LIVING WITH ART BLOG

Am I the only person whose mother gifted her with a thoughtful and elegant Easter Basket for almost 60 years? If not the only one, I bet I am in a very select category. From the time I was an infant, until she died, my Mother decided to make Easter my special holiday. When I was four, my basket contained a map of the backyard which led me to a live white Bunny Rabbit. Ms. Bunny and I immediately bonded. When I let her out of her specially made container, she would stay by my side. When I was with her I did not walk or run, I hopped...

Spring began strutting its stuff Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The air was still a bit crisp, but the light was amazing. While taking my dog for a walk, I felt like my body and soul were starting to emerge from their winter cocoon. Yesterday a friend sent me a pot of beautiful hydrangeas that were a kind of “Persian Melon” color that I have always associated with Spring...

As I watched the blanket of ice and snow outside my window changing colors throughout the day yesterday, it was difficult to believe that technically “white” is an absence of color. White, along with black, are not considered colors by those who study that sort of thing, but are believed to only be “shades.” The snow I watched certainly didn’t appear to be a “shade.” In fact, it seemed to me that new and brilliant colors surfaced almost every hour. The snow was and continues to present a luminous and glorious universe.

This week, the sons of a recently deceased patriarch invited me to visit his home to look and evaluate the art their father had acquired during his lifetime. The family, like most caring responsible families, needed information before they could responsibly dispose of his collection. They wanted to know the value of the objects which had been entrusted to them before distributing them to specific family members or having them sold in an estate sale. Bringing in an outsider was a good move on their part. Disposing of the possessions of a departed loved one can cause a lot of conflict. I know, because members of my own family of origin became estranged when my mother died...

This past Sunday, I was surprised and heartened to see a cartoon in the “Oklahoman” which depicted a teacher who decided to organize a field trip to an art Gallery for her elementary students. Upon entering the Gallery the teacher spots a painting she likes and says, “Look children, this is a nice one.” Her comments are immediately interrupted by the exhibiting artist, “Kletch,” who is lurking nearby, and says: “Nice? NICE” ???!!! Madam, you LOOK but you do not SEE!, I Kletch, as a Visionary, do not DO ‘NICE!..."

...I started thinking about all the trips we had taken together over the years; all the valuable information it had stored for me and how it was always happily available every hour of every day. Telling myself that it was only a machine and it could be replaced with a new laptop with more amenities didn’t make me feel any better. In fact, I became acutely aware that I was grieving the loss of an inanimate object...

Three things happened this week that have given me renewed optimism about finding a successful path to an interesting and vibrant future. First, a foundation board on which I have agreed to serve requested an updated biography. Drafting that summary reminded me of the long winding path my life has taken. It reminded me of the difficulties and challenges I had to overcome. Second, I received a fourth quarter earnings report from a banker I know on which he had handwritten, “I don’t know what normal is anymore, but I am looking forward..."

When I turned on the ignition in my car yesterday morning, the dash lit up with several indicator and warning lights including the “Check Engine Light,” “Low Engine Oil Light,” “Charging System Warning Light,” “Tire Pressure Warning Light,” and most frightening of all, a message I had never seen before: “See the Dealer.” Thoroughly panic stricken, I drove very slowly to Bob Howard Toyota in Edmond. Although the service attendant who checked me in was very reassuring, I could tell he was somewhat perplexed by the sheer number of symbols and warnings that had been activated. As requested, I went to the waiting room and started my daily routine of reading texts and emails and listening to voice messages. In about an hour or so a service attendant came out and asked me who had last put air in my tires. I told him that an employee had after my Tire Pressure Warning light had come on when the temperature dropped. The service attendant told me that instead of 38 pounds of air in each tire, my employee had put 80 pounds in each tire. Hence all lights became activated signaling that something was wrong. The attendant highly recommended that next time I have someone who knows more about cars than art manage the air in my tires.

Remember the song, “What a Difference a Day Makes?” Well 12 months can really make a difference. This time last year Oklahoma City was undergoing “the ice storm of the century.” The recent weather in Oklahoma City has been mild and quite beautiful. Nevertheless, when a neighbor reminded me of what we all went through this time last year, I decided to revisit “Ice Princess,” the Blog I wrote this time last year.

Over the past couple of months, I have noticed that almost everyone I talk with states that they are either tired or exhausted during the course of the conversation. The “tired conversation” began in earnest with the spread of Covid. The state of tiredness was an early symptom of Covid. Feeling extreme fatigue was diagnosed as a lingering symptom of long Covid. But recently the majority of my friends and business acquaintances have begun stating they are “exhausted.” I have also noticed that while I get physically tired during the day, with rest, that condition abates. But the feeling of exhaustion cannot be relieved by just resting. The exhaustion I experience is as mental and emotional as it is physical. My feelings of exhaustion seem to gain momentum when I have to make decisions. Consequently, I became curious about the increasing weight of decision making and started digging around a bit for probable causes. 

Last week, on my birthday, I stood in my living room and saluted the works of art and assortment of treasured books that have enriched my life over the years. Each of them triggers powerful memories. As I casually picked up a book about the artist, Georgia O’Keefe, a scrap of yellow paper with a handwritten message fell to the floor. In the note, written by my late husband John Belt, was the phrase “How wonderful life is when you’re in the world,” which he had borrowed from Elton John’s “Your Song.” Apparently, I hadn’t fully opened that particular book since John’s death in 2013. What a wonderful Birthday gift!...

Ever since I was a little girl and learned how to read, I have been fascinated with the idea of writing a novel. Over the years the content of my imaginary novels have stayed fluid, changing as my life has changed. It seems that anytime I have a bit of down time, I start writing a novel in my head.  But a few months ago I had “My Big Idea,” which consists of my writing a series of related historical fiction novels...

Karl Brenner, "Above Lemon Lake," Oil on Canvas, 14 x 18 in.

It was in the early 1970’s that I decided to gamble. Seriously gamble. At the suggestion and encouragement of a fellow Instructor at Tulsa Junior College, I applied for a summer job dealing Blackjack at Harrah’s Casino in Lake Tahoe. Growing up I didn't play cards, not even Old Maids, because, in my family of origin, gambling was considered a sin. So my decision to spend the summer being a card dealer meant that not only must I learn the house’s way of counting to 21 and acquire card handling skills, It meant I would also need a “good story” so as not to get any grief from my parents about my decision...

Gran Tourismo - Mango (TerraTrike)

This past weekend I visited my old stomping grounds in Arkansas. It would be an injustice to say that the area bordered by Fayetteville and Bentonville has changed since I was a lowly graduate student at the University of Arkansas and a fledgling teacher in both Bentonville and Rogers, Arkansas...

Throughout my life I found role models to help me understand what was possible, as well as what was appropriate in given situations. Of course my parents were my first role models. I admired and inherited qualities from both of them. Dad was intelligent, curious, opinionated, a bit driven and hard working. Mother was a loving, soft spoken, energetic, attractive woman who loved beautiful things. As a child I tried to act like my Dad and look like my mother. In fact, if I were to indulge in a little self analysis, that’s probably how I continue to behave...

Dorothy Moses

I was introduced to Dorothy Moses in 2000. I had just opened my first Art Gallery at 3003 Paseo Drive. It was a rather small space sandwiched between Claude Anderson’s Studio Blu and a much larger studio space where Mike Larson was creating his well known “Ballerina Mural” for the rotunda of the State Capitol. Dorothy was not the first or only person John brought to the Gallery, but the memory of our initial meeting was impactful and has stayed with me all these years. I knew she was an artist before John made the introduction...

Orange Crush by Aidan Danels

Among the gifts of the summer are art festivals. One of these highly anticipated events started this week in downtown Oklahoma City. Having canceled last year’s festival due to Covid, the Oklahoma City Arts Council is expecting a great turnout this year. Art Festivals and Art Fairs are  popular, non threatening venues for purchasing art...

It feels like I have been waiting for Spring a long time this year. As I drove to the Gallery this morning, I was acutely aware of acres of beautiful green grass and the re-emergence of flowering plants and flowers. My first thought was that I was driving through a John Constable painting, minus the cows. This sight also reminded me of the poem, which has long been attributed to Ogden Nash, that I learned as a child:

In graduate school I was introduced to the Myers~ Briggs Type Indicator, commonly known as the MBTI, and became fascinated with personality theory, particularly as it related to the workplace. Developed by a mother and daughter team at the University of Florida, Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers, the MBTI was based on the work in archetypes by Swiss psychiatrist, C.G. Jung. Individuals taking the Myers Briggs can determine their personality type by selecting preferences when answering specific questions....

Vincent van Gogh, "The Starry Night," 1889, Oil, 28.7 x 36.3 in

Ever met anyone who didn’t want or long for something? Perhaps it was/is an intangible object or feeling, like “happiness,” or a very specific act, like wanting to live in a luxury high rise in the upper East side of New York City. From birth, we all seem to want things. When we obtain that particular item, we often quickly focus on acquiring something else. As we mature our wants, needs and expectations often merge and become the goals and objectives that provide focus and structure to our lives...

David Phelps, "Daydreamer" Bronze, 8 x 20 x 20 in., $4,200

“Hallelujah! Santa Fe Creativity and Madness is on.” Thus read the header of an email I received last week. Well, that email got my immediate attention. On a global level creativity and madness have been “on” for centuries. But this email was referring to a series of weeklong workshops, which I have attended several times, that are presented annually in Santa Fe. These workshops, which are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, offer accredited Continuing Education to Physicians, Nurses, Psychologists, Counselors, and Therapists. In my experience, studying the demonstrated link between creativity and madness especially among the subpopulation of writers, poets, musicians, dancers, and visual artists is fascinating. Almost equally as fascinating are the creative and gifted people who attend the conference as either participants or presenters...

Loretta Young

Relationships are as important in art as they are in life. It is in the connections that form relationships where one finds beauty and meaning. Our most primal human relationship begins before we are born, making it intense and enduring. As we know, the strength and degree of happiness found in the mother-child relationship affects us all of our lives. In fact, that relationship will be universally celebrated this Sunday. Similarly, it is the relationship of line, shape, texture, form, color, and value in a painting that will illicit our initial response and determine our degree of attachment to a particular work...

Beth Hammack, "OK-OK!," 2021, Acrylic on Canvas, 48 x 72 in., $3,800

There are times in all our lives we will always remember as turning points. We realize something significant has happened, but at the time, we are not sure why it is so significant. One of those times for me occurred in 1977, when I was appointed by the National Endowment for the Arts to be on the national panel to select art for the then new Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. The project was sponsored by the Government Services Administration, the GSA. The GSA had introduced an Art and Architecture Program whose mission it was to place art in all Federal Buildings. When speaking about the program, its then Director, Jay Solomon, stated, “America has evolved culturally to the point of having an aesthetic vision out of the museum and into people’s daily lives---into their government buildings.” Initially the building’s architect recommended a nationally recognized artist to the GSA, but in 1972 the GSA, in an effort to increase acceptance of the art at the local level, began using panelists appointed by the National Endowment of the Arts. The GSA also began purchasing existing art instead of commissioning art for specific locations...

Oklahoma City Murrah Federal Building Memorial

Most of my life I have felt like I was the wrong age at the wrong time. As a child I really wanted to be older than I actually was. Why did I have to wait until I was six years old to start regular school when I could already could read and was as tall as the other kids? Why did I have to wait until my teens to have certain privileges when most of my friends were already teenagers? If I could learn to drive and promised to be very careful, why did I have to wait until I was sixteen to get a Driver’s License? For years I consciously tried to look and act older. To me, older was better! Much better!...

Shane Scribner, "Karissa Fadin," Oil on Panel, 24 x 24 in., $3,000

 One of my young colleagues asked me an interesting question the other day. She asked,” When Does One Become an Artist?” To put her query into context here are some facts. My colleague is a smart, artistically talented and a technically competent young woman from Edmond, who after graduating from high school was offered scholarships to both the Chicago Art Institute and The Pratt Institute in New York City. She decided to attend Pratt and major in Visual Communications. When Covid became rampant, she elected to take a gap year, return to Oklahoma City and work in our Gallery. So, when she asked me “When Does One Become an Artist?” I thought she really was asking when she will be confident in asserting that she is an artist. What must she achieve in sales, education and/or technical competency to be able to tell the public that she is an artist and not feel like an imposter? While giving consideration to my response, I recognized that she had asked a very profound question, so I decided to reach out to five artists and three curators in an attempt to find a universal answer to that question. When you read their responses you will note that the curators gave more objective answers while the artists I queried personalized the question...

"Mother Earth Laid Bare" by Alexander Hogue

Last night I dreamt I was installing an exhibition of Michele Mikesell’s paintings on the walls of a large vessel parked in the Suez Canal. That’s probably because Michele’s paintings which are scheduled to be part of an exhibition opening in our Gallery tomorrow, Friday, April 2, 2021 have not yet arrived from Spain. Michele and her husband, photographer Barry Snidow, currently live and work in Spain most of the year. Last week we received all of Barry’s incredible photographs, but we are still waiting for Michele’s paintings. What will we do if they do not arrive? We will just have to do another digital pivot as we have been doing for over a year now. In fact, on Tuesday we sent out an email featuring the work of Michele and Barry and have already sold several of her paintings...

I think all of us want to feel that our lives will have mattered. Several things have happened over the past few months that have made me re- think how I would like to be remembered.  Probably the most dramatic has been the event of Covid and its daily reminder of death. The recent 8th anniversary of my late husband’s death and the approaching Easter season has caused me to think about my life more philosophically and introspectively. This week when I started reading John Anderson’s book about the battle over the Barnes Collection, “Art Held Hostage,” my thoughts began to race. The book is making me think more critically about the distinction of what I will actually leave behind and what I would like my legacy to be. For you see, those two things are not always the same thing...

It was Mark Twain that said, “Clothes make the man.” Twain also went on to say that “Naked people have little or no influence on Society.” Well, that’s one man’s opinion. But if Twain was right and clothes do make the man, then I think we can agree that “Plants make the space.” Whether the space is indoor or outdoor, plant and vegetable life provide definition, purpose, and drama to the environment in which it exists. Last week, while installing a new show, “On the Way to Santa Fe,” in the main room of the Gallery, a truck pulled up out front and a man unloaded two ornate bronze urns and began carrying them inside. While my staff was surprised, I knew that the urns had been sent by a dear neighbor, who after deciding to downsize to a smaller home, thought the Gallery would make a wonderful home for her much loved 30” urns. At my direction, the urns were placed on each side of a large brick fireplace in the Main Gallery, underneath a wonderful southwestern landscape painting, “Silent Sentinel” by O. Gail Poole. While the urns held their own against the expanse of brick, they did not really add warmth or drama to the tableau. A designer who had stopped by the Gallery to pick up something for a client, suggested that we might want to put cactus plants in the urns. I immediately called Victor at Calvert Plants and sent him snapshots of the fireplace. He had the two cactus plants delivered that afternoon. As you can see, the cacti transformed the entire space, and the painting became more impactful...

Growing up, most of the people I knew were working on some sort of a collection. Even kids my age were collecting model trains and airplanes, marbles, dolls, coins, fishing lures, books, toy soldiers, autographs and baseball cards. As I matured, I noticed that adults were often defined by their collections. The collectibles they acquired were usually more expensive and obvious like cars, boats, art, homes, jewelry and antiques. My dad, for example, acquired books about sporting dogs throughout his lifetime, which created a highly respected Library about Sporting Dogs. While I admired people who were very disciplined about their collecting, I just tended to collect the things I liked. For instance, I enjoyed owning an entire series of books, like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew Mysteries, which I paid for out of my earned allowance. For a few years I was really into acquiring a line of manufactured prints of women called “Cameo Pictures,” which I got with the Green Stamps my mother gave me. But those activities can’t really be called collecting, because all I had to do was make sure I bought each book or “painting” in a series as soon as it was released. In my teens I decided to start a poster collection, but gave that up because I wanted to surround myself with things that were one of a kind. I haven’t changed much over the years. My eye and my affection seem to go to things that I determine to be unique...

Last week when I stopped in at Soup Soup, aptly enough buying some soup, I picked up a copy of “Luxiere,” a local Lifestyle and Real Estate Magazine. I was attracted to the magazine because its cover featured an image of a wonderful Denise Duong painting. The inside article about her work entitled, “The Art of Travel,” reminded me of the relationship between art and my own travels. For an artist like Denise, travel stimulates creativity. Familiar colors and objects seen in dramatically different settings, makes them see and feel things differently, inspiring them to draw and paint. Although I am not a generative artist, travel stimulates me to think in new and wondrous ways. When I travel, my curiosity is unpacked. I delve as much as I can into the art and culture of the place I am visiting...

“Pathetic Fallacy” is a literary device that assigns human emotions to inanimate objects of nature. Writers use it to provide atmosphere and to enhance or reflect moods, much as musical and sound scores are used in films and stage performances. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a book I was reading by David Morrell entitled “The Fine Art of Murder.” The last couple of days I have been reading the last book in this trilogy. These novels feature Thomas DeQuincey and his daughter, Emily, as characters. Set in Victorian England, “The Fine Art of Murder,” “Inspector of the Dead,” and “Ruler of the Night.”are filled with pathetic fallacy. In fact, the unrelenting fog, cold, and smutty, smoke-filled air all compete to become yet other characters. While murders are being committed, investigated and solved, the weather perversely adapts to each situation by making each criminal action more ominous and horrendous. Experiencing the dramatic interplay and unusual plot line of these novels have provided me with some much needed psychological relief...

The headline in Wednesday’s Oklahoman got my attention, “Chesapeake Looks to Future.” The article presented a brief review of the origin and history of Chesapeake Energy, founded in the 1980’s by two young men, Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward. The article mentioned that Chesapeake became a nationally recognized energy company and was a primary influence on the future growth and development of Oklahoma City. The complexity and diversity of Chesapeake’s business dealings were also covered, as well as the untimely death of Aubrey and the subsequent decline of the company. Through what appears to be thoughtful stewardship of the current president and administrative team, it was reported that the company has survived bankruptcy and subsequent restructuring, able to retain several core assets, and is moving forward as a much different company.

The most important fact I can remember learning in a sociology class decades ago was that the act of becoming “change skilled” is critical to survival. The study of history and evolution certainly reinforces that thought. Horrible things have happened to civilizations since the beginning of time. But people got through them usually with the support, help, and love of other people. During the last twelve months we have been called upon to rise to yet another survival challenge. This time it’s somewhat different because to be safe we must do it without the physical comfort of others and without participating in our usual supportive activities. Also, because we live in the age of technology we are bombarded with polarizing statistics, images, and commentaries 24/7. There doesn’t seem to be a respite from bad news. The stress is cumulative.

It was in 1979 that I had my first encounter with an art calendar. At that time Ben Pickard lived in Crown Heights. His gallery was in the basement of his home. I lived close by and would visit him at least once a month, enthralled by the stories he would tell me about his stable of artists and art. So naturally, I turned to him to help me find art to put in my office at the University of Oklahoma, where I had gotten my first job after receiving my Ph.D. Of course, Ben had several paintings and prints I loved, but could not begin to afford. Then he pulled out this large calendar of signed prints of contemporary artists. It was wonderful!...

If there is anyone out there who doubts the value of the arts in Education, they only had to experience Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, read her poem “The Hill We Climb,” at the Inauguration of Joe Biden. Amanda walked to the podium dressed in bright yellow jacket with a red headband, the embodiment of purpose, energy, and creativity. When she began speaking, we learned how a creative, brilliant, and well-educated mind thinks and how it communicates. Amanda instantly became a media darling. One headline announced, “She stole the show.” She did indeed steal the show...

Today I received a handwritten note from a friend that said: “Happiness is 2020 in a rearview mirror.” While that may not be entirely true, I think most of us certainly breathed a sigh of relief as we welcomed 2021 with gratitude for our individual survival...

As I look around the Gallery this Christmas season, I am struck by all of the different shapes of art that are on display. Shape along with line, texture, form, space, color and value are the ways that artists communicate. In addition to being an aesthetic concept, shape can also be an identifying concept. For example, Christmas can be identified by shape(s). The shape of a Christmas Tree, a Wreath, a Candy Cane, a rotund Santa, an antlered Reindeer, or an Angel with a halo all speak to us in profound ways. 

The other day I got a text from Amanda, the Director of the Paseo Arts Association, reminding me that I had not yet sent my favorite recipes to be published in the upcoming Paseo Arts Cookbook. Initially, when invited to participate, I explained to her that I don’t cook very often anymore as all of my favorite meals can be found at Picasso’s, Paseo Grill, Frida’s, Soup Soup, Legends, the Red Rooster, The Prairie Gypsies, Cheevers and What’s Cooking. My mother had been an excellent cook and I promised to look through a box of her recipes and select a few for consideration. That evening I came home and began my search. “The Box” is stored in a special cabinet along with a stash of other memorabilia. While looking through the cabinet I found a handwritten note that my late husband, John, gave me for our 20th year wedding anniversary that brought tears to my eyes. There were also other special cards, photographs and newspaper clippings that I have been saving for years. When I finally opened “The Box,” I found not only my beloved mother's recipes, but a life-time of food related memories... just in time for Thanksgiving...

The prevailing theme for me this week is process. Not the political process, although it has certainly been vying for my attention, but the artistic process. In 2011, I was given a very interesting lesson on the importance of process in creating art when the Oklahoma sculptor Holly Wilson, invited me to her home for a studio visit. After accepting the invitation, I thought it might be interesting to take a videographer with me to document our conversation. I was so glad I did. When we arrived Holly, a master storyteller, began talking about the work she was creating for her upcoming exhibit at the Gallery. She was making a series of one of a kind small bronze figures each imbued with its own character and story. Holly’s influences are grounded in her childhood and enriched by oral traditions that stem from her Native American roots. As she began showing me some of the figures she had already cast, I was astonished by the scale of the work and the amount of detail that had been lavished in each piece. When I began asking questions about her casting process, Holly offered to do a bronze pouring of a small figure in her driveway.

A month or so ago if I had been asked to select a word to characterize how I felt about myself and the period of time in which I was living, I think I would have selected the word “Vulnerable.” The word describes my status on a lot of levels. In fact it is descriptive of most people. By all reports we, as citizens of the world, are currently vulnerable to all manner of threats: climate change, racial, social and political unrest, economic uncertainty, a pandemic that refuses to disappear, and one crisis after another...

On Friday evening, October 2nd, the Gallery participated in The Paseo’s Gallery walk for the first time since February. I admit to being a little anxious at how it would go. Positioned near the front desk, I watched people stand in the entry, visibly relaxing their shoulders, as they scanned the room. I watched as their breathing and their facial expressions gradually changed, most often with smiles, but occasionally, almost tearful...

Somewhere I read that when an artist dies they leave behind two bodies: a physical body and a body of work. When Michi Susan died last week, she left a third body. A third body comprised of scores of artists, patrons, and at least one gallery owner, whose lives she supported, enriched and changed. My friendship with Michi began a little over 20 years ago when John purchased The Elms, the former studio, home and gallery of Nan Sheets. It had become a run down day care center and John spent several months restoring the center portion of the venerable structure before leasing it as a Gallery to a husband and wife who were both artists. When they decided to close their Gallery, I asked John if he would lease the The Elms to me. He was incredulous and said “No! You already have a career and a business and work more hours than a reasonable human should.” Furthermore, he said that although he had given me painting lessons "to relax," I didn’t have any real knowledge or experience in managing a proper gallery.

The owner of one of the businesses in Paseo and I meet fairly regularly to discuss issues related to The Paseo. We are both are committed to the community and value the viewpoint and support of each other. One afternoon, several months ago, he came by the Gallery to give me a wooden Ruth Bader Ginsberg bobble-headed doll. Later he told me that he bought the doll for me because he admired both of us. He did not know how meaningful that doll was. For instance, he has no way of knowing that in the 1970’s I wrote my dissertation on the role of support systems in the attainment of women. He has no idea that I was a charter subscriber to “MS” Magazine. Nor does he know that while in graduate school I purchased a large monoprint of Bella Abzug, a former U.S. Representative and leader of the Women’s Movement, which enjoyed a very prominent place in my apartment...

The act, psychology, content, purpose and the intrinsic reward of “Work” has always fascinated me. Growing up, I would interview almost every adult I met, even perfect strangers, about the kind of work they did, how they got their job, and whether or not they liked it. From a very young age, I desperately wanted a job. Of course my parents would tell me that my job, was to go to school and make good grades. I would counter by telling them that I needed a real job so I could practice working...

September is my birthday month. As such, it has always been a wonderful celebratory time as well as a time of gratitude for a meaningful and interesting life that I share with my friends. Additionally, September has also been my designated time to have body parts removed and repaired. These physical tune ups started when I was a little girl and elected to have my tonsils removed during my birthday week. I made that decision because I was told I could eat ice cream for seven straight days following surgery and I wanted my birthday to last for seven days. Maybe my logic wasn’t all that great, but I did receive lots of gifts as well as more ice cream than I could possibly eat. Several years later it was in September that I had an appendectomy. And so it’s gone throughout my life, the most recent being a knee replacement in September of 2017.

Remember the Ed Sullivan Show? It was the longest running television variety show in history. Broadcasting for 23 consecutive years, it is credited with helping launch the careers of both Elvis Presley and the Beatles. The sheer number and diversity of performers featured on the show was extraordinary. They included the Supremes, Maria Callas, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Barbara Streisand, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Janice Joplin, Isak Perlman, Pearl Bailey, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, Marian Anderson, Della Reese, Lena Horne, Mahalia Jackson, Eartha Kitt, and Leontyne Price...

School was a big deal at my house when I was growing up. Our annual household calendar was organized around the opening and closing of school and all its related events. Every August my Mother took me shopping for new clothes including, one year, a coveted "poodle" skirt. I remember how special our annual "ladies’ lunch" of avocado stuffed with chicken salad made me feel. But most of all I remember our conversations...

In 1974, Betty Price and I started working for the Oklahoma State Arts Council on the same day. She was hired as the Director of Public Information and I as the Program Development Director. Both Betty and I were expected to assist and promote activities related to the state’s Bicentennial celebration. Also, we were involved in organizing arts related programming for David Boren’s inauguration as Governor for the State of Oklahoma. While I only worked at the Council for two years before leaving to complete my Ph.D., Betty spent the rest of her career there and ultimately became its Executive Director. Her accomplishments are legendary...

 Last week we repainted four rooms of the Gallery in vibrant colors and I was reminded of when I first became aware of color as its own “thing.” Of course, I had been taught to recognize colors as a child and long since claimed “blue” and “yellow” as my personal favorites, but color designations seemed almost utilitarian to me, as used in stoplights and temperatures. In 1999, John Belt gave me a “Gift Certificate for Eight Painting Lessons” with Kay Orr in The Paseo. When he presented the certificate, John told me that he hoped learning how to paint would give me an easily accessible way to relax. I tried to bargain with him for two weeks stay at Canyon Ranch instead, but he insisted that I should take painting lessons and “see what happens.” Well, what happened was that those eight lessons changed my life. 

One of the great pleasures of my life with John Belt was watching him orchestrate the development of The Paseo Arts District. That idea was not fully formed when he initially purchased Hirams and some adjoining buildings along Paseo Drive. But it did not take him long to seize on the concept. He reasoned that Paseo was only two miles from downtown, where there was a high concentration of “art patrons.” The curvilinear and somewhat narrow Paseo Drive created a contained and walkable area. The human scale of the decorative buildings was well suited for galleries, artists’ studios and other compatible businesses.

Driving through The Paseo last evening after closing the Gallery, I was reminded that communities, as well as people, must be resilient to survive. The Spanish Village, Oklahoma City's first suburban shopping district, which we now know as The Paseo, was built in the late 1920’s by one of City’s pioneering developers, G.A. Nichols, the same man who developed Nichols Hills. To support his two-block curved street commercial district on what he dubbed Paseo Drive, Nichols also built twelve of Oklahoma City’s “best apartment buildings." This residential development was carved out of an area platted as Guernsey Park Place because it once had been dotted with small dairy farms. Since Nichols’ architectural muse was his cousin, who built The Plaza Shopping Center in Kansas City, the buildings in Paseo are primarily a miniaturized version of Spanish Revival Architecture. Dr. Fred and Nan Sheets had already built their resident Art Studio and Gallery, The Elms, on nearby Walker Avenue in the Spanish Mission architectural style, so the area enjoyed and continues to enjoy a somewhat interesting and artsy ambiance.

The first time I remember thinking about the word "Crucible" was when Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible" was assigned reading in a Dramatic Literature class in college. The play was written about the Salem Witch Trials. The drama was not intended as an historical piece of literature, but was written as an allegory of the McCarthyism that was sweeping through our country at that time. Although I knew I had enrolled in a course of Dramatic Literature, I was astonished and a little put out at being asked by my Professor to get my brain around two very serious subjects with so many human and political ramifications. After all, I had been attracted to Drama, as a course of study, because it was entertaining and fun. I researched the word "Crucible" hoping it would provide the key to enough knowledge to pass the exam. Then, as now, when one looks up the word "Crucible," there are two primary definitions: A.) A ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to a very high temperature;" or definition B.) A situation or severe trial, or, in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new." At that point I kicked myself for not enrolling in a “History of Musicals” class that met earlier in the morning.

When an electronic device stalls or otherwise fails to work properly, we all know to unplug the device and wait a few minutes before reconnecting it. I was incredulous when I first heard about this “fix” from a trusted repair person. He strongly recommended I try it before calling him in a state of panic or before dialing a 1-800 number and becoming increasingly irritated when I was put on terminal hold.

It was hard for me to accept that the simple act of resetting could be a solution. Eventually I did take his advice. But old habits die hard. Even now, when one of my devices quits working properly my heart stops, I will call out to a colleague or even a casual passerby while automatically reaching for my list of people to call when things go wrong. Then I remember, “Joy, unplug or disconnect, take deep breaths and wait for a few minutes while everything resets. “The very act of being able to make an inanimate object reset is empowering."

When I was born my father was completing his doctorate at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Family lore has it that he was totally besotted with his new daughter and took me everywhere, even pushing my carriage around Churchill Downs while memorizing Greek and Hebrew. My mother told me that I never cried when I was with my father, not even as an infant. While reflecting on Dad this past Father’s Day weekend, I was struck by the enormous influence he and his memory have been throughout my life.

The door to my office at the Gallery has glass panes. Often when looking up from my desk, I will see a nose or two pressed to a pane of glass. At that point I usually get up, walk to the door, and ask if I can be of assistance. Inevitably I get the question, “Is this room part of the Gallery?” When I reply, “it’s my office,” the response is surprise, a request for permission to enter, and comments that this is the most unusual office they have ever seen.

I readily acknowledge that my office is probably the most “eccentric” office in Oklahoma City. By that point in the conversation, my visitor(s) will spot a painting or an object that they want to ask about, such as two six foot handcrafted bird cages by Nick Irza, one in the style of a Cathedral and the other in the style of a Russian Orthodox Church, that sit on either side of my fireplace. In truth, everything in my office has a story and every piece of art, furniture, book, or paperweight has long since become a part of me. When visitors are interested, I take time to relate my history with the item and why I selected it to be in my office. 

One day last week, I received a call from an attorney asking if he could bring by a Nan Sheets painting on behalf of one of his clients. I was beyond thrilled. Nan Sheets, one my personal heroes, is Oklahoma's most well-known early Oklahoma artist, teacher, pioneer and champion for the arts.

Born in 1885 in Illinois, the youngest of five children, Nan inherited her mother’s talent for painting and her father’s free spirit. She graduated from Valparaiso University with a degree in Pharmacy. She immediately obtained work in a neighboring town, but soon moved to Salt Lake City, studying art in the mornings and working afternoons and evenings as the Head Prescription Clerk in one of Salt Lake’s largest pharmacies.

Are we not all reeling from current events? Personally, I am reeling from what I call America’s 2020 Triple Threat: the global pandemic; the resultant economic crisis; and the resurgence of violence due to systemic racial and social injustice. This Triple Threat is not going to just disappear. We will have to collectively work through it. This is a time when we all need go beyond ourselves in the search for "the better angels of our nature." As always, I find truth, understanding and hope, my better angels, in art. My goal as the owner of an art gallery has always been to make art in all its forms easily available to a growing audience. To maintain our goals in a time of turbulent change requires the resilience and creativity to make changes in how we reach our goals.

While in graduate school I took a sociology course entitled “Futurism.” I loved that course and was so inspired that I joined the World Future Society, whose members over the years have included Buckminster Fuller, Herman Kahn and Margaret Mead. The professor of my futurism course at the University of Oklahoma was Dr. John Pulliam, who also served on my doctoral committee. He insisted that we read all the provocative books of that era that dealt with the future.

While cleaning out some files last week, I came across an article I had downloaded from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website in 2017. The Met had conducted a survey in which they asked 12 Contemporary Artists "What it Takes to Make a Great Piece of Art.” I found the responses fascinating. So, I decided to conduct a survey of my own.

One summer, my late husband, John Belt, and I spent a couple of weeks in Cape Cod attending a workshop with Daniel Levinson entitled "The Seasons of a Man's Life." A psychologist and a professor, both at Harvard and Yale, Levinson had recently published his book of the same title. The workshop was accredited for attorneys through the American Bar Association and also met my continuing education requirements as a therapist. It was a wise and wonderful workshop.

While searching my home library this past week for something to read that had the perfect blend of escapism, wisdom, and emotion, I came across a book I purchased a few years ago, but had not yet read, "Leonardo's Brain" by Leonard Shlain, a famed author and surgeon. I took Leonardo downstairs, curled up in my favorite and most comfortable chair and started to read about something we are all learning, that in order to truly live and function in contemporary society we must train both our right and left brain to coexist.

About seventeen years ago, Cynthia Wolf and I conspired to start a monthly gallery walk. We planned to host the walk on the first Friday of every month. Cynthia Wolf owned the Adelante Studio at 3001A Paseo. She had lived in San Antonio and was very familiar with its River Walk. Through my travels, I knew that in major cities all over the world, groups of artists and galleries would organize at least one event a month to celebrate the arts.

Like you, these past few weeks, I have sat in countless Zoom conferences trying to make sense of all the recent challenges. We sit together apart discussing survival strategies and attempting to reinvent a relatively unknown future. Most of my Board and Committee appointments are with arts and educational institutions. Both of those sectors are extremely vulnerable to physical and economic uncertainty and change...

When Fareed Zakara, one of my favorite global thinkers, mentioned in a recent television broadcast that he was re-reading John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden, I was intrigued. When he went on to say that “East of Eden” was in his mind “The” great American novel, I grabbed a copy and started re-reading it myself. It is indeed an extraordinary and powerful novel. The multigenerational story makes it a must read for anyone interested in human behavior. Steinbeck, winner of both the Pulitzer and Nobel Award for his writing, based the plot of this book on the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Just as in “Grapes of Wrath,” the characters in “East of Eden” are fully drawn and totally unforgettable. But the quality I love in this book is a quality one also finds in Steinbeck’s other books and that is a sense of place. It is impossible to read any Steinbeck novel without breathing the air, smelling the dirt, seeing the horizon, or getting burned by the sun.

Never in our lifetime, have we seen or heard so much news of illness and death. To me, the most startling realization is that thousands of people are dying without the comfort of their families and without their lives being properly honored...

Frequently when I am in a conversation, reading a book, or watching television, an image of a familiar artwork apropos of the topic comes to my mind. In the initial days of the Coronavirus outbreak, I kept seeing a composite image that is on the cover of Maggie Taylor’s surrealistic painterly photography book, “No Ordinary Days.” 

In a time when all of our lives have been put on hold and we are not in control of decisions that affect us, it is important to connect with our best selves, and with the people and things we love and value. Art provides that connectivity and it comes in so many forms. Think about the profound changes in your life and what anchored you during that period. Use the arts to reconnect with those things...

Most Sunday afternoons you can find me in my Gallery, JRB Art at The Elms, in The Paseo Arts District. We are open on Sunday afternoons because it is a time that families can visit the Gallery together. Saturdays are usually dedicated to soccer, Little League, music or dance lessons, haircuts and buying tennis shoes. Being in the Gallery when children are looking at art is a remarkable experience...

Paintings can be hung anywhere, at least that is my personal philosophy. In fact, some of the art I enjoy the most is placed in the outdoor patios surrounding my home. Most visitors are not surprised to find a bronze or stone sculpture in a garden, but they do seem to be a bit startled to see a painting hanging among trees and shrubbery.

All of us are familiar with the disorientation that occurs when we remodel our living space or move to a new home. The things we love, including our art, are reduced to being just stuff on the floor...

Among the wonders of nature are the five senses most humans share: Vision, Hearing, Smell, Taste and Touch. These senses provide data to the part of our brain that creates our emotions. That is why listening to Harry Chapin sing “Cats in the Cradle” can make you cry. It is the reason you feel the sand and heat of the harsh desert when watching “Lawrence of Arabia.” It is why “A Tale of Two Cities” is regularly cited as one of the best-selling novels of all time. It is why it is almost impossible to look at a Denise Duong painting of a couple on a tandem bicycle with a dog perched in a wire carrier without feeling like someone is touching you. Similarly, who can be unmoved when viewing Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel...

Twenty or so years ago, in the back room of a well curated Gallery in Denver, I discovered a black and white photograph of Georgia O’Keefe. For me, it was love at first sight as I had long admired O’Keefe, both as a strong, independent woman and as an artist. When I took the photograph to the front desk to ask the price, it quickly became apparent that the photograph was a part of the owner’s personal collection and he had not planned on selling it...

Recently I was reminded of how important Balance is in the placement of art. In fact, balance may be the most important element, whether it be in one’s office or home. Too often we only focus on installing art...

One of the great experiences of my career as a gallery owner has been my friendship and artistic relationship with D.J. Lafon (1929-2011). He was unique in so many ways and his works were always so original. Just looking at the images of his paintings that we’ve had in the gallery over the years is an amazing experience...

Having owned a gallery for approximately 20 years, I have become familiar with the evaluative processes that accompany the decision to buy, or not to buy, a work of art. Generally, these decisions and conversations fall into two categories: Analytical and Emotional...

The first time someone visits The Elms they usually ask about our iconic Spanish Mission style building, and its history. The building, which became the first art gallery in Oklahoma, was built in 1916 by Oklahoma art pioneer and organizer, Nan Sheets and her husband, Dr. Fred Sheets. When Nan moved to Oklahoma City in 1914, she found a growing city with only a fledgling cultural scene and no museums or galleries...

OKLAHOMA CITY – Three noted artists and longtime friends who spent many years working together as artists, will exhibit together for the first time at JRB Art at The Elms.
An opening reception will be held for modern realism figurative painter, George Oswalt; fantastical figurative painter, Elizabeth Hahn; and abstract photographer, G.L. August Loessberg from 6-10 p.m. Oct. 6 during the Paseo Arts District’s First Friday Gallery Walk. The exhibition will be on view through Oct. 29. The exhibit, opening reception and art talks are free to the public, as a part of JRB Art at the Elms’ Beyond Art Series.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – Santa Fe mixed media artist Janet O’Neal, Southwest primitive painter Jim Keffer and ceramic artist Gayle Singer will be exhibiting at JRB Art at The Elms. Opening reception will be held from 6:00 pm until 10:00 pm on Friday, September 1st, 2017, during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk. The exhibitions will be on view until Sunday, October 1st, 2017. Additionally, we have events that are free and open to the public in our Beyond Art Series.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – The August exhibit of JRB Art at Elms will feature the work of three very skilled artists whose work often appears to the casual eye to be different than it does under closer scrutiny. The exhibitions will open with a reception from 6:00 until 10:00 pm on First Friday, August 4^th, 2017, during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and will be on view until August 28, 2017. Featured artists are: Larry Hefner, Behnaz Sohrabian, and Laura Nugent. Additionally, we have events that are free and open to the public in our Beyond Art Series: Artist Talk & Demonstration with Larry Hefner on August 12^th and Artist Talk & Demonstration with Behnaz Sohrabian on August 20^th.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – JRB Art at The Elms presents “Art of The Nude”, a celebration by more than 30 artists, of the sensual human body. The exhibition will include painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and installation works.  Our inaugural nude show, opens on Friday, July 7^th at 6:00 p.m. during the Paseo Arts District’s monthly First Friday Gallery Walk.

JRB Art at The Elms presents “Best of the West 2017”, a dynamic exhibition of four nationally recognized artists: Native American painter Mike Larsen, Sculptor Paul Moore, Photographer Allen Birnbach and American Realism painter James Andrew Smith. The exhibits will open Friday, June 2^nd, at 6:00 p.m. during the Paseo Arts District’s monthly First Friday Gallery Walk. Additionally, we will have three events, that are free and open to the public, in our Beyond Art series: Artist Talk with Allen Birnbach, Saturday, June 10th, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.; Best of the West Brunch Sunday, June 11^th, 10:30 – 1:30 p.m.; Artist Talk and Demonstration, with Mike Larsen Sunday, June 25^th, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

JRB Art at The Elms is featuring Beth Hammack and Andy Mattern in two solo exhibitions. Showing concurrently will be “Sky”, a group landscape show with Karl Brenner, Robert Schneider, and Janis Krendick. The exhibitions open with an evening reception from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 5^th, during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk. The exhibit can be seen during the Paseo Arts Festival Memorial Day Weekend and will close Monday, May 29^th.

JRB Art at The Elms welcomes figurative painters, Sara and Shane Scribner’s collaborative show, Reverie! In our Broadmoor Gallery, we are delighted to share, never before seen etchings from the estate of D.J. Lafon. The exhibitions open with an evening reception from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. on Friday, April 7^th, during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and continue through Sunday, April 30^th.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – JRB Art at The Elms invites you on a springtime adventure presenting four solo exhibitions featuring four artists with strong connections to the University of Oklahoma: Tom Toperzer, Todd Stewart, Haley Prestifilippo and Jason Cytacki. The exhibitions open with an evening reception from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. on Friday, March 3rd, during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and continue through Sunday, March 26th.

JRB Art at The Elms 

Presents

Pop Realism portraits by Robert Peterson

and

“When Less Becomes More” with KARAM

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – JRB Art at The Elms will present two solo exhibitions in November featuring pop realism portrait artist, Robert Peterson, and impressionistic artist, KARAM. The exhibitions open with an evening reception at 6:00 pm on Friday, November 4th, during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and continue through Sunday, November 27th.

JRB Art at The Elms

Presents

“The Land: New Work/Old Places” with Carol Beesley

“Through the Shadow” with John Wolfe

And “My View” with Bob Nunn

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – JRB Art at The Elms will present three solo exhibitions in October featuring southwest artist, Carol Beesley, mixed media artist, John Wolfe and colorist, Bob Nunn. The exhibitions open with an evening reception at 6:00pm on Friday, October 7th, during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and continue through Sunday, October 30th.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma -- Fall is on the way and nature brings with it strong color, simpler shapes and a certain truth of what is real. On September 2, 2016, JRB Art at The Elms will open with solo exhibitions of three artists, D.J. Lafon, J.P. Morrison and Julia Margaret Brigham, whose work consists of the representation of real and existing things. The exhibitions will open with a reception from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, September 2nd, 2016 during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and continue through Sunday, September 25th.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma – JRB Art at the Elms presents three solo shows by Behnaz Sohrabian, John Brandenburg and Janet Massad. The exhibitions will open with a reception from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 5th, 2016 during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and continue through Sunday, August 28th. 

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma---JRB Art at The Elms presents works by Janice Mathews-Gordon in her show titled “State of Mind” together with Bernadette Torres in her show titled “Blooming”. Both solo exhibitions open with a reception from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, July 1st, 2016 during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and continue through Sunday, July 30th. Other artists who will be featured in July include Raven Halfmoon a ceramicist, Larry Hefner, Karam and H Holden.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma---JRB Art at The Elms presents two solo shows by Beth Hammack and Bryan Rapp.  The exhibitions open with a reception from 6:00 to 10:00 pm on Friday, May 6^th, 2016, during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and continue through Sunday, May 29^th.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma---JRB Art at The Elms presents a solo exhibition of photography by Barry Snidow alongside a thematic exhibition with work by both Sara and Shane Scribner.  These exhibitions open with a reception from 6:00 to 10:00 pm on Friday, November 6, 2015, during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and continue through Sunday, November 29^th.

Animals are depicted in pastels and oils by Sohail Shehada, and their spirits seem to inhabit masks by Patrick Riley in two new shows at JRB Art at The Elms in Oklahoma City, where Pamela Joye also has a photo show of little girls dressed as witches.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – “Dislocated Histories” by David Crismon, urban photography by Joseph Mills and encaustic paintings by Jose` Rodriguez welcome visitors to JRB Art at The Elms during September.  All three shows open with a reception on Friday, September 4, 2015, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at JRB Art at The Elms during the monthly Gallery Walk in Oklahoma City’s Paseo Arts District.  The exhibits run through September 27^th.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma…Jim Keffer, Robert Peterson, and Michael Hatcher. Three different artists, three different genres, three different mediums, but all three using third degree color will open August 7^th at JRB Art at The Elms. There will be an opening reception from 6:00 to 10:00 pm during the The Paseo Arts District’s monthly First Friday Gallery Walk.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – “Seeking Monet” at JRB Art at The Elms will feature exhibits of Beth Hammack, an Oklahoma painter, and Catherine Adams, an internationally recognized photographer.  Both exhibits will open on Friday, July 3^rd with an opening reception from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., during The Paseo Arts District’s monthly First Friday Gallery Walk. These exhibits will be on display through July 31, 2015.

A romantic yet coolly removed, almost cinematic sense of the Old West is conveyed by artwork by Joe Andoe, Billy Schenck and Bert Seabourn on view at JRB Art at The Elms in Oklahoma City.

PASEO ARTS FESTIVAL

“Best of the West,” a powerful exhibition of three nationally recognized artists, Joe Andoe, Billy Schenck, and Bert Seabourn, who paint the essence of the American Southwest, will open on Friday, June 5, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. at JRB Art at The Elms in the Paseo Arts District.  The exhibit will also be featured during the Gallery’s annual Prix de West Brunch on Sunday, June 14, 2015 from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm.  Both events are free and open to the public. These exhibits will be on display through June 27, 2015.

Mixed media artist Paul Medina has been a frequent weaver of short stories, and though "Enchanted Circle" is his first full-length novel, it's been in the works for decades.

Please join JRB Art at The Elms for Paul's book signing

on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.

Internationally recognized photographer, Siegfried Halus, and Oklahoma mixed media artist, Paul Medina, will be featured in April at JRB Art at The Elms Gallery located in the historic Paseo Arts District.  The exhibit opening will be held from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. in conjunction with the Paseo First Friday Gallery Walk.

JRB ART at The Elms will feature two artists who currently live and work in Marfa, Texas for its March exhibit; which opens during the Paseo District’s First Friday Gallery Walk on March 6, 2015 from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.  Works by these artists: Megan Gerety and Jessica Lutz, will be on view at The Elms until the 28^th of March.  Dr. Natalie Roncone, the Director of Marfa Contemporary is the guest curator for the exhibition.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma---On February 6, JRB Art at The Elms opens with “Cautionary Tales,” compelling new paintings by Michele Mikesell. The opening reception will be held on the First Friday in February, from 6:00 to 10:00 pm during the Paseo Gallery Walk and continues through February 28, 2015.

For the 12^th consecutive year, JRB Art at The Elms will host its popular New Year’s Day Brunch celebrating the New Year and present its inaugural opening for 2015, ‘WHITE II.” This exhibit will feature the work of 25 well known artists, who at the gallery’s request, have created paintings, sculptures, wall hangings and objects that explore the various shades and tonalities of white. A jazz trio featuring Evangeline as the vocalist will assist in celebrating the New Year with their special brand of music. The “White II” exhibit will also be featured during the Paseo First Friday Gallery walk from 6:00 until 10:00 PM, Friday, January 2, 2015 and will run through January 30, 2015. The Gallery’s 2015 Art Calendar will be available throughout the month of January.

A broad and varied selection of collectible prints and drawings will be on display throughout the month of December at JRB Art at The Elms, an award winning gallery located in the Historic Paseo Arts District. The holiday show opens on Friday, December 5^th with a reception from 6:00 until 10:00 pm.

Ford Beckman, a painter who rose to prominence in the New York art scene of the late 1980's, died Tuesday at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was 62. The cause of death was a heart attack.

Holly Wilson, one of five premier Native American artists that have earned the coveted title of 2015 Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellow, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art announced today. Their work will be honored with a $25,000 unrestricted grant and a major group exhibition which will open one year from today Nov. 14, 2015.

A trip to Paris, France with all its architectural grandeur, expansive boulevards, monuments, secret gardens, charming restaurant and bistros, incredible light, and art treasures serves as inspiration for a new series of paintings by Denise Duong.  These narrative multi-media paintings will be featured at JRB Art at The Elms in the historical Paseo Art District along with the surrealistic animal portraits of Timothy Chapman.  The exhibit openings with a reception on Friday, November 7^th from 6:00 to 10:00 pm at 2810 North Walker.  Also on view at the Gallery will be photographs from North and South Korea and China by Mark Edward Harris.

JRB ART at The Elms ushers in Fall with two color packed solo shows featuring “Painting West” by Carol Beesley and “Aerial Landscapes and Floral” by Dallas artist, Bob Nunn. “We exhibited Carol and Bob together in 2012 and the response was so great that we decided to do it again,” states Joy Reed Belt, Director of The Elms. “Both of these artists have a very distinctive style, are masters of composition and color, as well as being superb painters,” continued Belt. The exhibitions will open on First Friday, October 3^rd at JRB Art at The Elms in the historic Paseo Arts District. Both exhibitions will run through November 1, 2014.

Carol Beesley and Bob Nunn featured in individual exhibits at JRB Art at The Elms in October.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ---“FINDING CLARITY,” an exhibition of acclaimed photographer of architecture, Judith Turner, will open on First Friday, September 5^th at JRB Art at The Elms in the historic Paseo Arts District., Turner’s work has been featured in many publications and is in the permanent collection of several institutions including: The Getty Center, The Guggenheim Museum, The Whitney Museum, the Eastman House Collection; the International Center of Photography, The Tel Aviv Museum and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA----JRB Art at The Elms will have two concurrent solo shows, entitled “THE SYMBOLS WITHIN US,” featuring mixed media painter and photographer Janet O’Neal and the feminine form paintings of Behnaz Sohrabian for its August exhibition. The shows open on August 1st during the First Friday Gallery Walk, in the Historic Paseo Arts District. The opening, which is open to the public at no charge, is from 6-10:00 pm. can be seen throughout August.

JRB ART AT THE ELMS

CORDIALLY INVITES YOU

TO VIEW THE SCULPTURE AND

HEAR AN ARTIST TALK GIVEN BY

DON NARCOMEY

Friday, July 18, 2014

5:30-7:30pm

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA----JRB Art at The Elms will have two concurrent solo shows, entitled “NATURE” featuring sculptor Don Narcomey and painter Liz Roth for its July exhibition. The shows open on July 4^th during the First Friday Gallery Walk, in the Historic Paseo Arts District. The opening, which is open to the public at no charge, is from 6-10:00 pm. “NATURE” can be seen throughout the month of July.

Oklahoma City, Okla. – JRB Art at The Elms’ June exhibit will feature Plein Air Landscapes by Colorado artist, Karl Brenner and photographs by internationally acclaimed photographer, Connie Imboden. Brenner will attend the opening reception on May 6th, 6-10 p.m., during The Paseo Arts District’s monthly First Friday Gallery Walk. There will also be a special reception for Connie Imboden from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, June 12, 2014 at The Elms. At that reception Connie will give an Artist Talk and sign copies of her latest book, “Reflections.” 

JRB Art Gallery represents artists working in all media including painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, mixed media, fiber and photography.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma---In May, JRB Art at The Elms will feature three artists working in decidedly different media in three concurrent solo exhibitions.  The opening reception will be held on May 2^nd, the First Friday in May, from 6:00 to 10:00 pm during the Paseo Gallery Walk. The work of these artists: Beth Hammack, John Wolfe, and Doug Hoke can been see though out May as well as during the three day Paseo Arts Festival which is held on Memorial Day Weekend.

“Magic” and the “Blues Highway” are featured in two solo exhibits in April at JRB Art at The Elms.  Exhibitions open on April 4, 2014 from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. during the Paseo First Friday Art Walk.

THE GARDEN PROJECT

In March, the official month of the advent of Spring, JRB Art at The Elms gallery will feature a multi-room installation entitled, “The Garden Project.” Oklahoma artists Adrienne Wright and Lisa McIlroy will present constructed landscapes in four rooms of the gallery. “These gardens will give the public an opportunity to simultaneously experience the beauty of nature and the creativity of man,” stated the artists. Also exhibiting in March is Bernadette Esperanza Torres, a ceramic artist from Kansas City, who uses flowers as symbols of humanity in most of her sculptures. “The Garden Project” will open on March 7, 2014 from 6:00 until 10:00 pm during the Paseo’s First Friday Gallery Walk and run through March 29, 2014. JRB Art at The Elms is located at 2810 North Walker in the historic Paseo Arts District. 

In February, the month when we pay tribute to special relationships, JRB Art at The Elms will feature paintings by Rae Baldridge and the sculptural work of Jonathan Hils. For this exhibit, which opens with a reception on February 7^th during The Paseo Arts District’s First Friday Gallery walk from 6:00 to 9:00pm, both artists have chosen to present work that explores oppositional relationships and tension between: representation and abstraction, attention and inattention, absence and presence, chaos and organization, light and line, and the relationship between interior and exterior spaces. The exhibit will run through Friday, February 28, 2014. Guests at the opening reception will be also be able to enjoy the romantic vocals of Oklahoma City chanteuse, Amy Robyn Young.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma---JRB Art at The Elms will welcome 2014 with its 11th annual New Year’s Day exhibit and celebration from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 1, 2014. The exhibit, “White”: a selection of paintings, photographs, constructions, collages, and sculptures that explore all the nuances of the color white.  This exhibit will also be featured during the Paseo First Friday Gallery Walk from 6:00 until 10:00 pm, Friday, January 3, 2014.  The exhibit will run through January 29, 2014.

New JRB Art Gallery 2014 calendars have arrived.

Due to the inclement weather, we ae closing at 9:00 tonight.

It's still a work in progress, but hope you enjoy our new website.

For Immediate Release
August 27, 2013
Contact: Joy Reed Belt
405.528.6336
jreedbelt@jrbartgallery.com

 
EVENTS:
OPENING RECEPTION:
Friday, September 6th, 2013

10:00-6:00PM

JRB Art at the Elms Celebrates 10^th Anniversary in September

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma--- In celebration of JRB Art at The Elms 10^th anniversary, the Gallery has published a large, exquisite portfolio box containing specially selected signed limited edition prints of ten of the Gallery’s artists: Greg Gummersall, Barbara Broadwell, Mary Ann Strandell, B.J. White, Michele Mikesell, Denise Duong, John Seward, Ginna Dowling, Carol Beesley and Thomas Batista. These artists were selected as being representative of the quality, genres, and individual styles that are germane to the Gallery. Framed prints of the portfolio will be shown during the First Friday Gallery Walk on September 6^th from 6:00 to 10:00 pm. A limited edition of the boxed portfolios will be available for purchase at the Gallery.