For Maria Hughes, art is all about color.
“Color is what inspires me,” she said.
For her show, “Sigo Soñando” or “Still Dreaming,” Hughes will exhibit a new series of vibrant, abstract monotypes. She has invited artists Scotie Carden and Clemente Garcia to join her on the walls of Canal Street Gallery, as well as sculptor Daniel Esquivel Brandt.
The exhibition will open with two receptions -- the first is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 13 and the second, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 14. The exhibit will continue through the month at the gallery’s 2219 Canal Street location.
This will be Hughes’ third major art show.
The artist had her first solo exhibit at age 77, and her second two years later.
When asked why she waited until her 70s to show off her work, Hughes explained, “I guess I wasn’t ready.”
“The more you do art, the better it gets,” she said.
Hughes has always loved art and color, but she only recently has turned her passion into a full-time gig.
She began her career in designing window displays and interior decorations of a department store in Laredo, Texas, but after eight years, she wanted to pursue work that would give her more of a creative outlet.
At age 30, she began painting. Two years later, she moved from her home in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico to Houston to study art at the Museum of Fine Arts. Hughes then began studies at the University of Houston, where she received her bachelor’s in art education.
She started teaching in the Houston Independent School District, and after years in the classroom, pursued a master’s degree in guidance and counseling at Texas A&M University.
She continued working in HISD, now as a counselor, until her retirement in 2003. Since then, Hughes has immersed herself in art.
She joined the Houston Art League, always searching for ways to improve her technique.
Then, seven years ago, she enrolled in a class taught by her former student, Armando Rodriguez, who converted Hughes into a printmaker.
“Once I started doing monotypes, that’s all I wanted to do,” she said.
To create a monotype, Hughes paints on a clear sheet of acrylic with special paints, which are then printed on a press on a wet sheet of paper. Sometimes she enhances each piece with line touches of soft pastel. Every monotype is in fact an original piece.
Canal Street Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
For more information about the exhibit, visit www.canalstreetgallery.com.
Attached photos courtesy of Cadence Enterprise:
1. Maria Hughes
