Never thought of myself as an artist, and though I have been called many things, artist has not been one of them. Thao, on the other hand, is amazing with traditional oil paint. Always nice to catch her off guard in her studio.
Bluebonnet Forest
The art and stories of Thao
Reflections of Fall
There is always more to the world than a simple snapshot in time can capture. When I look at this one, I see my dear friend Dr. William Helms walking through the forest with his camera in hand. His picture inspired Thao to immortalize the early Colorado fall as nature bends the colors of the trees.
Hoisting the Colors
Thao likes to revise her work until she feels that she has got it right. The problem with that process is that it leads to works which will probably never be complete in her eyes. There is a variation of that process which involves creating a new version after declaring a work good enough. I like the second variation better since we get to enjoy two good works instead of one! To encourage that outcome, I keep an amply supply of blank canvases of all sizes on hand. Hoisting the Colors is a tribute to the magnificence of the sunset on St. Pete's shore, and it is perhaps a smaller version of Eventide. In many ways the same, and in many ways different. I'm wondering if there will be another.
Eventide
The evening comes to all of us at some point in time. It's usually a very personal thing. Sometimes feared. Sometimes accepted. But rarely do we see it through the eyes of grace and call it a thing of beauty.
Lowvelts of North America
Patience. Not always my virtue. The reflection of the light and the glossy finish say "this paint is not dry". A better picture could be found by waiting, but I've waited long enough. Oil paint dries slowly with time measured in days. Thao has always had a talent for vibrant sunsets. With each passing year her colors seem to get a little more vibrant, yet my camera skills cannot do it justice, even if I had more patience.
Saigon
There are some paintings on our walls that carry no price. This is one such painting. The place and time no longer exist. The image is familiar yet distant. To the casual observer the picture might come from any large old city at night, and that is the magic of this painting for me. It gives the imagination just a little push outside the place where it usually dwells and invites the observer to explore a late night in the streets of Saigon.
Not Quite Ready
Summer outlasted his invite this year. But Summer always eventually gives way to Fall or Winter. The temperatures have continued to slide for at least a few weeks, as the humidity and weekly rains continue to announce the change of season. Thanksgiving gatherings are on the minds of people. Planning for travels and guests. Extending invitations. Discussing places and events. But it's not quite here.
The cypress trees of the Guadalupe are not quite ready either. The plans are well formed and the intentions are clear. Just not quite ready.
Pasta Salad
Not everything in the Life of Thao revolves around paint. She certainly has an interest in good food and her daughter, and sometimes those two subjects are intermingled. This is one of those occasions. Thao says it has been years since she fixed this simple dish, although perhaps not all of us would think it simple. Yet simple it is, with ingredients easily found in the average American kitchen. The pasta is cooked to the desired consistency, then mixed with fresh vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, green onion, and parsley, followed by a sprinkling of black pepper and Wishbone Italian dressing and a dab of olive oil. This has been a favorite of her daughter.
A Few Traces of Texas
There is a well known artist, Nicolai Fechin, who was a Russian immigrant to the United States. His formative years in the former Soviet Union were a short period of time, the golden years, between the early 1900's and the reign of Stalin. A technique my wife learned from him was use of a pallet knife instead of a brush. One result is a textured coat of paint. Another result, for reasons that are not obvious, are vibrant colors. So this painting of Shady Oaks has been one of my favorites from the day that it emerged from Thao's studio.
Before going into Thao's more recent work in Colorado, this is one last featured image from the Texas gallery.
Rest after Work
It's the weekend! Time for relaxation and refreshment.