Get a grandmother talking about her grandchildren, and at some point she’ll pull out a little book filled with photos.
Dolores Gonzales is no different. Actually, she’s a little different. Yes, she proudly shows off the beaming faces of her two grandchildren, but instead of in a handy wallet-sized book, the portraits are hanging on her wall. Oh, and another thing? She drew the portraits herself.
For Gonzales, that makes them a lasting memento—more special than ordinary photos.
“I made portraits of my grandkids so they have that legacy that this is something their grandma did,” she explained.
As for her grandchildren, they don’t mind being the subject of her artwork. As portraits, they share wall space with the bright colors and cheery watercolors of her other paintings.
“My granddaughter is my biggest fan,” Gonzales said. “She’s 11 and tells everyone about her grandmother, the artist. So I have a fan club of one.”
Gonzales may pick up a few more fans in that club as this month’s featured artist at the Town Center Gallery. She works mostly in watercolors, but has also ventured out into portraits and—most recently—jewelry, which she also shows at the gallery. She said she learned how to create jewelry after buying a bracelet from a neighbor. She liked it so much she wanted another in a color that wasn’t available, so she made her own. After that she discovered she had a knack for the craft and continued to pursue it.
Gonzales has been active with local groups like the Town Center Gallery since delving into art in her retirement. Art has always been important, she explained, and something she knew she’d pursue eventually.
“I kept saying, when I retire I’ll get into it,” Gonzales said. “Then retirement came, and I had no more excuses.”
The month before her retirement officially kicked off, she enrolled in Marti Fast’s watercolor class—but she said the class’ name is a bit of misnomer.
“Though it’s called a watercolor class, it’s more of a ‘let’s-see-where-this-goes class,’” Gonzales said.
Not only has she learned the fundamentals of art, Gonzales has found the classes to be a source of inspiration, giving her the chance to learn and bounce ideas off of other artists. In return, her fellow artists are willing to share their enthusiasm and encouragement and techniques, she said.
That means a lot of lot of experimenting—and no lack of home decor.
“My home looks like an art gallery,” she said. “My husband is always encouraging me to hang them.”
But home isn’t the only place she’s been hanging them. In addition to this month’s show at Town Center Gallery, she recently won second place for her piece, Bloomin’ Cactus, at a juried show in Los Olivos. The win encouraged her to see she’s creating joy not just for herself but for others as well.
“It’s gratifying when people like what you created—and like it enough to take it to their own home,” she said.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone writes bloomin’ stories. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 15-22, 2009.