OPENING OCTOBER 22, 2020
The San Antonio Art League & Museum is delighted to present four stellar artists whose work graces the 2020 Invitational Exhibit. Diverse in approach and media, these artists bring energy and mastery to this exhibit which runs until December 13, 2020.
The San Antonio Art League & Museum is delighted to present four stellar artists whose work graces the 2020 Invitational Exhibit. Diverse in approach and media, these artists bring energy and mastery to this exhibit which runs until December 13, 2020.
Vie Dunn-Harr
Vie Dunn-Harr explains that “My works are a reflection of all that I encounter and those I know. I have observed that a flower, like a woman, is a delicate creation. Yet each has strengths that enable them to prevail over the forces of nature.”
Dunn-Harr found her artistic expression slowly, yet deliberately, and continues to explore the many possibilities in the creative process. She studied in Florence, Italy, at the Lorenzo de Medici Instituto de Arte and with many accomplished artists whose work she admires. She derived much of her early experience from the traditional Warren Hunter School of Art and continues to embrace formalism while stepping out of bounds.
She is intrigued with churches, religious icons, sacred moments, and recently began a Church Series. “Flowers are a vital part of these compositions,” says Dunn-Harr, “and the forms are a sensuous metaphor for life.”
Vie Dunn-Harr explains that “My works are a reflection of all that I encounter and those I know. I have observed that a flower, like a woman, is a delicate creation. Yet each has strengths that enable them to prevail over the forces of nature.”
Dunn-Harr found her artistic expression slowly, yet deliberately, and continues to explore the many possibilities in the creative process. She studied in Florence, Italy, at the Lorenzo de Medici Instituto de Arte and with many accomplished artists whose work she admires. She derived much of her early experience from the traditional Warren Hunter School of Art and continues to embrace formalism while stepping out of bounds.
She is intrigued with churches, religious icons, sacred moments, and recently began a Church Series. “Flowers are a vital part of these compositions,” says Dunn-Harr, “and the forms are a sensuous metaphor for life.”
John Mattson
John Mattson believes we live in a world filled with imagery, most of which we take for granted, yet believes great art can change the heart, give us pause to contemplate, and remind us of our humanity – our pain, fear, yearning, and endless ability to love and to hate. Art still has the potential to exalt and trigger emotion.
“These paintings,” Mattson says, “are the cartoons of a soul unable to ignore the psychic distress inherent in our lives. Whether we admit it or not … there is deep within us a core of truth that scares us. I strive to make this visual with iconography that has slowly evolved as I mature. …. My work is my diary. The formalism of good composition and strong shape is important to me. Though I work from preliminary sketches, I never really know what will happen, usually feeling I am working at the edge of disaster. Painting is an exploration of uncharted territory, a constant test of my ability to be honest with myself.”
John Mattson believes we live in a world filled with imagery, most of which we take for granted, yet believes great art can change the heart, give us pause to contemplate, and remind us of our humanity – our pain, fear, yearning, and endless ability to love and to hate. Art still has the potential to exalt and trigger emotion.
“These paintings,” Mattson says, “are the cartoons of a soul unable to ignore the psychic distress inherent in our lives. Whether we admit it or not … there is deep within us a core of truth that scares us. I strive to make this visual with iconography that has slowly evolved as I mature. …. My work is my diary. The formalism of good composition and strong shape is important to me. Though I work from preliminary sketches, I never really know what will happen, usually feeling I am working at the edge of disaster. Painting is an exploration of uncharted territory, a constant test of my ability to be honest with myself.”
Tim McMeans
“I come from a family of bookbinders, scratch bakers, carpenters, and machinists – not artists in the academic sense, but people who taught me about the craftsmanship, creative problem solving, and the grit that it takes to create something that you in turn share with the world,” says Tim McMeans. “I carry this lineage with me proudly and my artistic process honors this legacy.”
McMeans has “always had a deep love of nature and animals in particular. The animals that are represented in my work are there because, in some way, they have enriched my life or hold a very personal meaning to me.” McMeans explains that “As subject matter, the animals serve a symbolic purpose to the message I wish to convey; however, I also take great care to represent the beauty and spirit of each animal.” These concerns are palpable in McMeans’s tactile works.
“I come from a family of bookbinders, scratch bakers, carpenters, and machinists – not artists in the academic sense, but people who taught me about the craftsmanship, creative problem solving, and the grit that it takes to create something that you in turn share with the world,” says Tim McMeans. “I carry this lineage with me proudly and my artistic process honors this legacy.”
McMeans has “always had a deep love of nature and animals in particular. The animals that are represented in my work are there because, in some way, they have enriched my life or hold a very personal meaning to me.” McMeans explains that “As subject matter, the animals serve a symbolic purpose to the message I wish to convey; however, I also take great care to represent the beauty and spirit of each animal.” These concerns are palpable in McMeans’s tactile works.
Momo and Pompa (Maureen Brown and Charles Harrison)
Maureen “Momo” Brown and Charles “Pompa” Harrison are a couple who collaborate in a kaleidoscope of color, textures, media, and patterns in painting, light sculpture, installations, and playful decorative recycled furniture.
Pompa is from Aguascalientes, Mexico, where he studied and exhibited art at La Casa de la Cultura and Casa de las Artes Visuales. He is known for his massive, colorful public light sculptures. His work has been shown in Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. His art philosophy is to absorb and funnel information from past and present and to materialize volume, shape, and light into multi-dimensional form.
Momo is a museum professional with over 20 years’ experience as an archaeologist in Texas, Jamaica, and Central America, as well as being a founding director of the Museum of the Coastal Bend in Victoria, Texas. Her work is a culmination of the exploration of our connection to world cultures and to the animate and inanimate environment around us.
Maureen “Momo” Brown and Charles “Pompa” Harrison are a couple who collaborate in a kaleidoscope of color, textures, media, and patterns in painting, light sculpture, installations, and playful decorative recycled furniture.
Pompa is from Aguascalientes, Mexico, where he studied and exhibited art at La Casa de la Cultura and Casa de las Artes Visuales. He is known for his massive, colorful public light sculptures. His work has been shown in Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. His art philosophy is to absorb and funnel information from past and present and to materialize volume, shape, and light into multi-dimensional form.
Momo is a museum professional with over 20 years’ experience as an archaeologist in Texas, Jamaica, and Central America, as well as being a founding director of the Museum of the Coastal Bend in Victoria, Texas. Her work is a culmination of the exploration of our connection to world cultures and to the animate and inanimate environment around us.