DECEMBER 2023

ARTISTS’ STUDIO VISITS

HENRY VERMILLION & BRITT ZAIST

Henry Vermillion www.henryvermillion.com and Britt Zaist www.brittzaist.com are prominent San Miguel artists who recently closed their art gallery, Galeria Izamal www.galeriaizamal.com after 29 years of successful operation in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

They now offer a personalized and informal visit to their studios. Henry´s work is figurative and expressionistic; Britt does ink gesture drawings and bold-color abstracts.

Aside from their studio work spaces, visitors will see their extensive home art gallery, with available work by both artists. Other collections of the artists: pre-hispanic artifacts and bonsai – are a unique feature of the visit.

A native of El Paso, Texas, Henry Vermillion grew up in West Texas and New Mexico. He graduated from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and, did post-graduate work at the University of Texas in Austin. He lived and worked for twenty years in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he was for five years President of the Wake Visual Arts Association, Raleigh´s largest art organization. He won many awards in state-wide art competitions, and his work was shown at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. In 1988, he was awarded the prestigious Raleigh Medal of the Arts.

He and his wife, Britt Zaist, settled in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1991. In 1992, they founded (with other fellow artists) Galeria Izamal, the artists´ co-operative venue which they maintained successfully for 29 years.

Among his other activities, he was a founding board member of the San Miguel Theater Company, which began their productions in 2014. He designed many sets, acted, and directed there.

He has taught art at the Instituto Allende and has conducted a traditional Tuesday Night Life Drawing Session for almost forty years. He is currently offering Expressive Drawing Classes in his home.

Currently, his paintings can be seen at Galeria Blue Moon and at his home/studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

• www.henryvermillion.com / www.galeriaizamal.com

• Cell/Whatsapp: (+52) 415 215 1591

• Home Phone: 415 152 6171

PLEASE CONTACT US TO SCHEDULE AN ARTISTS’ STUDIO VISITS

AUGUST 2023

  LA FIESTA BRAVA STORIES

by Britt Zaist

     Tony Ross was a great friend of ours (my husband, Henry Vermillion and me)  and we went to many a bullfight together. Tony had a magnificent voice to tell stories and to read poetry. He wanted to create a guide to understanding the bullfight: "La Fiesta Brava". He viewed the bullfight as a 3-act play. He asked me to illustrate this and gave me the full rights to the booklet. Each time I see it - I think of Tony who is somewhere in the Plaza in the Sky watching a bullfight.
     A funny story about being in Madrid years ago to go to the bullfights. In those days, we closed our gallery, Galeria Izamal for the full month of May. Everything used to close for May here in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. We would spend the entire month going to feria/festivals in Spain. In Madrid, the feria of San Isidro was wonderful. Henry and I couldn´t afford to go to all the fights. So, there was an elegant hotel in Madrid where many of the matadors stayed. You could buy drinks-wonderful gin and tonics with real yellow lemons (lemons were never available then in SMA) and that allowed you to go into the enormous lounge with many TV´s - and sit and watch the bullfights. We found a seat alongside an older man who had fallen asleep and was snoring so loudly that you couldn´t hear the bullfight. I was getting ready to shake him awake, when the famous Mexican matador Zotoluco walked over and nudged the man - who was his father. Thank god I didn’t wake him. We introduced ourselves to Zotoluco and wished him luck. Those were marvelous times traveling all over Spain, especially to Seville delivering art, visiting with our friends, John Fulton and Curro Camacho and going to the bullfights all May.

INK GESTURE DRAWINGS ON PAPER

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JUNE 2023

COLLECTORS OF TAURINE ART:

A NOTE OF OPPORTUNITY

By Henry Vermillion

My wife, Britt Zaist and I have one of the world´s most extensive collection of art works on paper/canvas of the late and legendary American artist/matador John Fulton. In addition, we have rare copies of his book “Bullfighting”, a signed/dedicated copy of “Little Egret and Toro” (by Robert Vavra with drawings by John Fulton) and copies of Curro Camacho´s “Our Friend John Fulton Quixote”. We have also for sale a deluxe copy of his limited edition “Lament for the Death of a Matador”. The book is based on the famous poem of Federico Garcia Lorca about the death of the poet/matador Ignacio Sanchez Mejias. We have several large templates in pencil which John used as the basis for his blood paintings.

Many of John´s black and white prints and etchings are signed in pencil. The collection includes dozens of full color prints of bullfight posters and a magnificent 40 x 28 inch poster for an opera series in Seville. We have also an original oil painting: “Rebolera”.

Much of these works were obtained directly from John after his despedida in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1994 when we showed his work in our San Miguel Galeria Izamal. Additional pieces came from John´s “Sancho Panza”, the matador Curro Camacho in Seville, John´s long-time home in Spain.

We are of retirement age now, and can offer either the entire collection or separate lots (signed prints, posters, books) for not-to-be-missed prices.

We have just updated John´s section of our virtual online gallery www.galeriaizamal.com so you can see the entire collection.

For details, please inquire.

• My cell. 415 215 1591, email: henryavermillion@yahoo.com

• Britt´s cell / WhatsApp 415 115 5888, email: brittzaist@yahoo.com

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MARCH 2023

THE “METAMORPHOSIS” SERIES BY ELVIA SAMANIEGO, GALERIA IZAMAL GUEST ARTIST

THE “METAMORPHOSIS” SERIES BY ELVIA SAMANEIGO is part of the “Three Women” exhibition at Galeria Blue Moon (Stirling Dickinson No. 7, San Antonio) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The other artists in this show are Beverly Sky and Ri Anderson. Each of the 32 separate drawings by Elvia Samaniego in the “Metamorphosis” series may be purchased alone or with as many as the client would like. There will be a CLOSING RECEPTION for the show on FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 5 TO 8 PM. Do come to see the show before it is taken down. Days Open: Tuesday - Saturday 10 am-2pm and 3pm-7pm; Sunday 10 am to 2 pm. Elvia´s presentation/installation alone is a marvelous idea and the execution of the work is fantastic. The other artists that comprise Galeria Blue Moon and who will have work up as well are: Vito Ascencio, Federico Gamaleri, James Gritz, Andrew Klein, Ray Leguizamo, Henry Vermillion and Ernesto Zeivy.

EXPLANATION OF THE “METAMORPHOSIS” SERIES

by Elvia Samaniego

     Life is in constant change.  The changes may come as a completely new way of thinking with our relations with others, through travels which flood us with new experiences; we may confront hostile life landscapes which require us to muster our strengths to regain our balance and to reach peace and happiness.

     I enjoy experimenting with various mediums about “invisible” subjects, things which are real but can´t be seen.  I also love to investigate the changes we all experience with the passage of time and how we change with this new reality as the days go by.

These drawings make up the “Metamorphosis” series.  They capture the movement of life by means of joyous and free expression of the body as time goes by.  The colors change as do emotions and movements transforming themselves into different tones that express the energy that moves us.

   The installation of 32 drawings on paper makes up the series. The drawings were mounted on the wall without puncturing them, making up a metaphor of life. Only the faces and a few details of clothing are in color to emphasize emotions. As the exhibition continues, more details may be filled in.

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL

METAMORFOSIS

Por Elvia Samaniego

La vida es una transformación constante, desde las ideas que suponen una metamorfosis completa de nuestro modo de pensar, la convivencia con los otros, los viajes que nos inundan de experiencias, los paisajes hostiles de la vida a los que nos enfrentamos y como renacemos con fuerzas renovadas para alcanzar el equilibrio y la tan ansiada felicidad y la paz.

Me gusta experimentar con diferentes técnicas abordando temas de reflexión hacia los “invisibles”, los que existen pero no se ven y su confrontación con la realidad. Asimismo, me apasiona indagar sobre los cambios que experimentamos a lo largo del tiempo y la manera en que que se modifican el ser y el individuo de acuerdo a la experiencia en el día a día.

Estos dibujos forman la serie “Metamorfosis” y sugieren el movimiento de la vida a través de la libre expresión del cuerpo al transitar el tiempo cambiando de colores según el momento y las emociones, porque a cada paso se transforman manifestándose en tonalidades diferentes que expresan la energía que nos mueve.

La instalación con 32 dibujos se colocaron en el muro evitando perforarlos recreando una composición que es una metáfora de la existencia. Solo las caras y algunos detalles de la ropa están pintados para referir las emociones que expresamos. Conforme transcurra la exhibición se irán completando hasta obtener todos los detalles.

La Serie “Metamorfosis” de la artista Elvia Samaniego forma parte de la exhibición “Tres Mujeres” que se presenta en la Galería Blue Moon (Stirling Dickinson 7) de San Miguel de Allende juntos a las artistas Beverly Sky y Ri Anderson. Cada pieza de la serie se puede vender individualmente o varias juntas... una vez que termine la exhibición.

newsletter

FEBRUARY 2023

34 YEARS (SO FAR) VALENTINE CARD

BY BRITT ZAIST

Bet you didn't get swell Valentines like these.
The large one is for 2022 and the smaller one: "PS" is for 2023 from my husband, Henry Vermillion. I took a photo to add them to the Valentine card we have used for 34 years (so far). I will photograph that card - originally full of Hallmark impossible promises and later lots of real promises and tries over the years. We lost it for a year in one move...and one of our cats, Clyde peed on it once...but tried and true it's still being faithfully used...with addendums to the original.
One of the people in Henry's life drawing class on Tuesday nights saw the 2022 & 2023 Valentines pinned to the fridge and asked - "Who did those?" Henry responded "Me!" She said no more but quietly walked away...The true and amusing part is that the "fine" artist can do anything from the most amateurish to the most Michelangelo- ish...and not be concerned with what others think - coming from a well-earned confidence point. Whereas - we art whores (your truly) would never take that chance.
Here´s to many more Valentine Day´s addendums.

VIEW MORE WORK FROM THE GALERIA IZAMAL ARTISTS

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JANUARY 2023

JIM NEWELL

By Henry Vermillion

In the mid-nineties, I saw a local Player´s Workshop production of “A Man for All Seasons”, the play about Sir Thomas More and sixteenth- century royal politics in England. More was the solid moral anchor who was also the thorn in the side of the King Henry the Eighth. More paid for his advice to the Trump-like king with a trip to the chopping block. The actor who played More was new to me. He seemed clearly a talented professional, as he actually was. Jim Newell had arrived in San Miguel.

Not long after, Jim made himself available for small or large roles with the bi-weekly San Miguel Playreaders productions. Still later, I was pleased when he asked me to do a search for a space in San Miguel to house a dream he had long nurtured: to establish a new theater here. A space was found—and with the help of fellow actors and fellow golfers— the space was renovated. The San Miguel Playhouse opened with its first show, “Moonlight and Magnolias”, in 2014.

Jim´s life was Theater. He was an actor, director, producer, and promoter. A Chicago native, he earned a Ph.D. in Theater from Wayne State University, worked as an actor in New York for seven years, and did film and television work for many years in California. He was a cast regular on the “Dallas” TV series, and for three years did nationally broadcast TV commercials for Jell-O Puddings, a gig he often made fun of.

In “Moonlight and Magnolias”, Jim played the Bogart-like director Victor Fleming, who was hired to direct “Gone with the Wind” in mid-production. When the producer David Selznick wants to know if Fleming knows Clark Gable, Jim / Fleming growls “Know him? I taught Gable to BE Gable!”

Sadly, Jim died last year. He is greatly missed, but his contributions to theater and to life in San Miguel will live on.

PLEASE GO TO OUR VIRTUAL ONLINE GALLERY

WWW.GALERIAIZAMAL.COM

TO SEE MORE WORK OF:

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