News
A couple of years ago I was featured in Voyage Dallas.
A brand new online Magazine, Shoutout DFW, just interviewed me. I was contacted by Christian Peterson who wrote the first article in Voyage Dallas. She writes for the new sister publication Shoutout DFW.
Thank you so much Christian, Voyage Dallas and Shoutout DFW!
p.s. Click on the photos to take you to the articles.
My alma mater, Texas Christian University, featured an article on several TCU artists including yours truly for the Spring 2020 issue.
Showing some field notes in my home studio in McKinney
Trisha Spence wrote an intriguing article on how art can change your brain and your life. To read the article, click here.
Since my art show, High Desert Road Trip, was cancelled due to the Coronavirus, Trisha created a video via Zoom to show a few paintings that were slated for Abiquiu, New Mexico.
I confess I was a bit self conscious about how I sounded! But, what the heck!
Big appreciation to Trisha Spence for contacting me and including me in her wonderful article!
Delighted to announce my brand new art show in collaboration with my friend, Laurie Tuchel.
Last June, Laurie and I hit the road with our sketchbooks and paintbrushes. We were both delighted when the Abiquiu Inn asked us to have a month long show at the Galeria Arriba!
Our opening reception is April 4th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.
Why not go on our own road trip to the Land of Enchantment!
My dear friend, Joanie Stallo, who is a realtor contacted me to do a Pop Up Art Show in a luxury high rise in the Uptown area of Dallas. Of course I said, YES!
Hope to see you there!
Delighted to announce that the Colors of San Miguel de Allende has been selected for the Sixth Annual ArtSpace 111 Regional Exhibition!
Colors of San MIguel de Allende
This year’s art show was juried by Hilde Nelson, the Curatorial Assistant for Contemporary Art at the Dallas Museum of Art .
It has been a dream of mine to be selected for this highly competitive exhibition. Fifty nine paintings were accepted from 1300 submissions. I’m deeply honored.
The exhibition will be open June 22nd through July 20th with an opening reception on the evening of June 22nd from 5 - 8:30pm.
Hope you have a chance to visit this exhibition representing the breadth of creativity and contemporary artistic expression in Texas and the surrounding states .
ArtSpace 111 • 111 Hampton St. • Fort Worth, Texas 76102
You are cordially invited to my upcoming art show, Oaxaca Fiesta! This brand new series of paintings is inspired by a recent trip to Oaxaca. My time there was so rich with absorbing the colorful and festive culture of Oaxaca!
Jaguar Alebrieje
Festive colors, women dancing with baskets and imaginary creatures are some of the impressions I capture.
Spanish Colonial Architecture
Friday, September 21, 2018 • 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Saturday, September 22, 2018 • 4:00 to 9:00 PM
Sunday, September 23, 2018 • 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Monday, September 24, 2018 • By Appointment
Artist Presentation both nights at 7:30 PM
The Cove • 402 N. Tennessee St. • McKinney, Texas
Mezcal Margarita
Hope to see you there!!
It all still seems like a dream. Spending ten days in the cultural wonderland of Oaxaca was like going down an artisan rabbit hole.
It all began when a friend notified me that there was an opening in Tracy Verdugo's Paint Mojo Art Retreat in Oaxaca. This was a bit of a miracle since her retreats sell out in 24 hours. I've taken two workshops with Tracy in Dallas, so I knew in a heartbeat that somehow, someway, I must go. As it turned out, myself and three dear friends ended up going on this remarkable journey together.
Tracy demonstrating
My alibrijes inspired jaguar and mark making
In case this is the first time you’ve ever heard of Oaxaca, you might be wondering how in the heck do you pronounce it. Let me help you out: WAH-ha-ka.
My group of friends from Texas plus two new friends.
We spent our days painting interspersed with meanderings through the cobblestone streets filled with colorful Spanish Colonial architecture. Dining at exquisite rooftop restaurants and exploring the artisan markets soon became second nature.
Taking a breather from one’s familiar environment and daily routine is one of the gifts of attending an art retreat, especially in a foreign country. Absorbing the sights, sensations, flora, colors, art, and handicrafts of Oaxaca spilled into our artwork. Tracy offers the perfect balance of allowing artistic freedom within her skillful guidance. All types of paintings emerged over the next few days from women with baskets on their heads to donkeys to expressive mark making to mermaids.
Oaxaca is known for their meticulously hand-painted wooden figures known as the alebrijes. One of our excursions was to San Martin Tilcajete where the alebrijes are made. It was fascinating to learn that the alebrijes represent one’s animal spirit guardian based on one’s birthday. I found out mine was a monkey. From natural dyes, to wood carving to painting by hand, it was fascinating to see the whole process. A jaguar alebrijes found its way into one of my paintings.
Alebrijes
After I returned home, I found out that the Abuelita character from the movie “Coco” was inspired by the Aunt of one of the owners of San Martin Tilcajete. I actually saw her in person and took a photo of her.
Aunt Estella aka Abuelita
Oaxaca is a paradise for weavers and textile lovers. Even though I’m not a weaver, I was captivated by to learn about this ancient craft. Artisan villages are located close to Oaxaca City and make a splendid day trip. Casa El Encanto, Teotitlan del Valle is known for its textiles, especially rugs, which are woven on hand-operated looms, from wool obtained from local sheep. These textile artisans work to preserve the use of plant and insect dyes.
Back Strap Weaving
Yarns made from natural dyes for rug weaving
A smaller group of us hired a private driver to take us to the UNESCO archaeological ruins in Mitla, then to the natural infinity pools that fall off a cliff at Hierve El Agua. We also stopped to see the widest tree in the world, El Arbol del Tule inside the gated churchyard in the picturesque town of Santa Maria del Tule.
Archaeological ruins in Mitla and Hierve El Agua
Back in Oaxaca City, the tours at The Ethnobotanical Garden focus on the cultural history of the region and are offered at certain times on certain days. I highly recommend going.
The Ethnobotanical Garden
Oaxaca is also a culinary mecca. A Mezcal margarita is a must. I especially loved the rooftop restaurants. Here are some of my favorites:
Casa Oaxaca has a fabulous view of Santo Domingo.
Tres Bistro has a terrific view of the Zocalo.
Vieja Lira is a chamring Italian restaurant. I ate their twice.
Los Danzantes doesn’t have a rooftop, but it has a lovely open courtyard setting.
Los Danzantes
Los Pilares Hotel is fantastic. I loved this place. A charming married couple own this beautiful place and you can tell they put their heart and soul into making your stay there a wonderful experience. I especially loved the rooftop restaurant and pool area.
Los Pilares Hotel
Tracy Verdugo offers workshops and retreats around the world. I know she will come back to Oaxaca one day, meanwhile your can check out her retreats in Bali and Europe. tracyverdugo.com
This Oaxaca experience has deeply influenced me. The images that I saw there are spontaneously popping up in my artwork. I’ve even chosen to make my experience of Oaxaca the inspiration for my next art show scheduled for September 21-23 at The Cove in McKinney, Texas. Hope to see you there!
Photo Credits: Silky Hart, Anya Oram and Tracy Verdugo.
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Rarely have I ever painted tiny pieces. When my friend, Wendolin Mercado, announced she was curating a Tiny Art Show, I decided why not give it a try. show. I will have nine paintings in this art show.
These two medicine men were inspired by masks I saw on a recent trip to Oaxaca.
Both of these tiny Medicine Men are acrylic on 3" x 3" wood panel.
This brand new oil and cold wax painting is 6" x 6" and will also be in the show.
Tiny Art Show curated by Wendolin Mercado
Art supplies will be provided so you can create your own tiny art!
June 15-16, 6 to 9 pm
The Cove, 402 N Tennessee St., McKinney, Texas 75019
Hope to see you there!
This Spring I saw a few Instagram Art Challenges focused on the face. Not everyone, but many artists find drawing and painting faces quite challenging. I include myself in this group.
I decided to spend some time on the dreaded face. I signed up for an online class called Wandering Muse by Jeanne Oliver. There is a section of this class devoted to experimenting with faces. Jeanne emphasizes that these are just studies. Just play and see what happens. And so I did.
Using charcoal, stabilo pencil, ink, gesso and watercolor pencils I took Jeanne's ideas as a starting place. Some were definitely better than others. With more practice I began to actually enjoy drawing faces.
I put the more successful ones up up on the wall. Seeing them altogether added another dimension.
The last two were my personal favorites. Since they were the same size, I experimented with putting half of one face over half of the other.
I posted a few of my faces on Instagram and Facebook. The response was truly surprising. I received several Private Messages of friends telling me how much they loved them. One friend drove from Dallas to see them in my home art studio. Another friend who owns a shop on the McKinney Square asked me to bring them up to her Shop.
I sold several originals including the two large faces to the Shop Owner. She may use a couple in her clothing designs.
My friend from Dallas loved the two half faces. I took them up to a local printer who professionally photographed them to make customized prints.
My big takeaway from this experience is the energy with which I approached these faces. I was experimenting and playing rather than trying to create a masterpiece. The result was something fresh and new.
Creating an art community offers many powerful benefits including, mutual support and encouragement, forging unseen collaborations, and fostering cross-fertilization of art forms.
My husband and I co-founded the McKinney Creative Community several years ago. Here is a bit about our journey and some tips for making your own creative community if you don't have one. I can't recommend this enough to give your local creative community some juice!
When my husband moved to McKinney, Texas from Austin, he was inspired to create a monthly potluck much like a highly successful one he loved in Austin. As it turns out, this desire was buzzing around for some other folks in McKinney too. So, the McKinney Creative Community was established.
The first year, a local writer generously opened up her home and lovely backyard as our meeting space. Then, we met in various homes for a couple of years which to be honest, was a bit of a pain to constantly have to organize. Next, a lovely workshop space was gifted to us by a local gardening store. Now, we meet at the local artist cooperative known as The Cove. This place is perfect. We pay a nominal fee each month.
My advice would be to find a place where it is the same place every month, as well as the same day and time. We always meet on Second Mondays from 5:30 to 8:30 pm.
What happens at our gatherings? It is a potluck, so everyone brings a dish. We also provide wine, tea and water. Upon arriving, folks mingle and partake in the potluck. Then, we sit in a circle and my husband moderates. Everyone introduce themselves, saying what they do and what is new and good in their life plus any announcements to share. He demonstrates by going first. He recommends that there be no cross talk. Otherwise, we might be there 'til two in the morning! If you have a question for someone, you can always go up to them after this part.
A new component of our gatherings is our speaker series. This was Leslee Ortega's brilliant idea. She spearheads organizing our speakers each month which has been highly successful. We've had writers, a musician, artists, a puppet maker, a creativity coach and this month an artisan baker will share her story.
Creativity Coach Jill Allison Bryan
After everyone has had a chance to speak, we chat and network some more. It is heart warming and inspiring to have a place where you feel supported. There have also been countless collaborations and friendships formed.
On more component is our annual Holiday Art Bazaar. In a way, this is our gift to the community. My husband and I, along with the amazing Andrea Holmes, organize this event. We team up with our local TUPPS Brewery and provide booth space to the artisan vendors. Each vendor has a six foot table for their handmade creations. It is held on the first Saturday of December. It is a fun and festive day!
Holiday Art Bazaar 2017
We have close to 1200 members on our Facebook page which is also a great resource to post events, workshops, classes or just to share your latest creation.
Hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration to create your own creative community.
