As most of you know, my wife Kathy has a hidden talent which she discovered almost exactly 2 years ago. She took a 4 month hiatus last summer to care for her mother so she truly has less than 2 years’ experience yet her work is now approaching national if not international quality. Below (attached) is her latest work. “Viola” is a friend of Spanish descent who is now 84 years old and the “character” to prove it. If you can, please enlarge the image to see the intricate detail Kathy has captured.
The plan now is for this work to be entered into two national and international pastel competitions. She will be competing with “Masters” of the medium on their turf and not as a “student.” Kathy won a “3rd in show” earlier this year in the Austin Pastel Society with a pet portrait of “Ari” after only 7 months of practice, this against many professional full time and longtime artists. I wrote to you earlier this year and wondered where she might be in 2 or 3 years’ time, I guess I now know!
I must say that when she first told me she was going to an art class two years ago, I figured “oh great, when she comes home I’ll have to say ‘that’s beautiful honey’…” no matter what it looked like. Her progression is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before in any sport, intellectual endeavor, music or art EVER! I am amazed with each new piece she does and I now chuckle as she says, “I’m not sure I can do this one” before starting each piece. The absolute most amazing thing is she has only thrown one piece out before finishing because it was above her pay grade at the time. She tried to do the Ka’anapali coastline with only 3 months experience at “yours truly’s” urging. Anyone who has painted before knows that “never” throwing out a work in progress is almost an impossibility.
All I can say is that I couldn’t be more proud of a child who qualified for the Olympics! I am so lucky to have such a beautiful and talented wife who paints in the style of realism. After reading my work for all this time, can you imagine what my marriage would be like if Kathy painted some sort of impressionist or worse, abstract art? I have always said “it is what it is” and that is exactly how she paints …how cool! I hope you enjoy and appreciate Kathy’s latest work.
Cool, I couldn’t take a picture that nice with a Nikon!
thanks Joe, she has a God given talent.
She is very talented, Bill. Congratulations!
yes she is, thank you Craig.
Quite impressive! Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until her 70s, so it’s never too late to find our talents.
thanks Matt, Kathy is still a spring chicken.
Oooo. Good. Really good. Masterfully done. Shall I keep going? This kind of quality is rarely achieved. This is God-given stuff…
thanks Jimmy, I will pass this along to her.
That’s awesome Bill. Natural talent.
and never even had a desire to paint before.
Beautiful portrait of “Viola”! Kathy is very talented. I know; I also painted portraits. The summer of 1962 after my freshman year at college I worked drawing portraits at Six Flags in Arlington, Texas. Chalk “sketches” priced at $3.50 for profiles (about 30 minutes) and $7.50 full face (sitting about 1 hour). I was thrilled to make so much money! Also got great practice drawing hundreds of different types of people!
However, one of my favorite memories was turning in my “change bag” at the end of each day. The nickels, dimes and quarters were emptied into big round tubs that swept them into a sorter which dumped out wrapped rolls of that great pre-’65 silver.
A couple of years later, I remember coming home and seeing my Dad and grandmother sitting at the kitchen table separating out dimes and quarters and rolling them! Being a “smart” college kid, I thought it was ridiculous because the silver quarters bought the same amount of gas (1 gallon) as the new ones! Nowadays the silver quarters still buy a gallon of gas! I was lucky enough to inherit some of that. And I got to witness “Gresham’s Law” up close and for real.
To see some contemporary realistic portraits which are receiving major praise in the art world, also big bucks for the artist, Kathy should google Kehinde Wiley and click on images. It’s a real inspiration!
thanks WW, by saving those quarters you did get “paid” for your work. I will tell Kathy about Kehinde Wiley.
Magnificent. I’d buy that!
she is doing commissioned works now.
Kudos for the way you speak about your wife Bill. You’re an example of how we should love and respect our wives.
mark in Victoria
thank you Mark, I guess you could tell I am in love with her?
Thanks for sharing Bill. It’s nice to be distracted with the beautiful things in life from time to time. You are a blessed man.
thanks Al, yes I am!
WOW! Her work needs to be in art galleries.
she has shown in several so far.
Bill, I was looking again at Kathy’s excellent draftsmanship on the embroidery of Viola’s dress and realized that was what made me think of Kehinde’s work. He paints a profusion of flowers or other patterns as backgrounds to his work. Another trick he uses is to pose his subjects in classical poses from Old Masters paintings. Like this from Rubens Three Graces.
http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/recognize/images/02-07_full.jpg
http://seco.glendale.edu/~rkibler/raphaelthreegraces.html Kathy should paint you in your white Stetson! And please post it here.
yes thanks WW, Kathy has already gone to his website to admire his work. He paints in oil which is much easier to get the details than with pastels. Her next portrait is of an African American so seeing his work has given her ideas for “lighting” which Kehinde is so good at. Her very first portrait over a year ago was of me in my black felt. I came out quite good but nowhere near as good or detailed as this last one. Her teacher is studied in the style of the Masters and this is what Kathy is now working towards. Thanks again.
That is fantastic. Well done Kathy. It looks s good as a 10 ounce bar of gold. Thanks for Sharing Bill.
funny you should say that, that’s about what she would charge for a full length portrait …and I’m sure she would accept ounces.
hopefully you took that as a compliment, that was the intent.
yes of course I did, gold is a beautiful metal …I was trying to be funny by saying she also accepts metal as payment. Sorry for the confusion Michael.
Just so happens that I have Diploma of fine arts from the national art school here in Sydney.
That is an excellent piece of technical realism.
It is not my type of art but I would be happy to commission her.
Bill,
This post reminds me of how many of us has had that “spark” to pursue something, only to have fears, doubts, etc. evaporate it. This really encouraged me my man!
Just caught ya on USAWatchdog- excellent. You a blessed man to have your wife (and not because she’s a phenomenal artist), enjoy the journey!!!
Kindest Regards
Bruce/Tampa
thanx for the kind words Bruce.
Meanwhile back in the unreal world it is almost the end of the month and guess what…the monthly MACD in Silver is negative!!
Not that I take much interest in tech indicators after all they can be back fitted to suit.
I just watch the price action once a day near the end.
Looks to me like silver is going lower still.
Bargains to be had for those who wait.
inappropriate to spam my wife’s article.
Sorry bill
After congratulating your wife on her excellent realism, I thought it appropriate to draw a comparison with the unreality of the silver market.
Artistic licence in an open forum, hardly Spam.
Beautiful detail best in future competitions
Hard to believe only a few years of developing this talent. Took me longer than that just to figure out that I had none.
beautiful landscapes in the DR!
Does not surprise me in the least.Anyone who can write as you do surely must be surrounded by other artists. Great art is truth and your writing works each week are truth. The world is a lie as the financial system, it is great people of truth like your wife’s art reflects that make this world worth being in! frank jeffries
5 years ago I couldn’t write a lick, 2 years ago my wife never had painted anything…now it’s a writer in love with an artist, how cool!
I find it incredible to just discover this talent that most people do not have in them. Did she doodle in the past? Did she draw at all? Just thinking maybe we all should start trying one new thing each year to see what our born gift really is. Going to havey kids try more things
Thanks bill
thanks Keith. No, she never doodled and did not like art class as a kid, never touched a pastel, paintbrush or anything until exactly 2 years ago. She took a 4 month break to care for her mother so she has well less than 2 years experience. Like I said, I’ve never seen anything at all like her natural talent in any sport, art, music or whatever. …truly incredible!
Waw. Beautiful. Please pass the message. I wish I had such talent, but I’m color blind (really). So – for me – better not to get involved in painting 😉
a shame you cannot see the color but glad you can see the detail.
Thank you for sharing your wife’s beautiful art. It is a touching portrait.
Thanks Deb.