Shades of Grey

Handout

Yesterday was the first time that nude model David came to our class to pose. He was great! I enjoyed the freshness of the different poses, and he was still (like an apple.)

"Like an apple" reminds me of how hungry I was. Class starts at 1 o'clock and usually I'm pretty well fed before getting there. But the coffee bean supply at home was depleted as were some art supplies, so before class I ran a few errands. During the first break, I went to the vending machine (yuck--not recommended) to buy some snacks. While at the vending machine buying Chex Mix and M&M's, a man in our class, Camron, also buying snacks, spoke up. He said,

"Your daughter really helped me understand how to draw faces when we were in lab on Friday. She told me (?--blah blah) and it was like a breakthrough moment for me. Now I'm drawing faces better than I ever have."

It's great to see others appreciate how wonderful Anna is. Without Anna in that class, I would be muddling through. Not only is she delightful, but extremely helpful. She has a way of explaining things in a patient understandable way. She's a natural.

The focus of this class was on how to draw hands. I followed along well enough with the instruction this week, making sure to concentrate from the beginning. Patrick talked about the palm of the hand being like a 4 inch by 4 inch by 1 inch box, with an attached turkey leg (the thumb,) and four fingers made of balls and ovals. That visual word picture helped with the practice hand, but when it came time to sketch during the pose, trying to remember that "formula" held me back a little. Patrick also was talking about the techniques of how to do what and which tools to use. During classroom intermission, I asked if he would please explain what he meant(?), as this class (not this class specifically, but the general life-drawing class) was the first time I have used pastels/chalk. He said something about erasers and vine charcoal, and something else. Hmm, better ask Anna about all that, too.

Good grief, the music in class was driving me nuts! After what seemed like an eternity of horrible music, the theme from Hawaii 5O came on and energized the atmosphere....then Wipeout and at least 4 more surf music songs. Anna was at the easel next to me, and it was obvious that she was enjoying the surf music, too. She and I both started dancing in place. Even my hands were drawing to the surf beat. Imagine that.





(Chex Mix-75 cents. M&M's-60 cents. Minty gum to freshen breath after vending machine snack-50 cents. Not being hungry in class-priceless.)

Four-Play

While Patrick was demonstrating the correct proportions for drawing a person's head, I was completely distracted by the skeleton he had up front. Half listening, I started sketching the skeleton's head.


Then I realized that I was missing the ins and outs of what goes where proportionally, eyes in relation to the ears and such, and switched the brain to really trying to pay attention to the words coming out of Patrick's mouth. It was one of those Charlie Brown moments, though. Remember when the Peanuts gang is in school, and the teacher talks?

"Wah wah wah wah wah wah."

When I have a hard time hearing someone, I focus on the movement of their mouth. That way I can concentrate on the words as they are formed, and therefore (at least theoretically) hear what is being said a little better. (It does help sometimes.) But I was also distracted by trying to draw what Patrick was demonstrating. Not only do I have to focus on his mouth to hear him, I have to concentrate on his hands as they are drawing. My attention was additionally diverted when some VIPs came to observe our class for a few minutes. At least it was a non-nude demonstration at that point.

Time to practice what Patrick preached. These last two sketches are of Frederick, well, Frederick's head.

During the remaining few minutes of class, we turned our easels inward and Patrick critiqued our favorite 20 minute sketch. My favorite was the one with Fredrick looking left. It had been more sketchy, but Patrick suggested softening some of the lines and blending the "skin tones."



Hmmm, maybe I should do the same thing on the sketch with Fredrick looking right, too.

Lab Blog

In Friday's lab, we get to do whatever we want---no instruction/no restrictions. The idea is to practice all of the different techniques we have studied thus far. Patrick wants us to understand light, medium, and dark values and translate that in a believable way on our paper.

This week, I was again impressed with Martha as she posed for us. She is an absolute professional. There was a point during one of her poses when she started coughing. After the little fit, she regained her composure without a fault. There must have still been a scratch in her throat because while sketching her face, I saw a tear roll down her cheek.

She sits like an apple. It's so much easier to draw when someone sits (or stands) without changing position.

Have We Met?

Reese was my date last Tuesday. We went to see the "Masterpieces of French Painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art:1800 - 1920" exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. There was a lot to see (over 130 works), and it was crowded, and we were tired. We're still tired. We were both a little under the weather, and I think it dampened our thorough enjoyment of the exhibit. Such a privilege as Houston is the only US venue to host this exhibit, and yet we felt blah.

One time Hilary and Joy convinced Reese and me to take them to a midnight showing of a movie that we likely would have enjoyed more during daylight hours. As it was, we were too exhausted to appreciate anything about the movie.

Going to see the Met exhibit was almost an exact duplicate of that movie experience. Had we felt chipper, our reaction might have been more glowing. Our encounter with the paintings was an example of high expectations combined with feeling unwell which produced less than enthusiastic results. We stayed just under an hour, and were both ready to go at the end.

It was enough time to see the reality of some paintings that I have only seen in books. For instance, a Degas ballet scene painting, "The Dancing Class"... was tiny, almost miniature. And the thickness of the paint on one of Cezanne's portraits was almost overwhelming. Interesting, too, to see Jean-Francois Millet paintings knowing that Van Gogh held him in high regard and re-interpreted some of his work.

Through no fault of it's own, the Met exhibit didn't leave a good first impression (so to speak.) Some day soon, I plan to return to be re-introduced under better circumstances and better health.

Eccentric

What defines an eccentric?

A few days ago on Laurie's blog, I saw that she had sorted all of her books by color, and I thought,

"That makes perfect sense. Why didn't I think of that?"

So now, almost all of the books in our house are sorted by color. It seems normal enough, but my family has teased me mercilessly. Honestly, haven't you always wanted a color co-ordinated library? As a visual learner, books are much easier to find based on color (for me.) Why not arrange the books in an aesthetically pleasing way?

Reese was fumbling around in the living room, and I heard him say,

"I know my bible is brown, but it's not in the brown books section. Where is it?"

"Of course, it's not in the brown books section. It's in the bible box."

Peaceful

Martha was relaxed. Only a few people showed up for lab. Martha has an unconcerned way about her, and the class was at ease.....very tranquil. Having forgot my apron today, I ended up entirely messy. Hmmm....I should go change.

It's quiet at home, too. Hilary went to Galveston all day yesterday, and neglected to apply sunscreen everywhere. Being fair-skinned, she ended up with a rather awful sunburn. She is having a personal experience of restrained suffering. And Joy likely has bronchitis, and though slightly active, is leisurely sluggish.

The cool, still, grey weather outside matches the subdued atmosphere in our home. Maybe I can get some painting done this afternoon.

A Fast-Flying Cloud

It's been weeks since the opportunity to paint has presented itself. Between art class and lab two days a week, and the Earth Gallery show, and company, then Reese's mom passing away.....it's been virtually impossible to carve out time for painting.

Life....and death crowds in; and time creeps, marches, and then speeds past.

Here's a verse by William Knox. I've left out the middle of the poem, which can be read in it's entirety by clicking on the link.


Oh! why should the spirit of mortal be proud?
Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud
A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave
He passeth from life to his rest in the grave.

The leaves of the oak and the willow shall fade,
Be scattered around, and together be laid;
And the young and the old, and the low and the high,
Shall moulder to dust, and together shall lie.

'Tis the wink of an eye -- 'tis the draught of a breath--
From the blossom of health to the paleness of death,
From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud:--
Oh! why should the spirit of mortal be proud?

Meet Martha

This is Martha in her last pose of the day. She was sitting in a chair with her legs crossed and one hand in her lap. Every now and then, she would comment on something, another class or the coldness of the room. She has beautiful eyes, and I wanted to try to capture "her look," but she kept looking at different things. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Honestly, I don't mind. It adds to the excitement of drawing from life. Finally I caught Martha with her eyes closed.

This sketch does not do justice to Martha's natural beauty. Looking at it, I can see some "mistakes" and where I should have added more detail. To be fair, it is only a sketch and is not meant to be a finished drawing. Hopefully my brain will start processing all aspects of life drawing, so that I can quickly and effectively communicate what I want to say---on paper or canvas.

Paul Cezanne once said to Ambroise Vollard, who was posing for him,

"You must sit like an apple. Whoever saw an apple fidget?"

And later to the same man,

"You wretch! You've spoiled the pose. Do I have to tell you again you must sit like an apple? Does an apple move?"

All of our models wiggle a bit. Sometimes they cough or have an itch. Sometimes the pose is harder to hold than they thought and they drop it temporarily. I can't tell you how many times that I've looked at the model, drawn a line or curve, and looked back and the pose is slightly different. Or maybe I'm not standing in the same place as before and my view has changed. If all of our models "sat" like an apple, then it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

Alexey and Me

Here's a story I haven't told, yet. It's a little longer than I usually write, but another one of life's delightful curiosities. Three months ago right before the Via Colori fundraiser for The Center for Hearing and Speech, the Center hosted an artist reception. All the artists and a guest met the night or so before the event over drinks, appetizers, and door prizes, as we collected our supplies for the big street painting festival.

As Reese and I were leaving, we introduced ourselves to a young man who appeared a little confused. He was a Russian named Alexey and had a very strong accent. He needed a little assistance regarding the directions and instructions in our artist packets.

On the morning of the event, guess who's square was right across from ours? Alexey! Throughout the day we visited, ate lunch together, and exchanged contact information. During our conversations, we discovered that he had studied sculpture in Russia.

That same day there was an art crawl around town. In Houston, once or twice a year, lots of galleries and studios open their doors to the public, and people go from space to space to see what the art community is producing. Reese happened to know of a particular space where there was some sculpture displayed. So after a while, Reese took our new friend Alexey on a short art tour---Houston style. Everyone who met Alexey treated him like a rock star. Think about it....Russian artist? He must be amazing.

A few days later, we celebrated my 43rd birthday at the Continental Club, and Alexey and his wife, Marsha, and daughter, Barbara joined us. We had some good times groovin' and dancing to the rocking sounds of The El Orbits.

Not too long after that, Marsha, who is a studio member of the Houston Grand Opera, invited us to see a performance of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. It was fascinating. The opera performers were dressed in some amazing giant puppet costumes. It was surreal; not only wonderful to listen, but riveting to watch. One reviewer described it "as listening to music with your eyes."

Then when I was presenting my portfolio for review for admission to Glassell School of Art, there was Alexey! It was like seeing an old friend. He also was presenting his portfolio to enroll at Glassell.

A coupe of weekends ago, he came to the Earth Gallery reception. There he cautioned me not to be too distracted by the life drawing class because he didn't want academics to interfere with the relaxed way that I paint. He likened my style to an impetuous freedom, or something like that. It was noisy in the gallery, and his accent is strong, but that's fairly accurate.

We planned on meeting at Glassell last week, but the door to his class said NO UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY and some lady gave me the stink eye when I approached the door.

Yesterday, I received a phone call during one of our model breaks. It was Alexey. He had noticed that our class was on break and wondered if I would like a tour of the studio he gets to use through the school. So we toured and talked and arranged to meet after my class at The Menil Collection. He was very excited to show me the Robert Rauschenberg: Cardboards and Related Pieces exhibit. We walked around together discussing all the pieces. Well, Alexey did most of the discussing. Not only did he talk about balance and rhythm, he talked about the influence of this artist on art worldwide. Even though his English is not perfect, has a poetic and passionate way of describing art. It must be the Russian in him.

To me, our time together felt like what I have read happened during the Impressionist period in Europe. Artists studied, painted, drank together, and shared hopes and dreams. They were friends and comrades, just like Alexey and me.

Figuring It Out

One thing that Patrick keeps repeating over and over in class is the importance of the gesture, which means reserving the territory in which the drawing will sit. This is slowly starting to seep into my brain. What this really means is conceptualizing your drawing before beginning, and then following through and putting one's idea in the space on the paper/canvas. Every week it's a struggle to decide what to put in the space on the paper. I want to practice all of it....the angles, the face, the hands, the twists and turns of arms and legs....but it's unreasonable to think that drawing everything all the time would continually engage the viewer.

The original reason for me taking life drawing classes was to learn to draw the human figure well. At home in my studio, it's unfair to ask people to sit and pose when I'm unsure of the direction a painting will take. Every one's life is valuable, and if I am unclear on how to draw someone, why waste their time?

But instead, this class is forcing me to quickly assess a focal point for a drawing. Having only a few minutes to compose and draw from life is scarily thrilling. As much as I really want to practice drawing the human figure, I'm finding that it's secondary to having good composition. But then I wonder if good composition matters if the figure isn't drawn well....

Quick Draw

One thing we did in Wednesday's class was "contour drawing." We drew the model's contour/shape in a continuous line without looking at our paper. It's a bit trippy to see the results---very modern. I like it and might try to incorporate this technique in a future painting. Wednesday's model was Frederick. He definitely spends time in the gym.


Friday's model was Kristina. I think she knew full well that from my vantage point, the pose was going to be difficult to capture. She's leaning back on her elbows in a reclining position with her legs crossed. My easel was at the tip of her toes. Kristina looked straight at me right after she set the timer, and laughed.









The last pose of every class so far has been twenty minutes. Right now, while still learning the quick draw (gesture), I'm also experimenting with the variety of color in the pastel box. With oil paints, one can mix endlessly to get an exact shade for a precise purpose. With pastels, the color palette is limited, but not necessarily restrictive. It has hampered me a little bit to use pastels, but also the restraints of matching shades exactly must be abandoned. Therefore, the juxtaposition of colors becomes a delightful exercise.

Finding My Glasses....Again

As usual, we forgot the camera on Saturday night for the gallery opening, so no pics. We also forgot business cards...oh, well. Other than those things, the opening reception went wonderfully well. All the artists had friends and supporters attend on their behalf. It was great to see such a cross section of art and a variety of friends. The one constant was that no one was there who didn't want to be there, so everyone had a great time.

After the last show in November at Baquero Gallery, I went out and got a new pair of glasses. They are soooo much more comfortable than my old pair. Even so, at times I take them off and leave them places, especially if people are taking my picture. Someone was taking photos Saturday night. Because there is always a glare when I leave my glasses on for a photo, and because I'm vain, I took them off. Eventually, as Reese was walking by, I slipped them into his top jacket pocket....only Reese didn't know that I had put them there.

As we were getting ready to leave at the very end of the evening, I patted Reese's blazer pocket to make sure my glasses were there. They weren't. So I asked him if he put them somewhere else (?) thinking,

"No biggie."

But they were no where to be found, and Reese was adamant that I had NOT put them in his pocket. We couldn't find them anywhere. It was too late and we were much too tired so we went home.

After church on Sunday, and after The Chinese New Years celebration, we headed back to the gallery to look for my glasses. There they were, twisted, lens popped out, and smushed in the dirt outside the back door of the gallery. Reese had helped Mandy take out the garbage the night before and they must have slipped out of his pocket. And since he wasn't aware that he needed to keep a watchful eye out for them being that he was totally unaware that they were in his jacket pocket, they had disappeared into the blackness of the night.

One of today's chores is to get them re-adjusted.

All's well that ends well.

Chinese Lasagna

The most curious thing happened today.... We went to a neighbor's house for a Chinese New Year celebration. That's not the whole story.

Walking in, Wayne (our neighbor) put the dot on our forehead, you know, the third eye. Groovy.

Then we visited with a Chinese guy named Reno something....a Chinese Italian, that is. His son Nikko had two different colored eyes, one brown, and one green. I think Reno must have been the one who brought the Chinese lasagna. Have you ever had Chinese lasagna? I think not.

Then I met Jack, Wayne's older-by-18-years brother. Jack is an old salt who has lived on a boat for the last 20 years in the Florida Keys. He is here on an extended stay with his brother while undergoing treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Even after his latest, almost final chemotherapy treatment, he still has a full head of long grey hair and a full grizzly beard.

Making my way back indoors after eating my Chinese lasagna, I ran into a woman I instantly recognized. I said,

"I know you! You're Martha!"

Martha was our model in Friday's life drawing lab. Martha was our model in Friday's life drawing lab!!!! (just in case you didn't catch that the first time)

I was delighted, stunned, flabbergasted, thrilled...all of the above. I went back outside and told Reese that MarthawasatthesamepartyandIdrewheronFridayandshewasanudemodelinourlastclass. This drew an immediate, albeit small crowd as I started explaining the beauty of Martha; her regal poses, how much I enjoyed drawing her, the fun of drawing that line from where a woman's arm connects to her body and the curve as it flows around her breast, then gliding along the curve of her waist and hips....the small crowd was spellbound, perhaps as stunned as I had been, that I was talking in flowing language (with hand gestures) about the nude curves of another woman's body.

The first question Jack asked when people stopped blinking at me and my nude model illustration was,

"Well, do you think she'll give us a demonstration right here in the back yard?"

When Martha posed for us, she was awesome. Her voice is husky, and she has an easy smoker's laugh. She was quick to put us at ease by making small random comments. But when it came time, she was all business. She struck a pose and that was it. All of the sudden there were this beauty....absolutely beautiful pose. She looked like a Roman statue, only she was flesh and blood. My sketches don't do justice to her form. Maybe by the next time she poses I'll do a better job of capturing the essence of all things Martha.

My Funny Valentine

Since yesterday was Anna's Valentine birthday, and there was a place available, I sat next to her in our life drawing class. During one of the model breaks, the teacher, Patrick Palmer came over and asked,

"So, how are you two related?"

"Mother--daughter."

Anna has been an artist for almost all of her life. When she was almost three she drew a picture for me that I still have on the refrigerator. It has faded a bit and the edges are browned, but for a three year old, it's an incredible piece of art. Her interest in art continued as she grew. Anna's determination, sense of perspective, and patience with details has yielded some delightful artwork over the years. She still possesses all of those qualities and she still produces wonderful art.

In class, at some point, Patrick has us walk around and look at what our fellow classmates are drawing. Even though we are all sketching the same model, we all bring a unique take on the pose; plus we are standing in a circle around the model, so we all have a unique view. Often my favorite pose of the whole class is on Anna's easel. Maybe someday she'll let me share some of her sketches on this blog. In the meantime, you can see her house portraits by clicking the Anna Hazel Art link on the right.

It's been a tremendous blessing to be her mother, and an extra treat to be her friend.

The Trouble With Harry

Part of what we paid for in the life drawing class was the model fee. And part of what is included in the model fee is the opportunity to practice with the models in one or two labs offered later in the week. In today's lab, Harry was our model. I won't even tell you the first thing I noticed.

In the first class our model was Susan. Even though Susan was a thin woman, she was still nothing but curves and squiggles. Harry, on the other hand, was all lines and angles. It took me a while to intellectualize this. Duh. I had been trying to draw Harry the same way that I had drawn Susan. When I looked at and sketched Susan two days ago, my eyes would sweep over her entire body as I tried to capture the wholeness and beauty of her curves. It was almost a religious experience. But sketching Harry was different. Harry had no curves. It seemed more like an exercise, like doing pages and pages of math homework. It wasn't until the twelfth pose that I realized that this was why it wasn't clicking for me.

The four poses after that were much better because I started thinking about how to draw Harry with lines and angles instead of squiggles and curves. Even math can be beautiful.

Remember that we have 5 to 10, and sometimes 20 minutes to sketch each pose. Also, remember that this is only my second time to do this...the first time being two days ago. Go easy on me.

Butter Up

All the easels were set up when we got to class. Everyone else got there before me, even though I was on time. So, there were only two easels left. You know how sometimes when you are at a fundraising dinner, and the dinner guests around you don't seem to remember which butter plate belongs to them, and you end up not getting one? Well, there were two easels left, but no table to go with one of them, because someone had taken the other person's butter plate, so to speak. Therefore, I got the easel by the door as you walk in, which generally meant that for all the poses, I got Susan's (our model) back. Susan is a very thin woman.

We started out by doing scribble "gestures." Apparently, a gesture is a quick summary drawing reserving territory (on paper) in which the subject will sit. It's not designed to be accurate, per se, but rather give one a general idea how to build a painting or drawing around a "gesture." I'm still not sure that I completely understand it myself...but it has something to do with "positive and negative" space. All of this art terminology is new to me. Back to scribbles....we scribbled the space of the model, then drew an outline of her body based on our scribbles.

The second gesture we did was ball and oval. Some guy back in the day, invented this concept of drawing a human figure based on balls and ovals. The head would be an oval, the neck a ball, the torso an oval, the shoulder a ball, arm an oval, elbow a ball....you get the idea. So we sketched the model in balls and ovals, then drew an outline around that.

The third type of gesture we learned today was the value gesture. A value gesture is basically coloring in the shape of the model, and then outlining that. Value gesture drawing was my favorite of the three types of gestures we learned today. I could see the shape more clearly, rather than drawing random lines in space on paper. I could see where to put the lines based on the shape or value of what I had sketched.

In between the fourth or fifth pose, students would walk aound and look at each other's sketches. These were my two favorite gestures of the day.

Small Gesture

It's always a treat to have the house full. As you may or may not know, my studio doubles as Erin's bedroom and the guest room. With Grace staying with us, I moved out of the studio for the week. This is a mixed blessing. For one thing, it has postponed likely frustration with the background of a painting in the works. The painting in question is something that I sketched months ago, started painting last week, and then cleared out of the studio. Just as well. Even looking at it now, I have no idea how to complete this painting.

Another thing...it has given me some time to catch up on art reading, though not enough. As a largely heretofore self trained artist, I absolutely rely on art magazines, art how-to books, and art coffee table books. I have my favorites, and these are always good refreshers for looking at technique.

And lastly, I've begun a life drawing class. The first class was just preliminary introductions and supply list stuff....next week the *nude model* comes to pose. It's called gesture poses. The model holds a pose for 30 minutes or so while we draw. Good grief. I just hope it's not one of my neighbors. Awkward. And I also hope that I don't get the business end of the male model. Ew. I don't want a sketchbook full of that. This will be my gesture if I do get that pose.....


Oh, dear.

Did I mention that I'm taking this class with my 20 year old (on Valentines day) daughter? That part was an accident, honestly. She had signed up for the same class at a different time, and then changed her schedule. I just hope it's not too weird for either one of us.

Chinese Grace

For the next week, we are hosting a Chinese student as part of an exchange program between Lamar High School (where two of our daughters go) and Dalian, China. When Grace (her American name) first came home with us, we asked her what she wanted to do or see while she was in Houston. She said,

"Museums."

How absolutely perfect....I immediately started taking a mental inventory of some favorite museum collections here in town. Time is not an abundant commodity while Grace is here. If at all possible, several stops should be on a list for all Houstonians and visitors alike.

Our first stop on Saturday was the The Byzantine Chapel at the The Menil Collection. This is probably my favorite place in all of Houston, besides my own home. The Menils redeemed fragile frescos from the black market and designed a small museum around their preservation. The chapel is stunning in it's simple beauty and is always a place of peace and calm.

And then a most amazing thing happened at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston(MFAH) on Sunday. It just so happened to be family day, and the focus of the event was celebrating the Chinese New Year! We walked in to the beating of enormous Chinese drums chasing out demons of last year (presumably.) One drum had to be at least six feet in diameter and eight or nine feet deep---huge. I can't even describe the booming sound it made. There were also Chinese crafts for the kids to do, such as Chinese character writing. It was sweet to watch Grace; she was so excited to see something familiar.

After making our way through the museum's collections, we ended our jaunt strolling through the Sculpture Garden. The weather couldn't have been more perfect; crisp, cool, and clear.

Martha

Martha asked,

"Are you painting anything new, and can I come see?"

"Of course!" I answered.

We walked through the house to the studio and I showed my sweet friend Martha the newest painting. When most people come over to see the paintings, we spend a few minutes looking around, and then move to other topics of conversation. Assuming this was the drill, I pointed to the newest painting, then quickly moved to another painting when Martha said,

"Wait....I'm not finished looking at this one, yet."

She paused, thoughtfully considered the painting in front of her, and then proceeded to discuss the choice and use of color, the brushstrokes, the emotion of the painting, the style as compared to other paintings, the influence and growth.....it was amazing. There I was listening to a small lecture on my own painting(s), and I wasn't even the guest lecturer! She then moved on to talk about other paintings of mine and their similarities and differences. She had some specific theories concerning my use of color that I confirmed were basically true. What is so curious now looking back on it was that Martha was analyzing me through my paintings! Not that there's anything wrong with that, it was just a different and new experience.

The Tribe Report

Martin de Vore's column in Art Valet has the first mention of the group show at Earth Gallery of which I am a part. Click on the title to see the whole page. His preview below:


Sacred Spaces and Beauty of the Everyday

Aren't those kind of the same? Well, at least to a landscape painter. But maybe not to you. Judge for yourself. Come to Earth Gallery and check out their February Group Show on Saturday, February 17, from 6-9 p.m. Phillip Tague and Mandy Tague describe it this way: "When we can appreciate and see beauty in the everyday, we are making the most of the possibilities around us. When we create sacred spaces, we are healing and nurturing ... making the most of ourselves. This shows artist motivation and works are about Sacred Spaces and the Beauty of Everyday Life." Featuring the work of Sarah Hazel, Shirley Bianchi, Leslie Entsminger, Monique Weston and critically acclaimed Russian artist, Yaver Sultanov, the festivities concide with the new moon and eve of the Chinese New Year! Earth Gallery is located at 365 W. 19th Street in The Heights. For more information about Sacred Spaces and Beauty of the Everyday visit the Web site at http://www.earthgalleryonline.com or call (713) 880-2121.

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.