Like Ike? See Watercolor Portrait At Woman Made Gallery

I'm happy to share that the prestigious Woman Made Gallery has selected my Dwight D. Eisenhower watercolor portrait to present in the gallery's annual  Small Works Members Show.

The show highlights the gallery's member artists just in time for the holidays, giving visitors a great chance to support local member artists while shopping for gifts.

The Small Works Members Show runs Saturday, November 21, through Saturday, December 19, at the gallery, located at 1332 S. Halsted St. in Chicago. 

Join Me At The Opening: Saturday, November 21

Please join me Saturday, November 21, for the opening reception from 4 to 7 p.m.

Refreshments will be served, and admission is free.

I will be at the opening, and I look forward to seeing you there.

Enjoy Holiday Shopping

This longtime holiday show presents a wide mix of artwork in many media.

All works are for sale, with each piece priced at $400 or less. So you're guaranteed to find pieces perfect for holiday buying and giving.

About Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower is one of 41 portraits I created in the 1990s and which were exhibited in the solo exhibition Presidential Presence at Burkhart Gallery in Chicago to coincide with Presidents Day in 2000. (See my exhibition history in my art biography and curriculum vitae.)

Here is gallery owner Fred Burkhart, interviewed on television on Presidents Day that year:

NOTE: Be sure to look closely from the 14 to 17 second mark of the video to see Dwight D. Eisenhower displayed in the Presidential Presence exhition.

Why Eisenhower At Woman Made

When one thinks of feminists, one does not typically think of presidents of the United States.

Yet in his way, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who served as America's 34th president from 1953 to 1961, helped set the stage for the feminist movement of the late 20th century:

• Appointed 42 women to prominent government positions, including cabinet and diplomatic posts, helping pave the way for future female leaders.
• Appointed Oveta Culp Hobby as the first Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, making her the second woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet and the first appointed by a Republican President.
• Appointed Clare Booth Luce as U.S. Ambassador to Italy, making her the first female U.S. Ambassador to a major European ally.
• Gave his wife, Mamie, near total control over the expenses and scheduling of the White House.
• Instrumental in making women full-time members of the U.S. Military.
• Pushed for mandatory equal pay nationwide.
• Signed a bill allowing women to serve on all Federal juries.
• Allowed women to undergo astronaut training.
• Actively campaigned for women’s votes, and consequently more women than men voted for Eisenhower for President in 1952.

Fun Fact: What Eisenhower cared about most was golf: he had a putting green installed on the White House lawn.

About The Presidential Presence Art Show

My interest in creating a series on the U.S. presidents was sparked by the presidential election of 1996 and by a book my husband had published that same year on the Streets of the Near West Side. Many of the streets in this Little Italy area of Chicago are named for U.S. presidents, most notably Taylor Street, which honors Zachary Taylor. The series began with Taylor, after which my efforts turned to America’s beginning by painting George Washington and the other early presidents and then working forward in historical time. Then came the presidents after Taylor. The portraits were created over a period of about two years.

The paintings made their public debut with Presidential Presence, an exhibit of the entire series at Burkhart Studios in Chicago that opened in February 2000 in observance of Presidents’ Day; a local television station aired a special feature on the show on Presidents’ Day of that year. Selections from the series also appeared in three other shows in the Chicago area that year.

The series presented every American president up to and including Bill Clinton, who was president during the project’s conception and creation. After the 1990s, my artistic interests moved in other directions, so no additional portraits have been created to feature the citizens who have held office since Clinton’s administration.

A Word About Materials

All the portraits feature a special handmade Japanese mulberry paper. The result is a translucent sheet of paper that is exquisitely soft to the touch and has a soft deckle edge. I hand tore each sheet into smaller pieces in preparation for painting in order to give each piece of paper an uneven, deckled edge on all sides. The sepia-toned paper recalls old photos and suggests the blurring effects of time.

Also, these paintings appear "as is" after painting, instead of being mounted onto a second piece of paper to smooth and flatten them. As a result, the paper in each painting puckered in interesting ways, giving a sense of age and suggesting wrinkles.

For the Presidential Presence show, we displayed the portraits in museum-quality white mats, each with identical outer dimensions. Because the paper used for the portraits was torn by hand, the dimensions of the paintings varied slightly, so the openings cut into the centers of the mats were cut in a variety of slightly varying sizes to accommodate the portraits perfectly. Also, the mat openings were cut slightly larger than the portraits in order to display the entire piece of paper used for each painting, including the deckle formed by the torn edges. 

Every matted portrait then went into a standard 8 X 10 wooden frame because these frames'  simple, plain appearance combined harmoniously with the paintings and present a unified appearance without competing with the art. Also, having each person's portrait the same dimensions remind us of time's leveling effect on history and human beings.

Some of the frames are black, and others are white. This choice visually acknowledges the  country’s oscillating political scene and parties.

On A Personal Note

For me personally, Dwight Eisenhower carries significance because he was late in his presidency at the time I was born. That time, and his contributions, form part of the vibration, culture, and society that welcomed me to planet Earth.

Like me, Eisenhower ("Ike" to millions of Americans, particularly during his presidency) was born in early autumn, when the Sun was in Libra. His quest for greater justice, peace, and equality continue to inspire and remind me of his unique role in serving the United States and its original lofty ideals.

Visit Woman Made Gallery

Do join me for the opening on Saturday, November 22 - you can see my Life Force painting in person. (And we can take selfies!)

Otherwise, plan to pop in for one of the other special receptions at Woman Made Gallery or at any time through the show's run. It's a great place to do some holiday shopping.

The gallery is located at 1332 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607.

Regular gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

To contact Woman Made, call 312-738-0400 or email general@womanmade.org.