THE IMPRESSIONISTS

MASTER PAINTINGS FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

JUNE 29 - NOVEMBER 2

We saw this show at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Yes we drove to Fort Worth, and we stood in the longest line in the world because we waited to the second to last weekend to see it...but hey it was easier than going to see these works when they go back home to Chicago (although Chicago would have been more fun!)

In Pursuit of the Masters: Stories from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection

September 20, 2008 – January 4, 2009

To mark its 5th anniversary, the Nasher Sculpture Center will mount an exhibition in celebration of its founders. In Pursuit of the Masters: Stories from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection presents a personalized and intimate view of the Nasher Collection and the couple that assembled it.

• My husband John and I went to see this exhibit last week. I strongly recommend it not only because it features works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin, Andy Warhol and many more, but you will also gain an understanding of the impact the Nashers have made on the world of art collecting and on the city of Dallas...not to mention the beautiful sculpture garden!

Some of the outstanding features to me were the Nasher's collection of works by Alberto Giacometti and of course my favorite piece in the Nasher collection, Hammering Man by Jonathan Borofsky (pictured to the right). This work has special meaning for me; as a little girl my mother and I would take special trips to North Park Mall and have lunch at the Little Mermaid Cafe in Neiman Marcus. Borofsky's Hammering Men are familiar figures to anyone who frequents North Park, I adored them as a child and do to this day. But you must see them in person to get the full effect, moving parts and all.

Magnolia (18'' x 24'')

My last apartment in Uptown had magnolia trees all around it and they really inspired this painting.

Waterlilies (18'' x 24'')

I loved doing this painting so much, I want to do a larger version.

Village on a Hillside (8'' x 10'')

This is a view of a village in Italy. I wish we had cypress trees in Texas!

Poppies (36'' x 36'')

Tuscan Afternoon (18'' x 20'')

I painted this one afternoon when I was reminiscing the time I spent in Chianti and Florence, Italy.

Orange Juicer (24'' x 24'')

Morning Coffee (18'' x 24'')

I painted this one shortly after college graduation.

Blue Chairs (48'' x 48'')

This painting was a challenge. It was the largest oil painting I had done up to this point and was reworked a couple of times. I love the outcome, and I enjoy it everytime I visit my mother's house (she refuses to part with it).

Peppers (36'' x 36'')

Still Life (20'' x 24'')

This was a fun little Cezanne inspired still life.

Peaches (36'' x 36'')

This is one of my favorite paintings I have ever done. I really enjoyed painting it, I felt like it flowed out of me and never felt overworked.

Lemons and Limes (17'' x 11'')

I did this lithograph along the same time is was doing fruit oil paintings.

Two Apples (24'' x 24'')

This painting came very naturally after doing the small fruit studies. I wanted to use only true primary and secondary colors. For me the two overlapping apples are like two souls who are different but some how linked to one another.

Fruit Studies (12'' x 12'' each)

These studies were done consecutively and I really focused on using vibrant colors and heavy texture of the paint.

Still Life (24'' x 36'')

This is one of the first still life oil paintings I did. I painted it in an impressionistic style that was a great learning experience.