May 2008
Gallery Talk by Myrna Zanetell
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Robert Shepack -- a great friend of the artsThe El Paso art community lost a good friend and treasured member with the passing of Robert Shepack Feb. 29. In addition to serving as president of El Paso Community College from 1976 to 1990, Bob was a familiar face throughout the city, serving on the advisory boards of such organizations as the El Paso Museum of Art, the Mission Trail Association and the El Paso Community Foundation. During his retirement years, Bob found renewed joy in painting and sharing his positive outlook on life with many local artists, several of whom were willing to reflect on their favorite memories of this gentle and gracious man.
Julie Oliver, co-owner of the Patio Gallery in Las Cruces writes, “The Shepacks have been our closest friends for many, many years. (My husband) Jim found that he and Bob shared many a common interest, so Joan and I could have fun with our art while the guys solved the world’s problems! The one memory — out of so many — that I would like to share is about when I was experiencing a very difficult painter’s block with an exhibit looming in the not-so-far distance. Bob took the time to work out a method (prescription) to help me get out of it ... signing off with ‘Doctor Bob.’ After seeing all the time and effort that he had put into it, I decided to humor him by following the carefully thought-out steps, not really believing it would help. Well, it did! What a gift he gave me. I named the first painting ‘Doctor Bob.’ I (still) have great comfort in knowing I have his prescription in case the dreaded block ever hits again.
“(After retiring) Bob was thrilled to get back to his first love of painting, and he went about it with great enthusiasm, sharing his process and ideas for future works. He had always framed Joan’s paintings and documented her work, so art had been around him and it was an easy transition to make the garage ‘his studio.’ After Jim admired one of Bob’s pieces so much he talked about it all the way back to Las Cruces, I called Bob to ask him to name his price, and we now own what Bob said was his ‘best piece.’ Art is very special, timeless, and because of it, we will always have Bob around.”
Former El Paso Art Association President Bob Adams shares these comments: “Bob and Joan Shepack were a welcome sight anytime I saw them at exhibits or openings. I admired his (Bob’s) landscape paintings; I think they were a reflection of his personality. The soft, gentle color harmony in Bob’s paintings spoke volumes about him as a person. As I recall, Bob never said much about his own work, but he never failed to compliment other artists on theirs. A good person never goes unnoticed, and so it will be for Bob Shepack. I’m glad I was his friend.”
Bob and Joan’s friend Dee Phillips adds, “Bob was a kind, gentle man who loved his family and truly enjoyed people and life. His wit and humor would shine through yearly in his entertaining Christmas letters recounting everyday life with Joan and both their art careers, and, about anything under the sun.”
Update on El Paso Art Association
Following a somewhat rocky period a few years ago, the future looks bright for the El Paso Art Association thanks to the stalwart guidance of Kitty Kistenmacher (president 2006–2007) and Don Beene, who took the helm as president in 2008.
Having arrived in El Paso in 1966, Beene can nearly be considered an El Paso native. He confides, however, that his heritage is really a bit farther east, since he grew up on a small family ranch south of Fort Worth. After returning from a stint in Vietnam, he was accepted at Texas Western. After earning his degree, Beene spent the next 35 years working with El Paso Independent School District.
“I’ve always enjoyed painting, so I studied with Bill Kolliker for a while in the ’70s,” he recalled.
But his love for art was forced to take a backseat to family and career until his retirement in 2002. That’s when he resurrected painting gear from the closet and resumed his studies under Bill Bissell. He also joined the El Paso Art Association and became an active member of the Sunland Park Gallery.
Even though he’s only been in office a short time, he notes that he is especially excited about what is happening at the Art Junction, the EPAA art studio co-op at 500 W. Paisano and home of the Crossland Gallery.
“We have about 34 finished (studio) spaces and keep about 30 of them rented most of time. Also, I just hired Pat and Katy Foss to act as managers, which allows us to keep the gallery open regular hours. The exhibition gallery has been booked for every month this year and three months into 2009. In addition to providing the space, the gallery assists with promotion details, such as printing invitations, handling publicity and setting up the receptions. The artist pays the bills and we do the rest.”
Magdalena artist Warren Smart will have a one-man show opening in May in the Crossland Gallery. A watercolorist, Smart is best-known for large compositions, some up to 4’ x 8’ in size, which depict the vastness of his New Mexico surroundings.
“We’re really looking forward to this about his exhibition,” Beene enthuses. “With 47 pieces of work on display, I think this is the largest one-man show I’ve seen in this area. Smart is a regular exhibitor in the Arts International and has built a strong base of collectors, including the Rubins (Stanlee and Gerald), so I think this will be a good draw for the gallery.”
Beene notes that the closing of the Hal Marcus Gallery and SpAG has also triggered increased interest in EPAA’s Sunland Park Gallery.
“Six months ago, I was trying to figure a way to keep the location open because membership had dropped, and now, we have a waiting list.”
Arts International 2008 is also looming on the horizon. The exhibition will return Oct. 3–23 to the Downtown Library.
“The library staff was so accommodating last year,” Beene said. “They wanted us back again, and being open seven days a week also means that more people will have the opportunity to see the work.”
Closings and openings
It looks like the ground has not stopped shaking yet when it comes to gallery closings. Two Las Cruces “majors” — White Raven and the Patio Gallery — have announced intentions to close their doors by early summer. Julie Oliver confided that she and Carolyn Bunch will not be renewing their lease on the Patio space; they plan to cease operations the end of June. Carolyn and Julie both want to spend more time with family. Sandy Zane will shut down White Raven the end of July so she can devote more time to her Santa Fe Gallery.
On the bright side, however, Susan Eisen has announced plans to add gallery space to her jewelry store on Mesa.
Despite the many closings throughout the region, Susan enthusiastically emphasizes, “We don’t have any bad news coming out of here.”
In keeping with what seems to be the new trend, Susan notes that since having a gallery as just one facet of a store removes the pressure for the gallery to succeed as a separate entity.
With this move, Susan is returning to her roots. When she opened her first store, on Montana near the old El Paso Museum of Art, she had a co-op gallery featuring not only art around the city, but also handmade glass and jewelry.
“At that time, I was more of an artist than a jeweler. It worked for a while, but that wasn’t really a good retail area,” she confides. “Consequently, when I moved up to the Promenade, I did more with jewelry than fine art. With my background, I have always wanted to feature more art, but the time was not right until just recently. After writing my book, ‘Crazy about Jewelry,’ I have concentrated on going full circle back to what got me started in the first place — the love of art, design and color. So I have decided to reenact the gallery to showcase local art in a new venue. Jewelry and art customers are very much the same — customers who appreciate beauty, design and color.”
Susan hired Janet Aboud, former co-owner of the Hal Marcus Gallery, to manage the art part of the business.
“The other new aspect is that we will have a panel of independent jurors who will select the artists that we will be showing, so the jury process will be totally community-oriented,” Susan added. “Our jurors will be community people who like art, collect art, and look forward to these exhibitions.”
In addition to displaying handmade glass and jewelry from artists outside the area, Susan plans to concentrate on showcasing the work of regional artists.
The opening exhibition in May will feature Mauricio Mora.
Myrna Zanetell is a freelance writer specializing in the visual arts.
Myrna Zanetell is a freelance writer specializing in the visual arts.
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