by Paula Fowler, Gallery Co-Director
The building was abuzz with the best kind of energy on Sunday, November 7. In the upstairs classroom area, a full house had gathered to see Daniela Werneck’s demo where she showed us how she layers as few as four colors on Aquabord and produces her award-winning paintings. And downstairs we were celebrating the grand opening of our new sales gallery that our Artist Liaison, Laura Mossman, so skillfully orchestrated and filled with many wonderful small paintings. It’s apparent as you stroll through the space that this is something that our members love having available. Be sure to check out how to add your own works.
After the demo, people filed down the stairs and filled the gallery to celebrate with the winners of our November show. The theme was general and that gave our artists an opportunity to enter whatever subject that had recently caught their interest. Fifty-nine paintings filled the walls and made it hard for our judge, Luiza Grandchamp, to make her decisions. Luiza charmed and educated us with her clear and intelligent assessments of her chosen winners. We owe her huge thanks for her time.
Luiza was born into an artistic family in Brazil, but has lived, worked, and studied in many countries. She has been living in the United States for the past 40 years and has been an educator for 30 years. She brings this multicultural experience to her students at The Kinkaid School, where she teaches art and ceramics and encourages her students to build bridges to students around the world. She received her BS in biology in Brazil, and after the birth of her two daughters, went to the University of Houston and earned another BA in metalsmithing, with a focus on ceramics and art history. Luiza has continued to develop her art skills through metalsmithing and jewelry design, creating her own jewelry company that sells her original designs. During the pandemic, she started an online course with Susan Giannantonio in watercolor and considers it her new passion.
If you couldn’t be at the reception in person, I hope you are able to stop by the gallery soon and see the show. Alternately, you can see all the images on our web page. I will now share with you Luiza’s own words about each of the winners.
First place- Lemons by Les McDonald Jr
“This watercolor is more than a simple still life of lemons because of the amazing mirror reflections on the silver bowl and the knife blade, which brings an artistic echo of the scene. The detailed texture and the folds of the cloth with shades are well executed. The values on the lemons make them fresh, real, and three-dimensional. This composition tells a story with the knife with drops, the cut lemons, and the mint leaves. “
Second Place - The Iris by Peihong Endris
“This landscape is peaceful and gorgeous! The foreground detail of the Iris allows the viewer to enter the picture. The middle ground adds a texture component with lines created by the trees that hold the viewer's interest. The first two layers lead the observer to the background of the mountain and the waterfall. The water flows transparent and beautiful through the three elements in harmony with the composition. Lights and darks dance in the picture with beauty. “
Third Place – Backgammon at the University Club by Bill Curtis
“I can smell the books, and I want to sit in the empty chair in the corner of the room to read one of the books. The horizontal and vertical lines in this composition imply stability and strength. The diagonal lines of the table and the smooth wood crop chair give a sense of tension. They divide the frame and draw the viewer's eye deeper into the room, where the books are on the shelves and the portrait on the wall. This composition is rich in textures and colors of the books, wood, carpet, chandelier, and walls. The artist captures the energy of the atmosphere of this room. “
Honorable Mentions
Morning South Fork by Mike Doan
“This painting is an interesting composition where whites have the lightest value, black is the darkest, and the values between these extremes is beautiful is composed of many middle grays. The positive and negative areas are well defined and create a sense of depth with many diagonal lines. “
Bayou Beauty by Alison Hendry
“This is a beautiful and simple composition. The lines which create a pattern in the moving and transparent water is well executed. The horizontal line of the bird's body, the long vertical neck and the diagonal of the head and beak, implies stability. The very small brushstrokes of the tiny feathers are incredible. Leaving a lot of negative space around the top of the subject makes this composition attractive. It creates a sense of simplicity and minimalism. “
Store Orchids by Maureen Lewis
“The vivid colors of those orchids make me happy just to look at them. One can find many kinds of texture and brush strokes throughout the petals of the flower. The eyes will move around and go back to the big flower on the top right. The dark background empowers the color contrast of the petals, which are crisp and give form to the orchids. “
Door by Tamara Kontrimas
“This simple composition of an ordinary door becomes a magnificent painting! Painting three different hardness, such as metal, wood, and cloth, is a challenging task, and it is beautifully executed. The fabric is depicted as soft with movement, especially where it is torn. The impressive delicate texture of the cloth has nine values of gray, and it draws in the viewer. The worn-out wood paint and the shiny metal create a nice contrast that pulls back and forth with the fabric. “
Special thanks this month go to our energetic and enthusiastic volunteers that made this show possible: Nancy McMillian, Karen Stopnicki, Patty Armstrong, Donna Rybiski, Irene Sheytman, Sally Hoyt and Laura Mossman. If you would like to help us hang one of our future shows, please let me know at gallerydirector@watercolorhouston.org.
We are now moving so rapidly into the holiday season. Be sure to read the prospectus for the December show and get your small paintings ready. You can enter up to six! We look forward to seeing your works adorn our gallery walls.
