Jackie Hodges is away and asked me to do her column this month. Gulp!!! Well, I tossed and turned, woke up during the night wondering what in the world I was going to do since I am not in the least qualified to be an art anything. The local dog or cat could accidentally put paw prints all over a newspaper and if someone told me it was art I would have believed them I call it a talent when someone can draw a straight line without a guide; I can’t, so when I see what some people can do with a blank canvas I am really in awe. The assignment for this column was given to me on short notice. Knowing we have so many fine talents in this area I didn’t know where to begin. Two days before the column was due I was verging on panic and then like a bolt out of the blue, I actually met an honest to goodness artist….at a memorial ceremony. I glommed on to her like glue and she was kind enough to give me an interview. Actually, I had purchased one of her paintings at an art show several years ago so it was nice to meet the artist.
Luisa Julian wears a lot of hats. Not only does she teach painting, she also paints in her studio gallery and shows the works of other local artists. On Mondays you can find her at the Ed Wilkes Center teaching cooking classes to the village women. I stopped by her gallery on a Sunday afternoon. When I walked in the door I could smell the oils and I went into a room where she was hard at work painting an enlarged portion of a cactus on a large canvas. Before I got to Luisa, I was captivated by a striking painting of hollyhock blossoms on an over-size canvas. The blossoms were magnified and the colors vibrant and arresting. My mouth began to water and wondered where I could hang it in a house already crammed with paintings, many done by a relative. I got as far as wondering how I t would look on the ceiling when I reluctantly remembered my partner telling me if I came home with one more thing without a written note that I would be in deep do-do. Luisa has been painting for 35 years. She always drew as a child and in her early 20’s she knew she wanted to have originals in her own home. She was a young bride and could not afford to buy originals, so she did her own and never stopped.
When her husband was killed in an accident, Luisa did a military stint for three years and then went to New Jersey where she had family. At a dance she met a man who she eventually married and he whisked her off to California. When the marriage failed she started a landscaping business that turned out to be successful and when her three children were grown she sold it, packed what she could fit into her car and moved to Mexico to paint full-time. Luckily for us, she finally settled at Lakeside. She loves teaching and many local artists either got their start or had their art refined when they attended her classes. She says anyone can paint, but naturally some do it better than other and go far beyond the basic mechanics.
Fluent in Spanish, she has a vital interest in the Mexican community and always has at least one Mexican child under her wing that shows promise. Luisa is a tireless worker with an engaging personality. Her eyes sparkle when she talks and her smile is warm and generous. The time slipped away from me and finally when her husband called to see if she was all right, I realized it was time for me to leave. The Studio Art Gallery is located kitty-corner from LCS on 11 Ramon Carona . It is open every day from 10 to 4 and most likely you will find Luisa, paint brush in hand in the front window where the light is good.
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