphabetical order---very cute. A family who used to live in Jamaica recognized the beach scene before they saw the name of the painting. That was cool. Several people said that when they realized that all the description cards were in haiku, they went back through the exhibit and re-read everything and re-looked at all the paintings based on the haiku descriptions.

The one thing we didn't do was get pictures---bummer. If anyone has any photos of the evening, I would appreciate some copies.

The whole event was a whirlwind. Many thanks to all who attended. It truly made a special evening absolutely wonderful.

Driving Miss Crazy

Morning is my most sluggish time of the day. It takes a while to get my motor running, and then it needs another kick around 10:30 or so. Morning people must accomplish more things than I do....because my day drags until just before lunch. Of course, then it's time to actually eat lunch, which takes more time, so that my day really gets started at around 12:30.

This morning, I thought it would be a good idea to practice for next weekend's street painting extravaganza. Remember, I'm "painting" a ten foot by ten foot square in the middle of a street downtown, to raise money for the Center for Hearing and Speech.

Amazingly, I think I made it outside by 10-ish. Reese helped me mark off a giant square on our driveway, and I sketched and started working on an image that I thought would look great for the festival. Turns out that it was a big mess. So I washed off the first image, got out the leaf blower to dry the driveway, and got to work on a second image.

Good grief. It is so challenging. I, for the life of me, couldn't figure out proportions, even after Reese came inside and made a grid of the whole image. And I am worn out, and didn't even finish a one foot by one foot portion of the whole thing. And it's the afternoon....prime time, but I am out of gas.

Good Press

Here is a link to the article by Nick Keppler in the Night and Day section of the Houston Press.

The Amazing Reese

My husband is amazing. He's building all the frames for the show. As he finishes each frame, he frames each painting, and brings them back inside to hang on the walls. These frames have transformed the collection painting by painting, until it looks like we are living in an art gallery. His fine craftsmanship helps the eye focus on the painting, not the space around it. While they are absolutely perfect for the paintings, they might easily be overlooked. When you come to the show, and everything looks great, it will be in part because Reese has done such an outstanding job with the frames. He's putting the finishing touches on the last three frames today.

By the way, he also built the art studio website from scratch, and photographs all the paintings.

FROM BACKYARD TO BAQUERO

A very talented friend wrote this press release:

Local artist Sarah Hazel brings newfound vision and talent to local gallery

October 24, 2006 - Morningside Place - A couple of years ago, if one wanted to view Sarah Hazel’s painting prowess, their only option was standing in the backyard of her Morningside Place home. On November 9, from 6-9 p.m., however, the Baquero Gallery in Rice Village provides a more fitting venue to showcase her depiction of “beauty in ordinary moments” at the opening reception of her solo exhibit.

During Spring Break in 2004, Sarah and her four daughters scaled a portion of their roof to recreate masterpieces on the back of their house: van Gogh’s Starry Night, Paul Cezanne’s Big Trees, and Claude Monet’s Sailboats at Sea, Pourville, and water-lily series. (A house-painting budget dried up after contracting for the front of the house, leaving the back of the house bare). Sarah attributes this mammoth, hurricane-proof mural as an artistic awakening of sorts.

Two years later, with no formal training and only a portrait painting book purchased at nearby Half-Priced Books as a guide, the 42-year-old homemaker turned artist has produced over 85 oil paintings of which 45 will be on display in her show “Finding My Glasses.”

“My daughter, Anna, helped come up with the name (for the show). The title signifies this new vision I'm discovering through painting, this new way of looking at life,” explains Sarah. “I'm transforming from one phase of my life to a new phase of being a professional artist. I'm truly ‘finding my glasses.’”

“I’ve stumbled through life,” muses Sarah. “I’ve never had an interest in painting. Never had the desire at all. I took one class, brought home a sunflower still life, and my husband was so enthusiastic that he went out that weekend and bought me all the supplies I’d need.” Now when she paints, she “feels God’s pleasure” (can’t you hear the Chariots of Fire theme?)

Sarah describes her work as a fusion of post-impression and post-modern art. Her strokes are bold, the colors bright, while the paintings summon a “peaceful response.” Sarah’s collection of paintings varies from still lifes to portraits to landscapes, with no particular genre capturing a leading role. The common thread are the moments captured in each piece – ordinary life.

“There are years of ordinary events, especially for a wife, homemaker, and mother of four daughters,” explains Sarah. “My life was confined to ordinary moments, as most of our lives are: yet, in the midst of those, you can find beauty and be content with what God has given you.”

What Providence has now provided is a deep desire to create and a newfound talent to do so. If you miss her at Baquero, Sarah still might let you walk through her backyard gate and get a glimpse of where it all began.

A portion of Sarah's proceeds from the opening reception benefit Center for Student Missions (www.csm.org) a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the men, women, and children who reside in Houston’s urban centers.

Solo exhibit:
Finding My Glasses
Opening reception – Thursday, November 9, 6-9 p.m.
Baquero Gallery
5502 Chaucer
Houston, TX 77005

For more information:
http://sarahhazel.blogspot.com
www.sarahhazel.com

A Second Time

This morning was the second workshop for Via Colori, an upcoming street painting festival to benefit The Center for Hearing and Speech. Like before, we were given brief instruction, then went outside to a chalked off square to practice "painting." Between the last workshop and this, I have at least learned how to dress for the event....stretch jeans (to accommodate all the bending), a long undershirt (to cover the distance between the jeans and t-shirt as I bend over---think plumber), and a baseball hat to keep the sun and hair off my face.

Like before, the professional artist demonstration was overwhelming. The artists who fly around the country giving demonstrations usually paint in the tradition of Italian street painters, which would be very similar to Italian Renaissance paintings, such as a Michelangelo copy of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. I'm not kidding; one of the slide examples of a street painting that the workshop artist worked on recently was a copy of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Another intimidating factor in both workshops was the artists talking about how long it takes them to complete a street painting, which is here today, gone tomorrow. "Days, weeks, months, who knows?"* Will it really take that long?

The practice square for both events was two feet by two feet. The actual square size that I will paint in the event will be ten feet by ten feet. Gulp. That's a lot of ground to cover, literally.

One more thing to note as I look at the photo of today's art, it's likely to be difficult to get proper balance, colors, lights and darks when the size of the canvas (street) is so large, and I'm right on top of it. When I paint on actual canvas, I constantly walk back and forth to see how the painting is developing. With these street painting parameters, and the larger scale, and not being able to see it properly, well, it's just a different dynamic. Should be fun.

* Quote attributed to Eeyore

Thoughtless

What I should be doing right now is writing the description cards for each painting in the exhibit. Since they all developed through the use of my mind and hands, it stands to reason that I should have something eloquent to say about each of them. However, I sit here twiddling my opposable thumbs and can't think of a thing to write.

Houston+art=h'art

On the same night as the gallery opening reception, one of our favorite Houston organizations is having their annual fundraiser. Because we can't be there that evening, I've decided that ten percent of my proceeds from the opening reception will go to CSM Houston. "Center for Student Missions partners with existing local ministries to live out Jesus' call to feed the hungry, clothe the stranger, visit the sick, and reach out to the prisoner. CSM Houston focuses on serving the men, women, and children who reside in Houston’s urban center."

My four daughters have all participated in this program. They can now put names with the homeless faces we see in the streets everyday. They have served meals in soup kitchens, played games with children at community centers, and gotten dirty weeding a community garden.

The opportunities for influence continued long after the week of CSM was over. They have continued their service by tutoring Star of Hope children, organizing medical supplies, and have made lasting friendships. One young lady has come over several times for family meals, and to braid my daughter's hair. Another huge benefit from our daughters involvement is that we now know where all the good ethnic restaurants are. Jerk chicken and ginger beer.....yum!

In effect, CSM serves the city of Houston by helping a little bit with the many organizations designed to minister to the marginalized. Houston really is full of heart.

Icing on the Cake

It has been a great self-imposed trial to complete the paintings for the exhibit that is now less than a month away. Today I determined that I have enough finished works, and anything I get done from this point forward is icing on the cake. This is a HUGE relief.

The process required to get to this point has been rigorous, but delightful. Good thing I enjoy painting so much.

The invitations are in the mail. Not everyone who reads this will get a mailed invitation, but please know that I am extending my personal invitation. I would be pleased for you and your friends to attend.

Details on my website: Sarah Hazel

It Twirls

Part of our homework in preparation for the exhibit has been to visit other galleries. While we were there enjoying other Houston artists' works, we also studied these galleries and exhibits on a technical level. We looked at how pieces were curated, framed, promoted, priced, etc. Most galleries followed similar patterns, but all galleries have a unique personality.

G Gallery is stamped with the personality of Wayne Gilbert. Wayne is considered/called the "Godfather of Art" here in Houston. He knows everyone and even promotes other galleries/artists exhibits, not just his own. It was in this gallery where the newest addition to our personal art collection was found.

Called Leaf Mechanism 1, it's a bronze sculpture of two leaves "sewn" together and spinning on a turntable, as if blowing in the wind. The artist, Ketria Bastian Scott, took an old Victrola motor and built the sculpture on top of it on top of a wooden pedastal. The turnkey to work the mechanism is attached to the wooden pedastal. In the artist's words, "the look is soft and fragile, yet when bronzed, it changes to a symbol of endurance."