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By Matt Stephens
Anne Walker believes her talent as an oil painter was a gift from God. She marks all of her paintings with a cross and writes “To God be to glory” on the back of each one.
“He put this crazy love in my heart, and it’s what I want to do,” Walker said.
The 54-year-old resident of The Woodlands was awarded “Best of Show,” “Mayor’s Choice,” first and second place oil painting and an honorable mention for four of her works presented Saturday at the Lone Star Art Guild’s 49th Annual Convention at the Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe.
“I’m very overwhelmed,” she said. “There’s so much beautiful work here.”
The LSAG is an organization of 21 art leagues and approximately 2,000 member artists within a 200-mile radius of Houston. The event presented 730 pieces of artwork from 376 Southeast Texas artists in categories of various painting mediums, three-dimensional mediums, drawing and photography.
“We are always excited to see our artists enjoying the process of showing and selling their artwork at our annual convention,” said Theresa Thornhill, second vice president of the guild. “This show represents the best of the best from our member leagues.”
Thornhill said there were no specific criteria for the three judges who awarded artwork, but they had to agree on “Best of Show” and some of the other awards.
“They talked back and forth and argued, but eventually they all agreed,” she said.
Two of the three judges for the event, artists Larry Dyke and Keiko Yasuoka, said Walker’s work was so successful at the convention because of how technically sound it was. Yasuoka, an accomplished painter and calligraphy artist from Japan, said Walker’s work also manages to tell a story despite its simple components.
“When you can see a painting that tells a story, that’s the most important thing,” Yasuoka said “If you can see a story in a still life, then it’s very successful.”
Walker’s still life of a bowl of fruit titled “Classical Fruit” won the overall “Best of Show.”
Dyke, a well-known landscape painter, said that even though judging art is completely subjective, he praised Walker’s technique as being “above reproach.”
Three more of her works won awards, including a painting of her golden retriever, which received a second-place ribbon, and a portrait of her 23-year-old daughter Sarah, which received a first-place ribbon, as well as the “Mayor’s Choice” award.
“My daughter is so incredibly gorgeous on the outside, but also gorgeous on the inside,” Walker said. “She’s got the prettiest heart you’ve ever seen.”
Although she has only been painting for 12 years, a number that surprised many fellow artists who complimented her work, Walker has been interested in art for much longer. A Conroe High School graduate in 1973, she attended The University of Texas, where she studied art history and excelled at drawing.
Walker said she doesn’t have a great story about her sudden desire to start painting in 1998. She just knew she wanted to try.
“I just wanted to paint,” Walker said. “I went to my local art store and asked, ‘What do I need to paint?”
It didn’t take long for her to get noticed. In 1999, her work was published in an art magazine and noticed by Sen. Hillary Clinton. Walker was named one of America’s top 200 craftsmen and a folk painting she made of the White House was placed in the Blue Room.
“It’s probably still sitting around in the basement there somewhere,” Walker said.
Matt Stephens can be reached at mstephens@hcnonline.com.
“He put this crazy love in my heart, and it’s what I want to do,” Walker said.
The 54-year-old resident of The Woodlands was awarded “Best of Show,” “Mayor’s Choice,” first and second place oil painting and an honorable mention for four of her works presented Saturday at the Lone Star Art Guild’s 49th Annual Convention at the Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe.
“I’m very overwhelmed,” she said. “There’s so much beautiful work here.”
The LSAG is an organization of 21 art leagues and approximately 2,000 member artists within a 200-mile radius of Houston. The event presented 730 pieces of artwork from 376 Southeast Texas artists in categories of various painting mediums, three-dimensional mediums, drawing and photography.
“We are always excited to see our artists enjoying the process of showing and selling their artwork at our annual convention,” said Theresa Thornhill, second vice president of the guild. “This show represents the best of the best from our member leagues.”
Thornhill said there were no specific criteria for the three judges who awarded artwork, but they had to agree on “Best of Show” and some of the other awards.
“They talked back and forth and argued, but eventually they all agreed,” she said.
Two of the three judges for the event, artists Larry Dyke and Keiko Yasuoka, said Walker’s work was so successful at the convention because of how technically sound it was. Yasuoka, an accomplished painter and calligraphy artist from Japan, said Walker’s work also manages to tell a story despite its simple components.
“When you can see a painting that tells a story, that’s the most important thing,” Yasuoka said “If you can see a story in a still life, then it’s very successful.”
Walker’s still life of a bowl of fruit titled “Classical Fruit” won the overall “Best of Show.”
Dyke, a well-known landscape painter, said that even though judging art is completely subjective, he praised Walker’s technique as being “above reproach.”
Three more of her works won awards, including a painting of her golden retriever, which received a second-place ribbon, and a portrait of her 23-year-old daughter Sarah, which received a first-place ribbon, as well as the “Mayor’s Choice” award.
“My daughter is so incredibly gorgeous on the outside, but also gorgeous on the inside,” Walker said. “She’s got the prettiest heart you’ve ever seen.”
Although she has only been painting for 12 years, a number that surprised many fellow artists who complimented her work, Walker has been interested in art for much longer. A Conroe High School graduate in 1973, she attended The University of Texas, where she studied art history and excelled at drawing.
Walker said she doesn’t have a great story about her sudden desire to start painting in 1998. She just knew she wanted to try.
“I just wanted to paint,” Walker said. “I went to my local art store and asked, ‘What do I need to paint?”
It didn’t take long for her to get noticed. In 1999, her work was published in an art magazine and noticed by Sen. Hillary Clinton. Walker was named one of America’s top 200 craftsmen and a folk painting she made of the White House was placed in the Blue Room.
“It’s probably still sitting around in the basement there somewhere,” Walker said.
Matt Stephens can be reached at mstephens@hcnonline.com.
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