April Quarterly Newsletter 2014

Spring Is Here! View this email in your browser Noel Hart And Other News Springtime has been bustling here at J. R. Mooney Galleries with many of our artists participating in area art events (see the events listing in this newsletter) and a quite busy framing department.  We’ve added a new member to our excellent framing team, Larry Portillo, and would like to wish him a warm welcome!  Larry brings many years of framing experience with him and we are proud to have his expertise in our frame shop.   Also, Valarie McCown has recently joined us at the San Antonio location.  Not only has Valarie blessed us with her design skills at the framing counter, we can thank her for putting our newsletter together.  So, a big welcome aboard to both Valarie and Larry!   Besides acquiring new employees, we have also acquired some new art glass recently that deserves a mention.  While vacationing in Europe last summer, Robert Mooney came across some really outstanding glass-work and knew immediately that the work would fit right in with our gallery in San Antonio.   After a bit of a search, it was learned that the artist was not European, but an Australian artist by the name of Noel Hart.  Here is an excerpt from his website:   “I like wild things. Whether wild species, landscapes, the weather, or the arts, I like it when I can sense a nearness to creation, creativity and the evolution of an idea” Noel Hart is an Australian glass artist, sculptor and painter working across a range of art forms including blown glass sculptures, paintings, and mixed media.  His work is an exploration of biodiversity and its translation into forms of expression. A distinctive aspect of Noel’s art is the recurring theme of the bird motif presented both abstractly and figuratively.   The pieces we have are really outstanding, the colors bold and vibrant and the craftsmanship masterful, so please come by to see this new art glass – you’ll be glad you did! "South of Town" - Randy Peyton - Oil 24" x 36" - $4,850.00   SOUTH OF TOWN Randy Peyton represents the new cohort of Texas Landscape Painters; leading a post Onderdonk generation of Bluebonnet Bounty.  Peyton has captured the Texas landscape like a scenic shaman, creating emotional and nostalgic reminiscences of days nurtured by the Texas heat- causing the viewer to relax in an art induced medicinal meditation. South of Town, a 24 x 36” oil painting by Peyton is a classic example of a signature style; complete with bluebonnets, live oaks, a small barn, a horse carriage trail, and semi-arid vegetation.  Peyton knows his role in the historical timeline of Texas Landscape painters and this prosperity allows his a certain freedom evident in his images. Bluebonnets bookend the sides of the gravel path that snakes through the painting like a question mark- pulling your eye straight to the horizon line and over to the dominate Live Oak on the left side of the mid-ground.   To balance out the composition, Peyton places the wood paneled brown barn opposite of the ominous and mature tree.  The humbled hay hangar opens its wide doors showing a shadowed interior.  Deep obscurity hides straw bales and husbandry necessities. The roof peaks and pitches slant down to a diminutive corral- vacant of any animals.  Although the dirt trail shows signs of wear, the total intuitive emptiness of the location implies an abandoned site-a ranch hidden deep in the backwoods of Texas; a product of the times. Impressionistic bluebonnets are minimally detailed, allowing for assumptions of validity.  The official state flower of Texas is arranged in 7 neat patches of underbrush- each lining the trail to the barn. Spotted with yellow and pink flower variations, we see a deliberate attempt to establish geography, but not caring for a realistic rendition of regional botany. The main players of this scenic sonata are the three live oaks that secure a stoic trifecta of Quercus fusiformis; each placed in strategic areas in the composition –far left, far right, and exact middle. Accented with spare cactus and open skyline, Peyton’s work of art compels us to imagine ourselves in the typical barren desert-scape of the Southern United States- feeling the arid heat and listening to the sounds of crickets. -By: Gabriel Diego Delgado, Gallery Director J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art, Boerne

"Sunrise on the Guadalupe" - Mark Keathley - Oil 36" x 48" - $10,800.00 Mark Keathley Acquisition Sunrise on the Guadalupe is an amazing tribute to the grandeur and beauty of Texas’ landscape and is a wonderful example of Mark Keathley’s talent. His use of color and rhythm lead us exactly where he wants us to go and yet makes us feel autonomous in the process.  At first glance, a patch of sunlight dancing on a group of rocks off to the right, takes your eyes immediately to the center of the painting. Nothing about this piece is hurried or in a rush. Your gaze wants to linger there for a moment as you watch the water playfully drop over a slight ledge. Keathley has not just captured a splendid view, but an emotion-- that feeling of rubbing the sleep out of your eyes early on a Sunday to the sound of birds singing their morning song and stepping out of the tent to the smell of fresh coffee brewing over a campfire. In the hustle and bustle of today’s world where a blackberry is no longer something you pick off a bush; Mark Keathley reminds us what is truly important. The organic rhythm of the repeating ripples has the viewer drifting along with the water straight down and to the left of the painting as the Guadalupe laps at the bank like a thirsty kitten with milk. The oranges, pinks, and purples in the water are a mere reflection of the sky it admires. Keathley has expertly drawn our eyes back to the top of the painting to appreciate the beauty of daybreak. “I’m attracted to light and beautiful colors”, he says. “I get real excited over shapes. It’s crazy the things that attract my attention, but I believe that God wants to express himself through me. I think His creativity is a part of who I am and I cannot wait to put it on canvas because I want it to bless you. I hope it brings you a sense of peace and rest and gets you in touch with what life is all about.” Sunrise on the Guadalupe is located at the JR Mooney Galleries Broadway location. Look for new selections of his work at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in the “Night of the Artist” invitational exhibition. © Valarie Lanelle McCown "Texas Wildflowers" - Cliff Cavin - Oil 22" x 30" - $3,275.00 “Texas Wildflowers”, a simplistic but elegantly painted hill country scene is a new painting by San Antonio landscape painter, Cliff Cavin.  Although the title declares the painting should be about the broad expanse of the flower blooms; the Indian Paintbrushes, Bluebonnets, and such- the tree line steals the spotlight. I am not talking about the overpowering Oak that you might think, but the creeping silently and gangly small twig-like narrow saplings off to the left that divvy for our attention--like some outstretched alien finger; unidentifiable but curiously inviting. Pictorially, Cavin angles the composition upward to the right side of the canvas; an unusual pictorial angle that accents the shape of Mother Nature’s irregular rows of wind dispersed flowers. Orange, Blue, Green, and White gently roll with blooming abundance as each distinct hue bears witness to the ever resilient Texas Hill Country. However, wallowing in the field of undisturbed meadow, there is an oddly pronounced large patch of chartreuse blooms.  This oasis of vivid greenery holds the field stable and in view, like a horticultural anchor, keeping our eye from wandering off the picture plane.  Shallow shades fill the mid-ground as we assess the midday sunlight. Profiled against the dark shrubbery are pockets of extended stems that hold some flowers high above others, extending out into the warmness of the day. By: Gabriel Diego Delgado, Gallery Directo J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art, Boerne It’s been a crazy winter, but spring is finally peeking tentatively around the corner.  Time to clean out those closets and garages! This is a great opportunity to rediscover a forgotten treasure and there is no better way to share distinctive items than to feature them in a custom shadow box frame.  Let our professional design team help you create a showpiece that is uniquely you!  There are very few items that we cannot work with.  J. R. Mooney Galleries has crafted shadow box frames for antique swords, medical equipment, sports jerseys, and screenplay manuscripts (Lonesome Dove hand signed by the cast and crew), just to name a few. We use acid free materials to mount and highly recommend Museum Glass for incredible visibility.  It is an anti-reflection picture framing glass with a nearly invisible finish that effectively blocks up to 99% of all harmful indoor and outdoor UV light rays.  Not only will your treasures be beautifully displayed, but they will also be better protected than they were locked up in your hope chest or stashed in a box under your bed. As the saying goes, there is no time like the present, especially because for the month of April, J. R. Mooney galleries is offering a 20% discount on any shadow box framing.  Come in today!                                                                                                                © Valarie McCown

UPCOMING SAN ANTONIO & AREA ART EVENTS! MAR 10 thru APR 30  Texas Size Celebration - Art at the Plaza Club - San Antonio - Showcase of Texas Vintage, Texas Impressionism, and Contemporary Western Art featuring Randy Peyton, Arthur McCall, Cliff Cavin, Warren Hunter, Bill Scheidt, Sidney Sinclair - Texas Size Celebration MAR 30 thru APR 27 Night of the Artists - Briscoe Western Art Museum - San Antonio - Hosted in the beautiful Jack Guenther Pavilion.  Exhibition will showcase over 60 of the country's top Western artists! -Night of the Artists APR 12 2nd Saturday Art & Wine - Ultimate Weekend Art Experience - Boerne - featuring artist, Cliff Cavin - 2nd Saturday Boerne, TX APR 12 & APR 13 Boerne Parade of Artists 2014 - Over 30 local artists will be featured at nine separate venues in this year's 'Parade' with a diversity of media ranging from paintings in oils, watercolor, pastels, and acrylics, to bronze and relief sculpture, jewelry, photography, pottery, fused glass, mixed media and more. Parade of Artists APR 13 Paint the Town - The Coppini Academy of Fine Arts - Karnes City Show Barn - Featuring work by Cliff Cavin - Sunday, April 13, 2014 from 1pm to 5pm - Paint the Town APR 26 thru MAY 24 Spring Round Up Art Exhibition & Sale - Museum of Western Art in Kerrville - This exhibition includes approximately 90 works of art by major American western artists featuring Bill Schiedt. The opening reception with music and food starts Saturday, April 26th at 5 p.m. But the exhibit runs through May 24th. Spring Round Up MAY 8 Savor the Arts - The SW School of Art & Craft San Antonio - The 13th annual "friendraiser" event to benefit the Young Artist Programs of the Southwest School of Art - Thursday, May 8, 2014 from 7pm to 11 pm.  Enjoy a private preview of Nicolas Leiva:  Infinite Cycle Exhibition and its companion show GA-GA: ROYGBIV and the work of artist Russell Stephenson.  Savor the Arts MAY 10 2nd Saturday Art & Wine - Ultimate Weekend Art Experience - Boerne - 2nd Saturday Boerne, TX MAY 10 & JUN 7 Unveiling Texas - J.R. Mooney Galleries - Boerne Location - A survey of vintage to contemporary abstract landscapes featuring work done by Jose Vives-Atsara and Russell Stephenson from 1964 to 2014.  Opening Saturday, May 10, 2014 from 4 pm to 8 pm -J.R. Mooney Galleries Official Blog JUN 14 2nd Saturday Art & Wine - Ultimate Weekend Art Experience - Boerne - 2nd Saturday Boerne, TX JUL 12 2nd Saturday Art & Wine - Ultimate Weekend Art Experience - Boerne - 2nd Saturday Boerne, TX Facebook Twitter Website