Jan/Feb 2015

 It has been a busy beginning of the New Year. For a change from portraits, I was working on my Bald Cypress River Scene and hoped to have it finished by the end of January. It took a little longer. There is a magic about Texas rivers. Two elements that fascinate me about them are the surprising colors of the water (the most beautiful green blues) and the trees found on their banks. I wanted this to be an Impressionist style landscape, only the trees would not cooperate... I was also thinking about a river scene by my friend and fellow artist, Cindy Morawski, (cindymorawski.blogspot.com) who a while ago beautifully portrayed the bald cypress at Garner State Park. I will ask her, if I can show you that particular painting next month.

Bald Cypress River Scene in Boerne, TX, oil on canvas, 30x40"

Till this week, I thought I needed to work some more on this gestural abstract done in class. Looking at it carefully, I finally realized that the painting was finished. The gestural technique was explained by Edward Povey and I mean to paint some more abstracts in the same way. It is very different from my other work and I found it liberating. It can be rotated, since I rotated it again and again when I was working on it.

Gestural Abstract, oil on canvas, 30x40"

My goal for this year is to have a portrait (or other) commission every month. I am painting an icon on commission right now and then a young woman's portrait.
If you know someone who would enjoy a portrait, or other work by me, let me know.
For prints and cards of my work, visit the River Art gallery in San Antonio or online http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/vera-smith.html?tab=artworkgalleries

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 My portrait commissions for 2014 are done. Rosalie's husband's picture taught me a lot. "Olivia's portrait" is my first children's portrait commission  in oils. I enjoyed making it.

Vuillard's interior scene

 "Denis and Vuillard" was a class assignment. We had to mix the colors of a particular Maurice Denis landscape and use just those exact colors and quantities in this Vuillard interior scene. It was a difficult exercise in which we learned a lot. I did give myself the liberty to simplify a little and  introduce trees in the scene at the end because they seemed to be missing.

Denis' landscape

November 2014, home again

Boris, HB graphite pencil on paper

I certainly had a wonderful trip. Thank you, friends and family! Now I am back home and ready to work. In addition to studying art in museums, I did a few watercolors and drawings in Europe. Here they are. The portraits are all from life not from photographs. The same is true of the watercolors.

Dimitri (final version), HB graphite pencil on paper

Léna, HB graphite pencil on paper

Sarah, HB graphite pencil on paper

"Cap d'Ail during the Storm" 9x12"watercolor

"Cap d'Ail after the Storm" 9x12"watercolor

October 2014

This month I am in Europe and had meant to write my blog before my departure. It was too busy and so I am writing to you from the Netherlands, where I am having a wonderful vacation, reconnecting with family and friends.
My second tree painting has slowly been coming into its own. I am not quite finished with it, but I want to show you what I have now.

"Yolande's Great Oak"

Yolande's Oak is named for my best friend from my teenage years. She is truly a great person. I always liked this live oak tree close to the college my son, Gerald, used to attend. One day I saw it in the mist. There are 2 ruined castles on the hills, inspired by ruins in France they stand for my attempt to unite my 2 lives, the old one in Europe and the new one. As the painting was progressing I understood that it was about memory loss and ultimately Alzheimer's. The lesson is to enjoy the  parts of the tree not altered by the mist. The mist itself gives us a sense of loneliness, isolation and unfamiliarity.

Yesterday I drew this drawing of my nephew, Dimitri. 

September events

I was slow getting this out.
  1) Today September 6th at the Universal City Library there is a silent chair-ity auction. Over 20 hand-painted chairs by local artists. I painted one of the chairs and enjoyed seeing what the other artists were doing. The chairs are truly beautiful and very different.
100 Northview
Universal City, TX
210-658-5941 ( Friends of the Library)

  2) I entered 2 watercolors in the River Art competition, they will be on display early next week at the River Art Gallery in La Villita, San Antonio, TX. Visitors to the gallery are encouraged to vote on the work they like best. The competition itself takes place in October.

  3) On Saturday September 13th some of my artwork and I will be under the trees at the Texas Treasures Gallery in Boerne TX from 4 to 8 pm.

  4) On Saturday Sept 20th Cindy Morawski and I will demo working with pastel (Cindy) and oil (Vera) at "Comfort Crockery" from 10 till 5 during the Hill Country Art Festival (formerly Artwalk) in Comfort TX, off I-10 north of Boerne

August News

 Some studies of different paint techniques: planes and blending for the face, little dips of color for the arm and washes and blending for the knee. They were all done fast and can be reworked.

Rosalie's portrait is my latest commission. Rosalie, who is herself an artist, started the painting a long time ago and wanted me to finish it by painting the face, throat, pearls and reworking the hair. I worked from an old photograph and borrowed a beautiful strand of pearls from my Dutch friend. Boy, were those pearls a challenge, I repainted them 3 times at least. It was worth it: Rosalie is happy with the result.
I am starting on Rosalie's husband's portrait soon.

If anyone has an old family photograph, he or she would like a portrait done from, I am accepting  2 commissions to be finished in time for Christmas. Of course the better the quality of the photograph the better the painting!


For my local supporters, I will be working at the River Art Gallery on Wednesday August 6th and will be at Texas Treasures "on the porch" in Boerne from 4 to 8 pm on Saturday August 9th.

Have a safe rest of the summer!

May 2014 (belated)

The first of my series of tree paintings is done. Its creation saw a challenge at every step of the way. I did so enjoy painting this 30 by 40" piece, however. The subject is a magnificent dead live oak tree standing in a field south of San Antonio. Live oak trees are beautiful trees that don't lose their small leaves till the new leaves start coming out in the spring, which happens so imperceptibly that you never get to see the tree without its foliage till it is dead. A lot of live oak trees have died from oak wilt in recent years. I do see beauty in them dead and alive. The strength and structure of this one were fascinating to me and the sunlight playing on the branches reminded me even more of a statue. The background was inspired by sketches I made in the car while Robert was driving through West Texas to New Mexico last year. I called the painting Scarlet's Live Oak, as I was listening to "Gone with the Wind" while I was painting and the tree's resilience reminded me of its strong, if unscrupulous heroine fighting to survive.

The photographs are of me and my work at Dr. R. Rodriguez's dental practice on Blanco Road in San Antonio.