Hannah Jarmain and Bambu in concert

More guests comments!!

JULY
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Hannah! Beautiful Gallery!! Come to Dubai and visit.
- Danny Harty
daniel.harty@spps.org
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Beautiful work! Good you are here.
-Pat & Bill Hardeng
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El poder expresarse a base de la pintura es un gran don, muchas felicidades. "Great Bamboo in concert" fue el cuadro que mas me gusto! ( Is a great gift to be able to express yourself based on art, congratulations. "great bamboo in concert" was the painting I liked the most!)
-Jorge G. Tello de Arco
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Hannah, tus pinturas son muy elegantes, muy originales. (Hannah, your paintings are very elegant, very original.
-Marcelo Pulido Vargas
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So nice to meet you!!
-Brenda Neal
smamucho2@yahoo.com
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Enjoyed the gallery--Your art!! Metting you...
-Robert Pelthe (Zihuatanejo)
Qmailto:Qigongforvida@yahoo.com
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I found the art pieces very beatiful, it's got a great variety of styles and sources of inspiration.
-Diego
diezelaya@gmail.com
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Es una galeria muy bonita, me dio gusto poder ver este tipo de pintura que me transmitieron mucho. (It is a very nice gallery, makes me glad being able to see this kind og paitings that trasmited so much in me)
-Liz
babybabyliz@hotmail.com
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Hannah, How nice to meet you and some of your paintings were very moving.
-Alan
alanlavine@yahoo.com
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July 24, 2009
Great paintings!
-Sandy Baum
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A great display of talent!!
-Robert Quirk
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You have asked me wich one is my favor one- "woman & guitar"!! it is you!
-Jorge de la Fuente
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Very lovely! A good start.
-Patricia Pynchon
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Thanks for inviting us! Beautiful!
-Mike & Patti
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Thank you! It's lovely!
-Alice Hines & Lonnie Snowden (Oakland, CA)
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Thank you so much for displaying your wonderful work. Keep on and have fun!
-Steven Cohen
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I enyoed visiting very much!
-Frank W. Haines
fuh61@hotmail.com
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Excelente arte, colorido, apasionante, una mezcla salvaje, felicidades! (Excellent art, colorful, passionate, a savage mix, congratulations!)
-Mary Carmen Morote

Premier Exhibit July 24

You are cordially invited to the Premier Exhibit by Hannah Jarmain

Pat Miller's Jewelry on display at Mero Gallery

Patricia Bogert Miller is a silversmith and jewelry designer who uses native Mexican opals in much of her work - opals mined in Querétaro by independent lapidary artists. The rich varied colors and shapes of these and other stones used in her jewelry are an inspiration and focal point of her designs. Patricia and her husband have had studios in San Miguel since 1989, and moved here full-time in 2005. She began studying silversmithing at that time but previously she sculpted large copper garden art and, with her sculptor husband, developed a successful wholesale jewelry line in the U.S.

Hannah Jarmain Art Exhibit July 2009

The photo is of Gallery MERO on Zacateros 24, San Miguel de Allende.
Hannah Jarmain, the artist, is giving a brief tour of her Premier Exhibit.
There are several collections of artwork:

First is her "Nature Collection " consisting of 10 pieces despicting Bambu in abstract and Plum Blossoms, all were done using the palette knife technics.
Her "Classic Collection" featured the two "Still Life with Rose", an "Antique nude" and the "Woman and Guitar" self portrait.
The "Landscape Collection" features two magnificient SunRise and SunSet paintings of the town San Miguel with the blue Jacaranda blossoms .
Then we arrive at the "Nude collection" in the centre of the gallery. There are 10 nudes, erotica or romantica depending on the mood of the viewer.
- Awakening by the Rooster's song
- Scarlett by the Jacaranda
- The Blue Pearl
- The stranded Mermaid under the moonlight
-Voyeurism behind the curtain ...
There are also a "San Miguel in photography" by Altirado, "In Third Dimension". Al tirado is also the author of the latest book Art in San Miguel. The Gallery also features his clay and broze sculptures of the Flamenco danser among others.
- There is a black and white collection of Japanese Sumi-e painting by Marisa Ross with the classic " Chinese Wind horse" and the "Journey of the Blue Heron".

ART JEWELS:

The gallery also features two San Miguel designers' work of Art Jewels: Marcela Andre and Pat Miller. Marcela 's design is very spiritual. Her Third eye necklace, The Sanskrit pendant or the Baroque pearl and golden Topazare are all beautifully made of pure old silver, topaz and amethyst. They are to protect the wearer of evil spirit and enhance the overall healthy state of being.

Pat Miller's design is beautiful and sculpture like. "The Face" pendants come in the exquisite mexican opal , white, green, pink each emites beauty and elegence to the wearer. Pat also made several earrings with turtle and frog opal and coral, jasper and pearl.

The gallery tour finishes with the viewer expressing their most favourite pieces and their rapturous appreciation of the artistic value of the work on display.

The Gallery is open 7 days a week from 11am to 7 pm.
Zacateros 24, near Pila Seca. Centro. San Miguel de Allende
GTO 37700, Mexico
email: hannahjarmainart@gmail.com

Some guests comments!! June/July

JUNE
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Hannah, we came back to see your beautiful paintings. We specially enjoy your wonderfull "Jacarandas"!
-Eugene Gonzalez
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Love your place and work! Good Luck!
-Patricia Mahan
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Hannah, la intencion es lo mas valioso en el arte! (The intention it's the most valuable on art!)
-Hector Guevara/Photographer
zappa_666@hotmail.com
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Natural y hermoso tu trabajo!! (Your work is natural and beautiful!!)
-Andres Gurumeta
http://www.andres-gurumeta.com/
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Thank you so much for the beauty and wondelful conversation.
-Alma Fraustro, San Francisco, CA
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Hannah, your art shows unusual talent, very unique! Your presence and essence up the exhibit. I don't know wich has the greater beauty and substance, you or your work!
-W. Kelly
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Very beautiful, original work. Will return to your studio. Muchas gracias for your hospitality.
-R. C.
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Thank you for showing me your work Hannah, your colors and themes reflect your inner state of consiousness. Thank you also for your hospitality. Sincerely
-Leo Maldonado
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Beautiful work!!!
-Sandy Mollett
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June 24/09
Realmente creo y pienso que todo lo expuesto en la galeria es maravilloso!! You are wonderful Hannah, beautiful work!! (I really think and believe that all on display in the gallery is beautiful!!)
-Alex Sanchez
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Very interesting paintings, specially the bamboo and the beautiful sunsets.
-Dan Robinson (Architect)
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Thank you for the pleasure of seeing your paintings and visiting with you. Beautiful!!
-Charles Coldous (Singer, Austin, TX)
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June 28/09
Espero que este sea el comienzo de un gran camino dentro del arte para donde siga dando vida; es impostante trascender. (I hope this to be the beggining in a road within art where it keeps giving life; it's important to transcend.)
-Lucia Maldonado
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Grata experiencia en esta galeria. Un abrazo fuerte a los colegas expositores. Felicidades y coraje. (Pleasant experience on the gallery. Big hug to you both exhibitors. Congrats and courage)
-Miguel Reyes
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June 29/09
Gracias a Hannah por su amabilidad de persona, que linda su galeria. (Thanks Hannah for your kindness person, what a nice gallery)
-Alejandro
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Wonderful work. Impressive variety.
-Howard
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Awsome paintings!!
-Swiss Krue

JULY
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July 4th/09
Todos los dibujos y pinturas estan muy bien hechos, mis favoritos fueron los desnudos! (All drawing and paintings are so very well done, the nudes, my favorites!)
-Lore y Eduardo
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Your paintings express many simple forms of art/life.
-Paul
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You are grace personified. Blessing to all!! Love and peace.
-Marcela Andre
yogaplanetjewels@gmail.com
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July 10/09
Great art. Lots of feelings for life.
-J.
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July 10/09
Hay que educar al ojo, dejar de ver, si no se puede interpretar y decir con las palabras de lo cotidiano es mejor destruir (construir). (The eye must be educated, to stop seeing, if you cannot interpret and say with words de daily things it is better to destroy [build])
-Juan Carlos Caznes
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An enchanted visitor of Vietnam!!
-Anita Chatterjee
anchart@comcast.net
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Thank you so much Hannah for showing me the wonderful painting "My winter blue", wich I felt immediately in love with.
-Klaus Friedrich Hepp (Irapuato, Gto.)
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Painting is a feast for the eyes. Your work is a balm for the heart. I can dream about a jungle in my mind by watching the bamboos. I could fly to the sky at looking the abstract on canvas. With love from Pedro.
-Pedro Schneider
masdram@gmail.com
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Happy to meet you and congratulations for your wintering paintings!
-Alejandro Justo

PARIS - 2008-06-10

INTERVIEWING ARTIST PHAM TANG IN PARIS-
by Jonathan McCurley

( Jonathan is a young Canadian artist, playwright, actor and movie producer. He traveled to Paris to interview his great uncle, 88 years old artist Pham Tang, in June 2008, while in search for the meaning of art. Below is the interview in brief.
Jonathan lives in Montreal and is busy making a Hollywood movie for children)

Q 1- HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PAINTING? HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A PAINTER/ WHY DID YOU CHOOSE PAINTING RATHER THAN OTHER MEDIA TO EXPRESS YOUR ART?

PT- I started in Viet nam during the revolution and struggle against the French colonialization of Viet nam during the 1940s ( 1946-1948)
We artists did not fight the with guns but I believe more effectively with our newsletters, with propagada and satire cartoons.

I choose painting as my medium because it's an art that I can do it myself, on my own. Other art media such as film or theatre you would need to involve many others to create the work and to make it. People who work on the show, the people who market it, sell tickets, making sure everything is in placed...Sculpture was also a great love of mine but I decided against it as I am not strongly built, and I can't lift very heavy materials required to work on sculpture.

Q 2- WHAT DO YOU DRAW FROM TO DO YOUR ART? Do you consider yourself a philosopher?

PT- Each artist must have a core knowledge to draw from, be it religion, social or humanity, from which they draw for their work. The core knowledge is not from education alone. Education is a small part of the process.
The WEST has tradionally surpassed the EAST in sciences and technology, but it has not come close to the East in culture, traditions and philosophy. I tend to be authentical, original and my art comes from Eastern beliefs. Eatern philosophy offer me the the source of support and consolation.
The references for your reading on Eastern culture books are:
- Alan Watts ( American philosopher on Eastern philosophy)
- Lee Yew Tang: A professor in New York.
- Dao Duc Kinh : Lao Tzu/ Zen Buddhism.

To see my paintings, the viewer would imagine himself to be a butterfly in a garden.
You go inside the painting, and get lost in it.
Like a deep sea diver who goes deep in the ocean to view and admire the corals, forgetting about the ocean or the surrounding.
You go inside my painting and look at its beauty and its many details , try not to think about what it is or who painted it.

Q3- WHAT WAS YOUR TRAINING IN ART. WHAT STYLE OR SCHOOL OF ART DO YOU FOLLOW?

I had a classic art training in Ha Noi and in Rome where I was exposed to classic sculpture and drawings of the Greek or Renaissance. However Vietnam unwittingly was under heavy influence of Chinese culture over thousands of years, and then French culture for another hundred of years, so I wanted to LIBERATE myself from all these influences and from what I was trained.
I developed this technique that is deemed UNIQUE! Not ever before taught by the French nor the Chinese in art. That is my own style and is truly unique.
I want to offer some helpful hints to Hannah in her drawing of portrait and the female form.
Look at the MONA LISA, the whole world come to the Louvres and of all the famous work of art of many centuries, they just want to see the Mona Lisa!
The mystery of the Mona Lisa:
Artists who took Anatomy to draw human body for the arts and sculpture would know this:
There are 49 muscles on the face. These facial muscles are all interrelated.
When you smile, not just the lips are curved upward but the nose wrinkles, the eyebrows lift and the eyes wrinkled at the corners. All these tiny muscles work at the same time to give us our expressions, and they all happened at the same time. But not in the Mona Lisa!

A German reporter/ and art critic in the 18th century came to the Louvres to see the Mona Lisa, and made the observation/comment that:
In the Mona Lisa, there is a contradiction: only the lips are smiling but NOT her eyes NOR her face! Here lies the contradiction, the beauty and the mystery ....of the Mona Lisa.

Q4- In the 1960-1970s EASTERN influence became popular in the WEST. What do you think of it?

After the twoWorld Wars in the West there was a severe depression period in the art. Millions were killed, the future was bleak, people demanded change! so Existentialism was the norm of the day or they found refuge in Eastern philosophy.

Q5- Among the many artists you have met in your life's time who had made it and who had not? What makes a difference in their outcome?

( Pham Tang brought his hands to his head, in deep thought, followed by a big sigh)

To be an artist you are like the tight rope- walker performing at the circus! You must learn how to vire to the left, how to vire to the right. Keeping a balance to hang in there. The ones who did not make it, we all know what happened to them.

Q6- What do you think of the bienal big Expos that are happening all over the world? The big names artists go to these events as a sign that they have made it?

That has nothing to do with Art! It's a big marketing thing. An artist looks into his own for his art. There is a vietnamese saying - « O nha o? truo^ng!!!`, Ra duo`ng mac ao!!!!' » to say that people are their naked self at home and then pretend to be something else when showed to others. You must stay true to yourself !

Q7- What's next for Pham Tang?

I will continue to search until the last day of my life : « What is the purpose of my life? »
I will continue to ask question. That will never stop.
I have an ambitious project for the art , something that has never been done before by any one, in any country. I would like to do it in Viet Nam, for Viet Nam, and to leave a legacy for Viet Nam.
( Pham Tang is an energetic 88 years old artist, poet and philosopher who never ceases to think, to love and to laugh. He write his poems daily and lives among a very vibrant artist community in Paris)


Q8- To the people who mean most to you - who are important to you, did you ever became successful?

You must continue asking the question, continue having the big question mark in your head. Anyone thinks he has found himself, that is the end!!!
Big laugh!! then cited one of his brilliant vietnamese poem:
« Di dau du` de^'n day' troi`
Cung khong vuot noi^? ra ngoai` la`n da.
Khong di thi o? lai nha`
Go'c giuo`ng, nu?a chie'u thu.c la` me^nh mong^. »
Losely translated in English :

« How far is the new horizon that one must reach
To shed the confines of his skin ?
« How immense is the corner of one’s bed ?
(in which to curl up),
To contain the universe of his thought ! »

END OF INTERVIEW

Press Release for Hannah Jarmain PREMIER exhibit

By: Melanie Harris de Maycotte
For immediate release!

Hannah Jarmain - the artist and her art

(San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; June 12, 2009) San Miguel artist, Hannah Jarmain, was born in Ninh Binh, Viet Nam, into the Pham family. Her interest in art manifested at an early age, inspired by her uncle Pham Tang, one of Viet Nam’s best known International artists who left the country in political exile to Italy in 1957. His revolutionary approach to art won Pham Tang the first prize of UNESCO in Rome and placed him in the forefront of International artistic language and really spoke to the sensibilities of the new Vietnamese youth and awoke a new perspective in the creative minds of Hannah’s generation.

In the 1970’s Hannah’s family encouraged her to move to Canada to study business. She spent most of her adult life in Quebec, Montreal City and Toronto where she obtained her MBA and later worked as a business executive in the cosmetics industry for the next 20 years. During her time in Canada she would correspond regularly with her uncle and upon his visit to Canada in 1980, he left a lasting impression on Hannah about art and life and encouraged her to follow her artistic inclinations in whatever capacity possible. For Hannah, this tended to mean that only during rare, sporadic moments, the pencil or brush actually made it to her hand.

It is by fate that Hannah came to visit the historic town of San Miguel de Allende and fell in love with its beauty and energy. San Miguel‘s cultural richness and colorful landscapes brought out her affinity for nature and renewed her passion for art. Here she has also had the opportunity to study under some of Mexico’s finest art teachers, such as Jose Luis Arias, Gerardo Ruiz and Keith Keller, however she is still primarily a self-taught artist who has developed a unique style of her own. We see in her use of bright colors a direct reflection of the unique color palette of San Miguel and Mexico.

For her first show, Hannah has chosen the nude as her subject. They are a reflection of the nakedness she feels during the unveiling of her innermost secret world through her art. The soft figures she so gently paints on her deep, rich backgrounds are very reminiscent of Chagall and yet are uniquely hers in their grace. Her choice of placing them in front of a curtain or prostrate on the ground or doubled over in fetal pose very much reflect her daily journey in art and through life.

Hannah’s “Premier” show can be seen at Gallery MERO
Zacateros 24, near Pila Seca,
Centro San Miguel de Allende,
GTO, 37700 Mexico.
Tel: 044-415-102-1680
As a ritual Hannah goes out in the morning for her art walk or “en plein air” painting session, you can meet the artist at gallery MERO, most days in the afternoon from 4-7pm until August 31st, 2009.

Marisa Ross 's " The Art of Simplicity " will be on display at MERO Gallery on Zacateros 24, San Miguel Centro

Marisa Ross ~Artist Statement / Bio Sumi-e "The Art of Simplicity"

Sumi-e is the ancient art of Japanese ink painting. This art form traditionally features subjects from nature and conveys their essence using a minimum of brush strokes. “When I was first introduced to sumi-e painting, I was struck by its simplicity and spontaneity: black ink and spare lines that radiate with a palpable energy that gives the impression of color,” said Marisa. “I went that day to buy the materials I would need. They are known as the four treasures: ink stick, ink stone, rice paper, and brushes.

I love to grind the ink and smell the woodsy piney fragrance it emits. It allows for a meditative space in which I can center my energy before picking up the brush,” " I first began to paint in the sumi-e style while living in Hawaii in the early 1970's and then it was almost 20 years before I picked up the brush again and studied with teachers of the Puget Sound Sumi-e Artists' Society in Seattle, Washington." "When I arrived in San Miguel de Allende, four years ago, I was delighted to encounter Yasuaki Yamashita, a local ceramicist and painter with whom I studied in 2005. Lessons helped me improve my brushwork and gave me practice in traditional techniques.

On my own I have continued to paint in the sumi-e style and also to explore using watercolors and canvas." “Painting in the sumi-e tradition allows me to honor the forms and colors and shapes that nature has offered us. There are always the elements of surprise in working with these materials. Sumi-e does not lend itself to erasures or indecision. Sumi-e painting has become a way to associate myself with the life-giving force in nature. At times, words fail me. That’s why I paint"

Marisa Ross

Premier Exhibit July 10

Dear friends, You are cordially invited to Hannah Jarmain 's Premier Exhibit - Cocktail Reception
MERO Gallery, Zacateros 24 ( near Pila Seca) San Miguel Centro on Friday July 10th, 2009 at 7PM. Also featured are the latest works of Marisa Ross, Al tirado, Pat Miller and Marcela Andre.Hope you can join us for a fun evening and meeting the artists.

Hannah

Interview of Hannah Jarmain at her MERO Gallery By Henry Marschalkers Wield - Art Europa

June 25th, 2009

I paid a visit to a gallery at Zacateros 24, Gallery Mero, where I met a most delightful artist by the name of Hannah Jarmain.

Upon entering I could not help but notice that there were at least 50 pieces of artwork on display representing four distinctive styles. She told me she had more in the back room and that she had worked hard, often until exhaustion, especially in the past six months to prepare for her opening exhibit in San Miguel.

Hannah is not only talented but one of the most prolific and passionate artists I have ever met.
The first artwork that caught my eye is a mesmerizing piece displayed in the midst of her Nature theme.
Its title is “Concert in Bamboo”. As its name implies, it is a painting of a bamboo patch. The colors and fire seem to jump out from the canvas. I asked Hannah what inspired this painting. She replied: “Bamboo is a symbol of strength, purity and resiliency in the Oriental culture. “
When I asked if she is aspired to these traits in herself, she replied:
“Well! It is more to reflect the characteristics of the people of my native country, Viet Nam. Like the bamboo plant, the people are small and reed thin but courageous and strong. Over many centuries they have been able to survive wars, major upheavals or natural catastrophes to retain their own unique culture and language “
Bamboo grows in many colors, green, red, golden, brown and black, which reflect the individual yet collective nature of the people.
The artist said she accomplished the dramatic effect emanating from the complex ripples and texture of the bamboo plants by using palette knives to apply many generous and thick layers of various colors of paint.

Hannah painted from a very young age and participated in national art competition in her native country before moving to Canada. She obtained post graduate university degrees and established a successful career in business before moving to San Miguel. It is in San Miguel that she resumed her lifelong passion of painting.
Hannah’s works also reflect her new surrounding of San Miguel. The second painting that caught my eye is a beautiful view over looking San Miguel through the blue Jacaranda flowers in full bloom. The town is also depicted in another painting of a sunset which seems to cast orange and blue hues in the entire sky and its atmospheric air over to the town. This painting is a must see!

There is a painting of a lily pond which reminds me of Monet’s famous Water Lilies, but she said the inspiration came from the lily pond at the Puertecita, where she often goes for her “en plain air” painting, it is located up the hills on Santo Domingo, and another scene, a very cute painting of a little boy chasing a duck in Juarez Parque.
Further back in the gallery there is an unusual display, a collection of Nudes. Hannah painted ten Nude scenes, each in its own expressive emotional state.
Quite worth seeing!

It is well worth the five minute walk from the El Jardin in Centro San Miguel to see Hannah‘s Premier Exhibit is at Gallery MERO, Zacateros 24, just three doors North of Pila Seca. Her exhibit is on display until August 31st, 2009

Henry Marrschalkers Wield is a retired art critic and freelance writer who enjoy travelling the world.