FROM THE TEXAS BLACKLAND PRAIRIE TO THE COLORFUL SOUTHWEST

LUCY KHALEK

From the Blackland Prairie to the vibrant Southwest, my art is a celebration of place, memory and stories that have shaped me. 

Early works reflect my fascination with painting contrasty black and white temperas.  They were filled with chidhood scenes and memories of Dallas and Grand Prairie. Many were painted when I was about sixteen.  My easel was a kitchen wooden chair carried to the den and set up where I had better light from the big picture window.  Before the temperas, my sister and I sketched on any piece of paper we could find:  scraps, old stationery, a sketch book if we had one on hand. 

Once I discovered acrylics and canvas, color began to evolve.  Early inspirations were family car trips we used to take in the 1940s-1950s in our big maroon Packard.  Colors changed as we climbed into the high plains in the panhandle, passing Palo Duro Canyon and Amarillo.  When we crossed the New Mexico border, the colors intensified, until it seemed we were surrounded by an explosion of colors. Beautiful!

Over the years, joyful colors, abstract lines, form and fantasy began to appear on the canvas and paper. I know I am holding the brush or pen, but feel like a spectator, watching a pattern evolve. Many pictures, whether abstract or not, have a bit of whimsy or humor in them, too. Can't help it!...like the Wabi Sabi,Texas Style, a bluebonnet in a cherished imperfect mug, a take on the serene wabi sabi style. (But it just wasn't finished until an ant was crawling in the lower right-hand corner!)