Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Museum exhibit shows pure pigments of pastels

By Miriam Eljas

Mary Ann Henderson, alias "The Tomato Queen," illustrates plump, juicy yellow and red tomatoes in many of her pastels featured in the Pure Pigment-- The Art of Pastels exhibit at the Los Gatos Museum of Art and Natural History, located at 4 Tait Ave. In her self-portrait ("The Tomato Queen"), this Saratoga artist depicts herself as a haloed Madonna presenting a bountiful selection of lush tomatoes.

Henderson exhibits in her favorite medium--pastels--along with three other artists through Sept. 26. Pastels are a type of crayon molded from a mixture of dry powdered pigment and binding solution.

"I prefer pastels because you have the most control this way," Henderson explains. "With oil paints, you can always complain that the brush wasn't right or the paint wasn't good enough. With pastels, however, it is just you, the pastel and the paper--simple drawing power."

With one quick glance at Henderson's work, one can see her attentiveness to value patterns--the contrast of light and dark. The artist, who claims not to use art rules or a focal point, believes the best way to portray art in pastels is through color lines and schemes. "I prefer cross-hatching--each line left by the pastel has its own character," she says.

A bachelor's degree in fine art and a master's degree in art history gave Henderson a solid background in the arts. Then she proceded to earn her MLS in library science and became a librarian. After her move to Saratoga 10 years ago, Henderson decided to pursue her artwork full time. Pastels were a recent discovery for Henderson, who has been delighted with them ever since.

Accompanying Henderson in her usage of pastels in this exhibit are San Jose artists Claire Verbiest and Patricia Suggs. Of particular interest in Verbiest's selection is her focus on landscape. "Crepsucle" (twilight) and "Soleil Couchant" (sunset) are examples of her technical representations of nature as they capture the most beautiful parts of the day. In Suggs' concentration on flowers she creates a soft aura that takes advantage of the versatility of pastels.

Mingled with the pastels are bronze sculptures by Nancy Bowman. Her pieces on the female figure explore many aspects of the human spirit, including such works as "Aspiration," "Contemplation" and "Dancing with the Wind."

Henderson, too, attempts to seize the essence of the individual and transform it into a piece of art that others can enjoy. Lately she has been taken with portraits, as many of her pieces featured in the exhibit are of friends. In her pastel titled "Nancy," Henderson encapsulates a friend's persona.

"Everyone has their personal gestures--Nancy holds her brush a certain way, characteristic of her nature," Henderson explains. "My portrait of my friend Ann also captures her distinct personality through her facial expression as I drew her during a trip to Italy."

In her spare time Henderson is a docent for the museum. She particularly enjoys volunteering when her works are on display. "People ask the most insightful questions, even without art backgrounds," Henderson says.

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