El Dia de los Muertos

The ''Day of the Dead'' (Día de los Muertos) or "All Souls Day" is celebrated in Mexico, the United States and Canada by Latin Americans. Gatherings of family and friends pray for and remember friends and family members who have passed on. The celebration occurs on November 1st, and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Families build private altars that honor the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. It is traditional to visit graves with these as gifts.


This month's theme at the Sava Art Gallery in San Antonio honors the tradition of the day of the dead. I submitted two paintings for this month's show. My first painting is called "Flying to Forever" and the the other one is called "It Comes..." but they don't really follow the traditional format of skulls and skeletons that you see during Dia de los Muertos. I chose to go momchromatic in the first painting and used vivid colors for the second. The medium was acrylic on canvas.

If you live in or near San Antonio, come visit the SAVA (San Antonio Visual Artists) Gallery at the River Center Mall next door to the Alamo!

Happy Halloween!

Babs the Studio Cat

My wife has been busy restoring her art studio at home so she can work in the comfort of air conditioning. When she goes to work at ArtCloth Studios on the other side of town, she has to leave early in the morning and return around noon because of the heat in their 3rd floor walk up studio.

She misses her two studio cats, Marshall and Pretty Girl, when she has to leave early, so our family cat, Babs, has "stepped up to the plate" and offered her services as the at home "studio cat." She loves to help "Mommy" create her fiber art pieces. Whether it is dipping her paws into fabric paint, laying on fabric and utensils or pulling pins out of Lisa's pin cushion...one at a time, Babs is there.

What a good kitty!

What is Art?

Art is in the eye of the beholder. I like to paint mysteries. My paintings are not well crafted pastoral scenes or majestic snow covered mountain peaks. I do not have that kind of talent. If you want a spectacular landscape, why not take a photograph?

When I see those works I can appreciate their beauty and the talent it took to create them, but they are... defined, familiar and comfortable and I move on. They rarely burn a hole in my head driving me to take a second look and wonder it's hidden meaning. That is where I enter the discussion. I like a good mystery. I invite second looks. What is it? WHAT IS IT!

It's art. It's experimental... art. Enjoy!