Today the air conditioning was still in a struggling mode, there was a bomb threat at the downtown courthouse, and finally a very suspicious package delivered to one of our lawyers on the square. With all the commotion and confusion on the square...the fire departments, sheriff and police departments plus homeland security professionals were all on special duty in the heat. Luckily nothing dangerous was found and the persons went home early so we had a very quiet afternoon in my steamy studio. I worked with a simply wonderful young artist who brought in a painting she previously had started in another program...and yet the colors appeared to be flat and well she was not satisfied. The composition was good and the subject was a bird in the branches on a grey day. We worked with watercolor pencils to make a study of a feather ... I had found several samples from a past issue of National Geographic magazine to choose from. Rachel has a delicate touch and a strong focus and I have to say her sketch gave her the skills she needed to transfer her marks to her brush strokes. She mixed the colors to add dimension to the subject ; the bird from her memory. Then I asked her if she felt brave today and she assured me she wanted to try to liven up the sky line and tree bark with further development of designs with tissue collage. Painting with bits of paper in a free flowing manner ...which she seemed to really enjoy this process. Then she added a luminous shimmer to this mixed media with iridescence to add the reflective quality she was working for. All in all two hours later ...despite the heat and humidity Rachel had transformed her painting. She is visiting her grand parents in Houston, TX next week so I asked her to check out the Houston Center fro Crafts and Arts and their wonderful museum if at all possible during her stay. I have a young man tomorrow and well just wait and see what we have planned!!! Enjoy Rachel's wonderful process and progress. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
p.s. Cassidy Limbach has a very colorful exhibit in mixed media canvases in the central gallery...check it out if you are downtown.
