Professor Art Is Honored

Last night  the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Art in Spring, Texas, located north of Houston hosted a reception to celebrate their relationship with arts at the Lonestar College System. These "Dreamscapes" were created as memories of places once visited.

My work was featured as part of an on-going series of exhibitions devoted to the art faculties of the Lonestar College System.  Here I am with Vice Chancellor Rand Key and President Dr. Susan Karr of Lonestar College-Tomball. Also attending this special reception from the college were Vice President of Instruction Dr. Lee Ann Nutt and Dean of Humanities Jill Riethmayer. Thanks to all for your support of this exhibition.

There was quite a turn out. Many of my students past and present were in attendance. 

Some of my long term students: Susan Canter, Diane Tebbe (from my first classes), Mandy Hamilton, and Susan Norman.  They are part of the self named group  "Earl's Girls'." These women are among the many who have participated in my classes and gone on to win awards in area art exhibits. I am very proud of their accomplishments.

Rand Key speaks about the relationship of Lonestar College and Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts and the importance of the arts to the community. 

He then introduced Dr. Karr who talked about the college and my history there.

I had the opportunity to talk about my paintings and about teaching at Lonestar College-Tomball. Often "Art" is a subject about which folks know little, so my talk became a "classroom opportunity".  The audience was attentive and asked questions.

After my talk there are more questions and greetings.

A special shout out to Robert Boyd of The Great God Pan is Dead web blog for attending.

The Big Rock Candy Mountain

The Big Rock Candy Mountain 
48" x 60" acrylic on canvas 2009.

They watched him create this painting in class. He always paints in class because it gives his students a chance to see his creative process. He keeps his eye on what his students are doing while leaving them to pursue there own creative directions. They do not try to imitate him. It's alright if they do because this is a beginning class and we all start by imitating. He began his career with Van Gogh and Nolde and Gorky and many more. All art is evolved from other's: it is the artist's task to make their ancestors their own. His are apparent in all his work.
They asked, "Where do you come up with these images?"
"From years of memories, painting experience, knowledge of art history and the need to change and
evolve."
"Do you work from drawings"
"I draw as a form of thinking and these become paintings. They are a point of departure; generally I start from lines and shapes.  The source of my current paintings are the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico. I hike them in the summers."
"Why paint them so abstractly?"
He replied, "I began this abstract series in 2008 after spending 12 years learning to paint realistically, working from photographs that I had from my past, including hikes in the mountains. Painting realistically was a challenge for me to do what I had never done."
"You mean you were not taught to paint realistically?"

Waterfall #3 36" x 48" 2007

"No. In the 1950s, we were encouraged to be abstract nonrepresentational artists and the rules were tossed out. It was a fun time in "the art sandbox", but for me it was not satisfying. I discovered I was not  nonrepresentational; I liked to paint stories. I had to learn the rules on my own by studying art history, looking at paintings and teaching. And I shared studio space with an artist who was taught the basics and from whom I was willing to learn.
"In 2008, my inner muse told me that I had learned what I needed and I began again armed with my new knowledge."
They said, "This is a life long process."
"Yes" he said, "Better Start."