Wisteria, Apartment Complex
Collection: Houston Airport System (HAS)
2015
Graphite, pen, and gouache on paper
Location:
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
2800 N Terminal Rd
Houston, TX 77032
About the Artwork:
Wisteria, Apartment Complex (2015)
by Beth Secor
Beth Secor, born in Houston in 1956, earned her BFA and MFA from the University of Houston and is a lecturer at University of Houston - Downtown. Here is one of her mixed media pieces, which is when an artwork is made with more than one medium or material, that measures nearly two feet high and two-and-a-half feet wide. It features a wisteria tree growing alongside and through a fence. Note how Secor used gouache, a water-based paint colored with pigment, to paint impressionistic elements, such as the curving and hatching brushstrokes for the tree’s bark and wall. As well, Secor used pen and graphite to outline the fence and add details to the tree’s bark. Secor said she was inspired by trees at an apartment complex near the University of Houston – Downtown around White Oak Bayou. Secor added: “The thing about painting trees is they don't stay still, they constantly move, and as this Wisteria moved throughout the day… People often ask me why I didn't just take a photograph of the Wisteria and then paint from that, but had I done so, I wouldn't have gotten to know the tree as it really is, not a still thing, but a sentient being.”
Wisteria, Complejo de Apartamentos (2015)
por Beth Secor
Beth Secor, nacida en Houston en 1956, obtuvo su Licenciatura y su Maestría en Bellas Artes en la Universidad de Houston y actualmente es profesora en la Universidad de Houston-Downtown. Aquí se presenta una de sus obras de técnica mixta, término que se refiere a una obra artística realizada con más de un medio o material, la cual mide casi dos pies de alto y dos pies y medio de ancho. La obra representa una glicinia que crece junto a una cerca y se entrelaza a través de ella. Observe cómo Secor utilizó gouache, una pintura a base de agua pigmentada, para plasmar elementos de estilo impresionista, tales como las pinceladas curvas y rayadas empleado para representar la corteza del árbol y el muro. Secor dijo que se inspiró en los árboles de un complejo de apartamentos situado cerca de la Universidad de Houston-Downtown en los alrededores de White Oak Bayou. Secor añadió: “Lo particular de pintar árboles es que no se quedan quietos; se mueven constantemente y, tal como está glicinia se movía a lo largo del día... A menudo la gente me pregunta por qué no simplemente le tomé una fotografía a la glicinia para luego pintarla a partir de ella, pero, de haberlo hecho, no habría llegado a conocer al árbol tal como es en realidad, no como un objeto estático, sino como un ser sintiente.”
Wisteria, Apartment Complex (2015)
by Beth Secor
Beth Secor, born in Houston in 1956, earned her BFA and MFA from the University of Houston and is a lecturer at University of Houston - Downtown. Here is one of her mixed media pieces, which is when an artwork is made with more than one medium or material, that measures nearly two feet high and two-and-a-half feet wide. It features a wisteria tree growing alongside and through a fence. Note how Secor used gouache, a water-based paint colored with pigment, to paint impressionistic elements, such as the curving and hatching brushstrokes for the tree’s bark and wall. As well, Secor used pen and graphite to outline the fence and add details to the tree’s bark. Secor said she was inspired by trees at an apartment complex near the University of Houston – Downtown around White Oak Bayou. Secor added: “The thing about painting trees is they don't stay still, they constantly move, and as this Wisteria moved throughout the day… People often ask me why I didn't just take a photograph of the Wisteria and then paint from that, but had I done so, I wouldn't have gotten to know the tree as it really is, not a still thing, but a sentient being.”
Wisteria, Complejo de Apartamentos (2015)
por Beth Secor
Beth Secor, nacida en Houston en 1956, obtuvo su Licenciatura y su Maestría en Bellas Artes en la Universidad de Houston y actualmente es profesora en la Universidad de Houston-Downtown. Aquí se presenta una de sus obras de técnica mixta, término que se refiere a una obra artística realizada con más de un medio o material, la cual mide casi dos pies de alto y dos pies y medio de ancho. La obra representa una glicinia que crece junto a una cerca y se entrelaza a través de ella. Observe cómo Secor utilizó gouache, una pintura a base de agua pigmentada, para plasmar elementos de estilo impresionista, tales como las pinceladas curvas y rayadas empleado para representar la corteza del árbol y el muro. Secor dijo que se inspiró en los árboles de un complejo de apartamentos situado cerca de la Universidad de Houston-Downtown en los alrededores de White Oak Bayou. Secor añadió: “Lo particular de pintar árboles es que no se quedan quietos; se mueven constantemente y, tal como está glicinia se movía a lo largo del día... A menudo la gente me pregunta por qué no simplemente le tomé una fotografía a la glicinia para luego pintarla a partir de ella, pero, de haberlo hecho, no habría llegado a conocer al árbol tal como es en realidad, no como un objeto estático, sino como un ser sintiente.”