Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Sister Mary Teresina Bretz shows off one of her paintings at Cafe Rouge. Some of her other works are on the wall behind her.

Sisters celebrate nature with art

By Shari Kaplan

Although the more than 25 paintings gracing the walls of Cafe Rouge could be the works of any artist with a love of the natural world, these images come from a slightly more unique source: three women, ranging in age from their 50s to their 90s, who belong to the Sisters of the Holy Names convent, located in the wooded hills above E. Main Street.

Sisters Mary Teresina Bretz, Diane Denke and Josepha Rose Thompson--all longtime fans of both viewing and creating art--contributed oil, watercolor and pastel paintings to the exhibit. According to their artists' statements and biographies, among the nuns' aspirations is to "capture the beauty of God's world" in the "hope that those who view [the art] may respond to the sacred gift of God's life in and around themselves."

Sr. Teresina, the most prolific painter, is at age 90 the oldest of the group. A nun for the past 70 years, she is a graduate of the College of the Holy Names and a former schoolteacher. When she retired, a friend gave her painting lessons as a present; ever since she has been refining and expanding upon her creative talent, which she first discovered as a child.

Most of her paintings are landscapes or florals. In one, which resembles the North Bay's Muir Woods, a dirt path lined by a wooden fence winds past the tall trees of a redwood forest, where tiny spots of blue sky peek through the dark green foliage.

A deserted beach--save for three carefree seagulls--is the subject for another of Sr. Teresina's works.

Sr. Diane, 59, studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts and graduated from the College of the Holy Names with a degree in art. She has taught art in six California elementary schools. In 1974, she began to express her prayers in pen-and-ink sketches as well as watercolor. She began working more with colors in 1992, following her recovery from illness.

Her floral subjects include water lilies, delicate roses, striped purple irises, shooting stars and blooming cacti. An interesting technique in many of Sr. Diane's paintings is the use of colorful auras that surround her subjects--some in shades that complement, others that contrast.

Sr. Josepha began her art training in elementary school and continued through Holy Names High School and College. A school teacher, she taught art in her own classroom and helped other teachers with art curricula. She has worked in crayon, pencil, watercolor, acrylics and calligraphy. In the mid-1970s, she went back to school and became a registered nurse. At age 70, she still does part-time nursing.

Among her paintings in the exhibit are fluffy white flowers with orange centers and a sidewalk lined with multicolored flowers that curves through a cozy mountain town. There's also a bluejay perched proudly atop a wooden birdhouse surrounded by twining purple morning glories and a weathered millhouse and waterwheel situated by a meadow stream.

Cafe Rouge is located at 42 Elm St. The exhibit runs through the end of October.

[ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ]