The temperatures are rising, and so are the creative juices of our talented members. I love hearing about works selected for in-person exhibitions and about extended gallery and museum hours. A couple of us were able to attend the silent auction and fundraiser for Glassell School of Art, and the school will have another reception in August. With any luck, art venues will be able to continue on this forward path, and we’ll be able to attend more in-person exhibitions and receptions. Heck, we might even get to see each other again!
As much as we yearn for in-person events, virtual hasn’t been all that bad for WiVLA this year. We’ve had some wonderful meetings. For those of you who were not able to attend our July meeting, you missed another fabulous speaker who spoke to us from her home in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Fortunately, we recorded the meeting, and it has been uploaded to our YouTube channel. If you were unable to attend the July meeting, I strongly encourage you to watch it as soon as you finish reading the newsletter. The link is at the end of our newsletter in the Meeting Highlight section.
Our juror for Awakening, Rosa Ana Orlando, has made her selections, and notifications will be sent out any day now. Although our exhibition will be virtual, we’re still looking forward to a great show. We proved during our virtual reception for the Compassion Collaboration that we don’t have to celebrate in person to have a good time! I look forward to hearing from our juror about her selections and her awards. Stay tuned for updates about the reception and show opening.
As we look forward to a time when we can meet again in person, your board is considering some changes for the coming year, but we want your input before we make any changes. Stay tuned for a short survey, and please respond so that we can do our best to satisfy our membership!
- Melody -
Help Wanted!
Secretary position open
If you’d like an opportunity to participate in the stimulating conversation that occurs during our board meetings, have I got a deal for you. We need an interim Secretary to serve out the remainder of 2021. Kay McStay has graciously filled this position as our acting Secretary since January, but she now needs to step down. However, she has assured me that she will help her replacement get acclimated in this temporary role. We have a great board and any new board member, even temporary, gives us an opportunity to hear a new perspective. All of our board meetings are virtual and recorded, so the secretary can also review the video. Who knows? You could have such a great time that you’ll want to stay on. If you have any questions, please contact me directly at lockemelody@gmail.com.
Announcing the annual November Literary Theme: Mask
by Ellen Seaton, Literary Co-Chair
Fall is coming and that means the WiVLA Annual Literary Reading is just around the corner. Every year in November we write essays, short stories, and poetry about a chosen topic. This year will be no different. The theme for this year’s annual literary extravaganza is Mask.
When was the last time you used the word mask when you weren’t referring to a global pandemic? Have you worn a mask lately that did not portend illness
and calamity? Think back.
Renee Victor defines herself as an urban interpretive painter and sculptor. She creates high-chroma modern landscapes that are derived from images taken in caves. Her work is seemingly set out to explore contrasts where dichotomies of graphic hard edges and fluid organic forms intersect. Hers is a space where the internal and external world conflate.
A Houston-based artist, she has exhibited in several local and state exhibition spaces, including the Houston Museum of African American Culture. In addition, she is a resident artist working with the Mini Murals civic art program with UP Art Studio. She will present her work in our upcoming August 17th member meeting. Social Media and Website Information:
Website: https://artistreneevictor.com/about
Instagram: @artistreneevictor
Mini Murals: https://minimurals.org/artist/renee-victor/
Meeting Schedule
6:00 - 6:20 pm Social Time and Board Announcements.
6:20 - 7:20 pm Presentation with Q & A.
7:20 - 7:30 pm Time permitting, Member announcements.
*Some meetings may run slightly off schedule due to the nature of the conversation.
Zoom Meeting Information
Due to Zoom's security suggestions, we will send out another email with the Zoom meeting information one day before the meeting. Be certain to look for it. If you need the meeting code, please send an email to newsletter@wivla.org to get the meeting code no later than 5:00 pm the day of the meeting.
If you need information on how to use Zoom before the meeting date, please use the links below:
Compassionate Houston featured three of our teams from our Compassion Collaboration during their Spring Event that occurred on June 15. Many of us were not able to attend but fortunately, they’re providing a second showing. If you’d like to attend the second livestream showing, click the RSVP link to receive the link.
Our November/December virtual gallery exhibition space is seeking one literary member and one visual member to participate. The deadline to submit your work is Thursday, October 14th. If you would like to learn about online exhibitions, this is a great opportunity to learn from our board. If you have any questions, please contact Marie Casamayor-Harvey, at visual@wivla.org.
Deadline for November: Thursday, October 14th.
To apply, click here.
Shirl Riccetti
Art has always been a staple in my life; its presence began as early as grammar school. In my high school years, I designed posters for local businesses. This informed my decision to study commercial art, and I went on to receive a degree in Fine Art. In later years the posters and my love of hand lettering would lead me to study Chinese calligraphy and brush painting techniques in three separate classes. I was always seeking new methods to add to my creative repertoire. After calligraphy, I explored watercolor painting combined with pen work. I was enamored with the power of the line.
During my working years, I was fortunate that all of my “jobs” were related to my love of learning and art. As a freelancer, I had many opportunities to showcase my talents; I illustrated brochures, created note cards, composed sales presentations, rendered furniture, performed printmaking, and taught demonstrations in contour drawing. In addition, I volunteered in my children’s schools, where I shared my drawing talents and love of storytelling.
Perhaps the most gratifying occupational hat I wore was teaching at CityArtWorks for eighteen years. This enrichment program focused on bringing art history to life for children; for me, it made all those years spent in dark lecture halls learning about dead white guys worthwhile. This opportunity of teaching a couple of times a week really invigorated my spirit. I loved researching and preparing my lessons. It was like I suddenly grew up and grew smart!
My professional art practice began through art-related organizations such as juried art shows, acceptance into a few galleries, and membership at Archway Gallery, where I have exhibited for over twenty years. In my fifties, I saw a little ad in Artist’s Magazine. Almost emptying out my business account, I went on a two-week workshop alone to Italy. I knew no one and spoke no Italian. The instructor posed a question to me, “Why aren’t you doing more pen work in your watercolors?” It was an incredible artistic shift for me. This trip was the beginning. I had met my artistic friends! I would travel to many different countries, all while drawing and sketching the scenes of daily life. Since then, I have filled eighteen spiral notebooks with pen drawings and commentaries. The power of my lines is ever-present on each page. My paintings grab moments in peoples’ lives. I want to invite my viewers to come into my paintings, to travel with me, to visit with the people. My sketchbooks are filled with notes that revive the weather, the sounds, the smells and of course the food!
For our August meeting, we welcomed Kai Coggin, an author of three full-length poetry collections PERISCOPE HEART (Swimming with Elephants 2014), WINGSPAN (Golden Dragonfly Press 2016), and INCANDESCENT (Sibling Rivalry Press 2019), as well as a spoken word album SILHOUETTE (2017). She is a queer woman of color who thinks Black lives matter, a teaching artist in poetry with the Arkansas Arts Council, and the host of the longest-running consecutive weekly open mic series in the country—Wednesday Night Poetry. Recently named “Best Poet in Arkansas” by the Arkansas Times, her fierce and powerful poetry has been nominated three times for The Pushcart Prize, as well as Bettering American Poetry 2015, and Best of the Net 2016 and 2018. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Cultural Weekly, Entropy, NELLE, Sinister Wisdom, Calamus Journal, Lavender Review, Luna Luna, Blue Heron Review, Yes, Poetry, and elsewhere. Coggin is Associate Editor at The Rise Up Review. She lives with her wife and their two adorable dogs in the valley of a small mountain in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas.
Paula Hammon had her piece, Sydney Waiting, juried into the Texas Photographic Society's 34th Annual Members Only Show. The exhibition will be held at the Amarillo Museum of Art from August 14 - October 10. The exhibition is also viewable online through their virtual gallery. To see the exhibition click the link provided, https://texasphoto.org/contests/MOS/34/selected/.
Gretchen McDaniel wanted to share how she was using part of her ECO Fund Grant to view Bisa Butler's exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. To learn more about the artist and her work visit, https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9324/bisa-butler-portraits.
Deborah Blumberg wrote in to share her latest articles. She states, "Periodic food recalls are inevitable, so it’s worth understanding the basics and know what to do if you think you’ve eaten a recalled product. My latest for the Paper Gown". https://thepapergown.zocdoc.com/what-to-know-about-eating-recalled-food/
Marie Casamayor-Harvey was juried into the Holocaust Museum Houston's exhibition, Withstand: Latinx Art in Times of Conflict. She has one piece in the physical exhibit and one piece in the virtual exhibit. The work will be on view until October 17, 2021. To learn more, please visit HMH's website.
Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton announced that tickets are now being sold for her stage play, The World's Intermission, on November 12 & 13 through the Society for Performing Arts at Jones Hall. To learn more, please visit SPA's website or Deborah's website.
Second Saturday. Open Studios at several buildings in the Sawyer Yards complex are back open. Please consider visiting as many of our members have studios in these facilities. For more information, please visit the Sawyer Yards website.
Whether you’re a professional craftsperson who needs to restock your studio supplies or a student looking to perfect new techniques, Jerry’s Artarama has all the tools, supplies, and expertise you need to make your project shine.
Art Supply is 7,500 square feet of fun, inspiration, and unlimited creative possibilities for artists, students, parents, and anyone who simply has the urge to create. It is family-owned and operated, and the proprietors can be found in the store ready to assist all customers.
Texas Art Supply has been a staple in the Houston community since it opened in the 1950’s. With the largest arts and crafts store in the nation, students, hobbyists, and professional creatives have access to over 60,000 products in their three locations. So, head on down, get inspired and see firsthand what Texas hospitality is all about.
Blick Art Materials is a family-owned retail and catalog art supply business. Established as a mail order business by Dick Blick in 1911 and purchased by Robert Metzenberg in 1947, it is one of the oldest and largest art materials suppliers in the United States, as well as a primary supplier of mail order art supplies.
We'd love to celebrate your good news. If you are interested in sharing, please send your items to newsletter@wivla.org. The deadline for inclusion in the next month's newsletter is the 20th. Thank you.
The temperatures are rising, and so are the creative juices of our talented members. I love hearing about works selected for in-person exhibitions and about extended gallery and museum hours. A couple of us were able to attend the silent auction and fundraiser for Glassell School of Art, and the school will have another reception in August. With any luck, art venues will be able to continue on this forward path, and we’ll be able to attend more in-person exhibitions and receptions. Heck, we might even get to see each other again!
Renee Victor defines herself as an urban interpretive painter and sculptor. She creates high-chroma modern landscapes that are derived from images taken in caves. Her work is seemingly set out to explore contrasts where dichotomies of graphic hard edges and fluid organic forms intersect. Hers is a space where the internal and external world conflate.
For our August meeting, we welcomed Kai Coggin, an author of three full-length poetry collections PERISCOPE HEART (Swimming with Elephants 2014), WINGSPAN (Golden Dragonfly Press 2016), and INCANDESCENT (Sibling Rivalry Press 2019), as well as a spoken word album SILHOUETTE (2017). She is a queer woman of color who thinks Black lives matter, a teaching artist in poetry with the Arkansas Arts Council, and the host of the longest-running consecutive weekly open mic series in the country—
