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J. Boles Pe�a and Amado Pe�a Jr. are working for Art Weekend

A A A Comments By Merritt Martin Thursday, Sep 16 2004

Art is omnipresent, it seems. Everywhere, one can find it in a fantastically designed structure, a detailed sign, a creative street tag and, sure, the good old standards of painting, photography and sculpture. With an open mind, art is easy to find and take in. What isn't as easy or accessible, most times, is the artist. Even rarer is the opportunity to personally witness an artist's creative process--the birth of an artwork.

Jim Arndt

Details

J. Boles and Amado Peña host Art Weekend, a new series at Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose. Patrons can visit with the Peñas and see free hands-on demonstrations from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. A cocktail reception and gallery showing is at 6:30 p.m., and dinner with the artists is at 7:30 p.m. Overnight and dinner packages start at $209. For reservations, call 1-800-864-4705.

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Enter Rough Creek Lodge and its new Art Weekend Series. Sure, the resort is a day trip away, but the setting alone is worth it. Patrons will easily forget about the trek and turn attention to art when this weekend J. Boles Peña and Amado Peña Jr. make over the lodge's main hall into a working studio/gallery of their Native American-inspired art. The Peñas host two four-hour demonstrations--hands-on, full-throttle creative sessions like those in their Santa Fe and Austin studios--of exactly how they create the paintings, weavings and other works that have earned them renown in the Native American art world.

Amado Peña Jr.'s saturation of color and unusual "spatial relationships" in his paintings and serigraphs are his trademarks, along with his desire to pay tribute to "Native Americans who survive by living in harmony with an adversarial, untamed environment." His work is, in a sense, an exaggerated echo of landscapes and people, capable of attracting the Native American art fan as well as a follower of the abstract.

Peña also applies his art to various gift-y items, aiding in that aforementioned "finding art everywhere" trend, albeit in a most profitable way. Garden stones, scarves, ties and wine bottles are just a few things not made of canvas to receive the Peña touch. You can purchase his works any time at www.penaofficial.com. But the chance to see Peña at work, witness his demonstrations, visit with him...that seems akin to one of his limited-edition prints. --

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