Reverie Meets Reality: “Dreaming in Color”

The warmth and glow of desert dreams come to life when the artwork of Maria Hughes <http://mariahughesart.com/index.html> is put on display in the exhibition opening “Dreaming in Color” from March 31 to April 28 at Canal Street Gallery <http://www.canalstreetgallery.com/> . The opening reception with the artist is Friday, April 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. Valet parking will be available.

From the imagination and innovative mind of Hughes, “Dreaming in Color” is a distinctive interpretation of deserts, landscapes and the natural world.

Colors blend in agreement with her unique and intricate process of creating a monotype. Monotypes are formed by painting with water-based paints on a plexiglass plate. For visual texture, several layers of colors are applied to the plate followed by an elaborate print process. Similar to leaves on a tree, no two prints are alike.

Hughes was born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, a city that was founded in 1848 by families that were originally living in what is now Laredo, Texas. It is a city connected to the U.S. by the Río Grande River, three international bridges and a rail bridge. To the west of Nuevo Laredo is the vast expanse of the Chihuahuan Desert. To the south and west soar the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains, and to the east lie the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. She grew up immersed in the colors, textures and lines of this vast landscape filled with Technicolor sunsets. Intensity of color, movement, line, and visual texture portray the energy Hughes imagined it took for the world to come into being and expresses the beauty she sees in nature. It is Hughes’ hope to evoke joy in the onlooker— the same joy she experienced in creating this series.

Hughes studied art at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and decided to incorporate her love of art with her passion for teaching. She graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Art Education at the University of Houston and became an art teacher for the Houston Independent School District. After several years of teaching art, she received a Masters of Education in Guidance and Counseling from Texas A & M University and worked as a counselor in various HISD Schools until her retirement.

Canal Street Gallery <http://www.canalstreetgallery.com/homepage.htm> is located on the corner of Navigation St. and Canal <http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Houston&state=TX&address=2219+Canal+Street&zipcode=77003SafariHTML\Shell\Open\CommandSafariHTML\Shell\Open\Command> . The gallery features the original works of artists in a beautifully refurbished space that was once a neighborhood blood bank. The gallery features rotating work from resident and visiting artists. The gallery is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, call Valentina Atkinson at 713-724-0709 or visit www.canalstreetgallery.com.