February 11 - 20, 2021
From the gallery:
“The Mexican Cultural and Tourism Institute of Houston wishes to thank Las Alamedas Restaurant for their invaluable role in preserving these historic icons of Houston’s restaurant scene. This exhibit would not be possible without the vision and extraordinary effort provided by Las Alamedas Restaurant.
Plein-air urban landscape paintings are ever-evolving and always tell a story. A series of watercolor paintings by Valentina Atkinson, completed in Mexico during the 1990s, captures a particular moment in time, and celebrates the rich history, tradition, art, and architecture of her native land. They were painted on location in Puebla, San Angel (Mexico City), and Taxco.
The four large scale mural paintings were also part of this series of commissioned works, which were gracefully lent by the owner for this temporary exhibit. Three of them represent intimate interior scenes of different sections of the Mexican kitchen of Santa Rosa’s ex-convent in Puebla, now a museum. The fourth and largest mural blends a kitchen and the scenic view of a little “pueblo” in an explosion of Mexican traditional elements.
Atkinson’s watercolor and acrylic scenes depict colonial building facades, cobblestone streets, 16th–17th-century cathedrals, walls covered in tiles (azulejos), patios and nooks, and feature lush garden detail, colorful agricultural bounty, and the traditional ceramic ware of local artisans.
Although Valentina Atkinson is better known for her abstract colorful watercolor paintings today, her early plein air paintings arose from her studies of design and fine art in Mexico City, where her interest at the time was figurative painting. Whether figurative or abstract, a driving force behind the work, which has remained consistent throughout her artistic journey, is the desire to share an unwavering sense of pride in her homeland, that might give viewers a fresh, intimate perspective.”
Opening: February 11, 2021 | 6–9 pm
2000 Edwards St. Suite-317
Houston, 77007 Texas
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