JR Mooney Galleries Newsletter Feb 2014

New Artists & New Work! View this email in your browser As we have spent the last few weeks closing out the old year and preparing for the new here at J. R. Mooney Galleries, our focus has been on finishing up projects, taking inventory and generally cleaning things up and out.  Over the course of years (67 to be exact) not only have we accumulated a bit of dust, we have also gained many friends, loyal customers and fond memories.  And with all of those years of service comes a rare insight into the business of art and framing. One of the most important things to realize is that each item that a client brings to us for framing has an intrinsic value to that person.  It is perhaps our first and foremost rule around here.  Whether it is a photograph, artwork, print or seemingly mundane object, it is being framed for a reason – more often than not because of its sentimental value or ability to evoke a pleasant response from its owner.  Even when choosing art or framing from a merely decorative standpoint, the client is attempting to create an atmosphere that reflects their personality and presence; a mood or ambiance that makes a statement about who they are.  “Custom framing” is exactly that – the finishing touch that is customized not only to the object being framed but also to the owner’s personal specifications and desires.  Our goal is to help the client towards the perfect finished piece that will bring years of enjoyment. Selecting art is an even more personal experience than framing, as the viewer must have a relationship to the piece; the artwork should make a connection to the purchaser.  However, the expression of these relationships and connections are varied and can change, as do design trends and personal tastes.  In response to all this, for the New Year we have some new moulding lines and new artists and artwork.  At our Boerne location we have an eclectic mix of new artists, including abstract works by Russell Stephenson, Guus Kemp, Louis Vega Trevino and sculptor Cody Vance.  Also in Boerne we have some wonderful new works by Sidney Sinclair and Bill Scheidt.  And at our San Antonio location we have new pieces by Cliff Cavin, Arthur McCall and Diane Mendoza.  So come in and see what’s new for 2014!  We look forward to seeing you. "Presidio"  40 x 84 Oil on Board - Available at our Boerne Location Russell Stephenson, a Texas painter, in an unrelenting approach has mastered the gorgeous godliness of our great state in his Panoramic Texas series paintings. Radiant browns and various tones of burnt sienna seem to meddle perfectly with contrasting cool slate grays, snowy silvers and wispy whites; where atmospheric amalgamations of colors are ever approachable, digestible and delicate in their ephemeral and abstracted beauty.

Hidden Falls, 32" x 42", Enhanced Giclee CharlesPABST Charles Pabst’s true gift is the ability to transport his viewer to another place or time through his art.   He envelops you with an emotional connection to the artwork, something few artists can aspire to do. Although most of his subject matter is highly dramatic, Charles Pabst isn’t as concerned with what he is painting as much as he is with the act of painting itself. It is a drive within him, a need that started at a very young age. He believes it is the responsibility of an artist to create the most beautiful painting he possibly can without regard as to where the work will find a home. “Art,” he says, “is a social activity” even if he starts out painting alone in his studio. Charles is still involved even after the painting is finished. A piece of him goes out into the world and will be passed on through the generations. Charles Pabst is known for his use of a warm palette. You can almost feel the heat of the melting sun as it dissolves behind the majesty of the Grand Canyon.  The most incredible sensation is, despite the deep reds, yellows, and oranges, an overwhelming peace that permeates nearly every work coming out of Pabst’s studio. He acknowledges this, but doesn’t want his audience to get too comfortable. He states that his paintings of the Grand Canyon “have this very calm sense, but beware… there are rapids on the other side!” Another interesting fact is that Charles Pabst takes great pride in his work, taking the time to enhance each Giclee. He hand paints each reproduction, adding highlights and details making it difficult for even a trained eye to differentiate between the original work and the enhanced Giclee. J R Mooney Galleries is proud to represent Charles Pabst and his work and we invite you to come in to experience his art for yourself. It might be cold outside, but a few minutes looking at a Pabst and you will, at least momentarily, be taken away to a world as seen through the eyes of an amazing artist. © Valarie McCown   "The Briscoe Western Art Museum’s “Night of the Artists” includes two from San Antonio -- Cliff Cavin and Mark Keathley. Cavin is a regionally celebrated impressionistic landscape painter; a colorist whose lingering light firmaments and shadowy plains, deserts, and woodlands have secured his legacy in the Southern U.S.  Cavin touts several distinguished museum exhibitions including showings at the Dallas Heritage Museum, the C.M. Russell Museum and the Briscoe Western Art Museum, among many other galleries and invitationals throughout Texas.  On the other hand, Keathley’s altering aesthetic and mastered skill-set has anchored his stature in the national art community. Keathley has evolved from his nostalgic country time renditions of long forgotten farm lives, to a prolific assortment of Texas landscapes, to paintings that are able to capture a timeless era of scenic engagements; often involving heroic/stoic cowboys and war painted Native Americans. Previously,  Keathley was awarded the “Patron’s Choice Award” for his Native Sun painting in theNight of the Artist 2013 at the Briscoe Western Art Museum during the inaugural year of the newly renovated building. This year Cavin is presenting a new series of landscapes and wildlife in an aesthetic of simplistic interpretations. Morning Light, a small 12 x 24”oil painting is a dynamic horizontal of Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. Buttery filters cloud the foreground; our eyes squint from the sun’s haze. The mountains in Morning Light create a strata of earth tone plateaus; mimicking the parallel denominations that break up the composition of the piece. Vertical shadows play a juxtaposing alignment, filling the landscape with cavernous angles within the topography and brush. Mark Keathley's artwork submissions for Night of the Artist range from longhorns and bluebonnets to menacing wild hogs to imposing Native Americans and nocturnal Pony Express interpretations.  One of his significant paintings for this year’s exhibition is Miss Texas, an 18 x 24” oil painting of a Texas Longhorn." - Excerpt from February 2014 "Contemporary Western during C.A.M." article written by Gabriel Delgado

THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE! Eduard Edigaryan and his daughter, Goar, were born in Gyumri, Armenia, but when an earthquake in 1988 destroyed the city, Eduard moved his family to Prague where they continue to live and work.  The Edigaryans have taken part in exhibitions in the Netherlands, Germany, and Norway and have collectors world-wide.  Both studied at the Art School that once stood in their hometown, but Goar states her father continues to be her best teacher. Left: Eduard Edigaryan "Floral Abstraction" 15 x 9 Mixed Media Right: Goar Edigaryan "Anticipation" 10.25 x 9.5 Mixed Media UPCOMING SAN ANTONIO & AREA ART EVENTS! FEB 6 thru MAR 2 - American Plains Artist Twenty-Ninth Annual Juried Exhibit - Art of the Plains 2014 (Featuring Bill Scheidt) Kerrville Cultural Center American Plains Artist FEB 21 - On and Off Fredericksburg Road Autograph Party 6 - 9 p.m. (Featuring Russell Stephenson) Bihl Haus Gallery San Antonio On and Off Autograph Party FEB 22 & 23 - On and Off Fredericksburg Road Studio Tour (Featuring Cody Vance, Russell Stephenson) San Antonio On and Off Fredericksburg Road FEB & MAR - Louis Vega Trevino Solo Exhibit Carmen's Corner Gallery at Children's Art Museum SAKids Carmen's Corner MAR 29 - Night of the Artists  (Featuring Cliff Cavin and Mark Keathley) Briscoe Western Art Museum San Antonio Briscoe Museum Night of the Artists MAR 29 & 30 - The Color of Blind - Contemporary Art Month Mercury Project (Featuring Russell Stephenson) San Antonio Contemporary Art Month The Color of Blind APR 26 - Spring Round Up - Museum of Western Art (Featuring Bill Scheidt) Kerrville - Exhibit Remains thru May 24  Museum of Western Art Event Facebook Twitter Website