You'll Go Bananas. . .

. . . over this beautiful painting of a mother and child in a Mexican marketplace. The woman, her serene face framed by flowing black hair, sits behind her stall offering bright yellow bananas and other brilliantly colored fruit, while her son peeks shyly from behind her. Behind this charming family scene, the cobblestone street stretches between high earth-tone walls. allowing a glimpse of the sapphire sky and a distant church steeple.

The painting is signed "Long." The artist is Robert T. Long. Although Long attended the Art Institute of Chicago and traveled to Europe on a fellowship when he graduated in 1938, he did not follow his passion to paint until 1967, when he turned 50 years old. He quit his job as a writer and producer of television commercials and moved to the Mexican city of San Miguel de Allende with his wife, Ann. In 1986, one of Long's paintings was among the 40 paintings selected, out of a total of some 11,000 entries, by the American Association of Retired Persons to appear in Modern Maturity magazine's "Seasoned Eye" exhibit. Long was further awarded the grand prize for his work. 

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

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Purple Mountain Majesties

This impressionistic painting of lilac-tinted mountains framed by tall trees and green pines is by a well-known Texas artist, Thelma Travland Cardwell-Cale.  You may already be familiar with this artist's work, even if you have never entered an art gallery.  In 2011, Cardwell's painting of a field of vividly-colored wildflowers was chosen by H-E-B to appear on the store's reusable tote bag. The original printing of 98,000 soon sold out. In 2014, then 81-year-one Cardwell's colorful Texas-themed work was again selected by H-E-B to appear on a tote bag, as well as items from the chain's Cocinaware, including mugs, trays, and cutting boards.  

This oil painting on board is signed by Cardwell on the front and has extensive provenance on the back.  Although the painting is undated, there may have a clue from the artist's personal life.  In 2004, Cardwell, who had been widowed for 16 years, married Charles Cale and began signing her paintings as "Cardwell-Cale."

Cardwell graduated from Corpus Christi High School in 1949 and majored in fine arts at Southwestern University. A resident of Pleasanton, Texas, where she has lived since the 1950s, this 1997 winner of the city's Senior Citizen of the Year is a regular contributor at the Pleasanton Express and has taught art as a volunteer at the Larry Brown Alternative School. Active in both local artistic circles and her community, in 2005, Cardwell organized a group of artists to decorate the new Atascosa Health Center and in 2014 she donated artwork to the new Pleasanton Civic Center.  In September of last year, Cardwell donated artwork featuring dogs, cats, and horses to the Atascosa County Animal control for display in their lobby.  She has participated in numerous exhibitions and her work can be found in collections throughout the state, including in the homes of two former presidents and two Texas governors.  

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