April, May and June 2017

While listening to Marcel Proust and Emile Zola's novels, I have been drawing and painting my commissions over the last few months.
The Brother with his Baby Sister are direct descendants of Mary Cassatt's brother Alexander. I found it quite an honor to portray Mary's relatives.

Brother with baby sister, graphite 16x20"

The Virgin of Guadalupe is very popular in San Antonio. This is the first time I painted her image.

Virgen of Guadalupe, watercolor on wood

Sham in his darker summer and lighter winter coat. I enjoyed painting this portrait. It started when the trees were bare and I kept thinking, I need to paint those black trees with a building. There was very little time to paint and before I knew it, spring had come and the trees were leafing out. Looking through the photographs I had taken of Sham, I found the right one with lots of bare branches.  I felt confident that Sham's owner would understand, so I began without consulting her. (It is the first time I took such a chance on a commission.) As it turned out, she likes it, too!

Sham, oil on canvas, 18x24"

In June and July, my art will be exhibited at the Courtyard Cafe at 7600 Eckhert Rd in San Antonio (till July 31st). The reception will be on June 23rd from 4 till 6pm. It will be followed by BillyRay Sheppard Jazz duo from 7 till 10pm. The Courtyard Cafe has gluten free and vegetarian options.
I hope some of my local supporters can make it.

Have a great summer!

Feb/March 2017

The exhibit at Viva Vegeria closed at the end of February. It went very well: 12 originals were sold! The documentary at the art opening was fascinating, introducing us to women many of whom we had never heard about. Thank you to my family and friends who came despite the weather! Thank you, Fred for your support of artists!

In March, my art is at Twin Sisters Bakery and Café in Alamo Heights and Four Kings in Universal City. Whimsical cats are on display in Twin Sisters and landscapes in oil and watercolor in Four Kings.

Mission Conception Cat, watercolor, 11x18"

Orange Eyes or Connections, watercolor, 9x12"

Mission Espada Cat, watercolor, 11x15"

West Elm in the Quarry gives me space for a pop-up table on weekends. Due to the high volume of commissions, I will be there only one day every other weekend; the next one will probably be Saturday, March 18th from 11 till 3.
 The Say Sí exhibit is going on till the 24th. I have the pencil portrait of Belle in it. It is just great to see so many small scale works together.

Belle, graphite, 7.5x10"

Proust's À la Recherche du Temps Perdu is what I am listening to right now, and it got me motivated to look through my old work. Yesterday, I was asked how I got started with my whimsical cats.

When I was a teenager, I told all my secrets to my kitty Murik (Moerik), and I did a drawing of her.

Murik, First Whimsical Cat

In 2006,  I pulled out the old drawing for inspiration,  added color, and a landscape to the new version. I have been experimenting with the old model ever since, giving the little kid in me all the freedom it wants.

Sold at Twin Sisters so far:

the Orange Alamo Cat, watercolor, 8x9"

Blossoms Tortoise Cat, Thistle Alamo Cat and Siamese Cherry Blossoms, watercolor, 2x3"
Of the three, Blossoms Tortoise and Thistle Alamo sold.

Andy, the Warhol Cat, watercolor, 3x5"
the warhol cats are inspired by Andy Warhol's cats drawings

January 2017

This month I have mostly been busy with icons, my exhibit at Viva Vegeria and my portrait commissions. I also interviewed a San Antonio established artist, Steven DaLuz (stevendaluz.com). It was very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed the interview.
 I found time to finish An Evening at Caddo Lake. It is such a magic, peaceful place, I hope to be able to go there again.

Evening at Caddo Lake, 18x20", oil on canvas

Viva Vegeria in San Antonio is showcasing my art, especially the icons, and showing a documentary about women in history, some well known, others much less, on Saturday, Feb 4th from 6:30 till 9:30 with snacks and a cash bar. There will be a drawing for a free icon, I am painting one just for the occasion. See the event calendar of Viva Vegeria on Facebook.

My first 2017 icon White Lady of Vladimir.

White Lady of Vladimir, 5x7"watercolor on paper

Some  other icons from the exhibit:
I find Russian Icon is not well named, the Virgin Mary looks Chinese to me now and reminds me a a Persian miniature. I didn't see that when I painted it two years ago!

Russian Icon, 5x7",watercolor on paper

Our Lady of Vladimir Modern got the name because I didn't treat the clothing of the child traditionally (with folds). The child looks much older as well, but that, as far as the facial features are concerned, is in keeping with the tradition, not when it comes to the size, however.

Our Lady of Vladimir Modern, 5x7", watercolor on paper

The Korsun Mother of God is painted on wood. That is the way I first started painting icons, when I was a teenager and I still like the way the transparent colors look on the wood, especially on birch, pine and bass. The only problem is that I don't treat the wood and over time the wood can damage the painting. I have had a few icons painted like that for over 30 years, only in one the image is severely damaged. I am looking into experimenting with coating the wood first.

Korsun Mother of God, 3x5", watercolor

Sending you blessings and protection! Have a great month! I hope to see some of my local supporters on February 4th.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It is already Christmas, time is flying. Wishing you Happy Holidays and a very Happy 2017!


2016 has been a good year with work sold for SARA Sanctuary, a successful art show at home and new commissions, as well as some work sold in Waring. My "Water 2" watercolor made it into the Syracuse Cultural Workers' Datebook for 2017. (I have one more datebook left for $12.50. Let me know if you want it.)

Juan and Son, oil on canvas, 16x20" 

Cindy'sFamily, oil on canvas 12x16"

Juan and Son and Cindy's Family were my end of year commissions in oil. I learned from them and found them interesting and rewarding. In Juan and Son the lighting was tricky and in Cindy's Family the smaller size canvas made the faces difficult.

Brother and Sister, graphite, 11x14" 

In my new series of people I meet, this sister and her brother came to the gallery when I was working. Belle I saw in the garden of the McNay Museum.

Brother and Sister and Belle brought their own challenges which I enjoyed. Belle came into the world while I couldn't stop listening to "Belle" from Notre Dame de Paris.




My first commission in the new year is the portrait of a mustang called Sham.

Belle, graphite, 7x11"

My art exhibit in Viva Vegeria started Dec 1st and will go till the end of Feb 2017. The reception will be on Friday Jan 27th and will coincide with a documentary about Frida Kahlo. I am looking forward to it and hope to see some of you there. (10% of all sales will go to SARA Sanctuary.)

SARA's Goat, watercolor, 5x7"

I hope you all have a wonderful new year!

Autumn 2016

Dear Friends,
The art show was a great success! Thanks to everybody who came to the show! We enjoyed having you! Thank you for making the time! Thank you for the gifts you brought, thank you for the cards, prints and originals you bought and thank you for trusting me with the commissions. Seven originals sold and I now have eight commissions, mostly portraits in oil. I am happily back at work painting which I so enjoy.

Ingrid before the Train to Crystal City, graphite 2016

Ingrid's portrait was drawn because of a talk about the book the Train to Crystal City and a competition. When Jan Jarboe Russell talked about her book at Barnes and Noble last spring, I had not read it. I was there because of friends, but I was impressed with what Jan said. It was a sad subject, though, and I thought I would read the book someday, preferring happy tales. In Houston a few weeks later, I was told to enter the Holocaust Museum exhibit by a gallery owner I respect. The title of the exhibit was Man's Inhumanity to Mankind. Only I had no idea what to submit. All of a sudden it occurred to me to do a pencil portrait of one of the heroines in the book, I remembered being interested in the old photographs. I got permission and contact information and read the book. I felt a connection to Ingrid and got a photograph to work from. The drawing wasn't selected, but Ingrid's daughter bought it and is happy with it. It won a ribbon for her and her family, she said.

Holocaust, oil on canvas, 30 x 40", 2016

Holocaust was the painting that most people talked about at our art show. I painted the dead oak tree onto an experimental canvas, after some glazing and a some touch ups here and there, it was ready. It was not selected for the Houston exhibit either. At the art show people saw women in the painting, which was fun, because I was not aware of it at all!
I am looking forward to visiting the exhibit at the Holocaust Museum this month.

Water 2, watercolor, 11 x 14"

My watercolor Water 2 was chosen to be included in the 2017 Syracuse Cultural Workers' Datebook! I am very excited about it!

I've got Wings, watercolor, 9x12", 2016

 My art is on display at
- the beautifully renovated River Art Gallery in La Villita
-Dr Robert Rodriguez' dental office on Blanco,
-Munch on and Beyond on Wetmore,
all three in San Antonio, TX

It can also be seen at:
- the Art Center for the Islands in Port Aransas, TX
- Yellow Rose Gallery of Fine Art in Rockport, TX


On October 29th I will do a demo and show my art in Waring, TX
In December 2016 my art will be hanging at Viva Vegeria in San Antonio, TX

There is more information on our art show and the datebook on facebook at www.facebook.com/verasartblog/
My website is still at www.verasart.com

June July 2016

On Aug 28th 2016, in the afternoon, I am having an Art Show  of recent paintings and drawings at my home. If you are in the San Antonio area, let me know if you can come.

 Blue Retama portrays the Palo Verde (or Retama tree) in our backyard. The landscape is part abstract, part imaginary, part West Texas.

 Roses and Morning Glories was painted in our garden. Sara's morning glories bloomed for months and were such a cheerful sight. They were bigger than I painted them. I didn't want to take away from the roses, which I had painted first and wanted to be the focal point.

Mother and Child is a graphite drawing done from a photograph which I took on a Saturday night at a very busy local restaurant, The Cove, where we were having dinner with good friends. Mothers and children is a subject dear to my heart.

April and May 2016

Kendra, pencil, 11x14"

Kendra, oil portrait 2015

 Kendra's pencil portrait is inspired by the work of Odilon Redon, who has profiles of women and flowers together in his beautiful spiritual paintings. I have wanted to draw and paint a profile  with flowers for a while. Merci, Simone C, de me prêter ton beau catalogue!
 I painted Kendra's portrait last year and I am not sure if my Redon inspired painting is going to be of her as well or not.( I do love the picture of her that her father took and which I have used for both this drawing and the painting.)

Esperanza, pencil, 11x14"

I met Esperanza a few years back and always wanted to use her photograph. This was not an easy drawing. I have struggled with it up till the very end, Now it is very dear to me. In a way it is a symbol of the Native people of San Antonio and South Texas who live their lives and do their work quietly and friendly and who are becoming ever more important to me.
 I did not use projection in either drawing. It seemed far better to see what would happen without it.

Both "Leopard Hide and Seek" and "Tribute to Tracy" found a home at the Friendraiser for SARA!

Leopard Hide and Seek

Tribute to Tracy

Thank you for reading my blog and supporting my art! The emails I get with each new blog are truly inspiring!
 Have a great summer!