The Sapulpa Artist’s Guild held their annual art show Saturday, March 25, at the Senior Citizens’ Center on east Dewey Avenue.
There was an eclectic collection of magnificent works of art, which included paintings, Native American paintings and sculptures, repurposed decorative objects, wood sculptures, custom-made greeting cards, quilts, and hand-woven baskets.
Artistic styles ran the full gamut, including but not limited to: cubism, abstract, surrealism, conceptual art, pop art, contemporary art, landscape, and impressionism, and still life.
The show featured works by accomplished local artisans such as John Olivas, A.J. Uphold, Cheryl Warren, Fern Patterson, Sherman Baker, Claire Tosh, Donna Elder, Peggy Shelden, and Albert Valadez (Albert Thunder Cloud).
Each artist has a story:
John Olivas, who was featured in a story in the Sapulpa Herald, suffered a debilitating stroke that left his right side paralyzed, yet, was able to learn to not only use his left hand for daily tasks but learned how to become an award-winning artist.
Besides the right-side paralysis, Olivas remarkably overcame another challenge, being color-blind.
John decided to try signing up for classes at the Center For Individuals With Physical Challenges in Tulsa.
“I went into the art room on the first day, she sat me down, gave me a pencil, and said, ‘draw a circle.’” John laughingly remarked, “Well, the first one was like a kindergartener, but I developed my motor skills on my left hand and learned how to use it, I never used it before for anything like that. I drew stuff, and I was pretty good at it. From there, I learned how to paint. I was very attracted to abstract because it didn’t take any particular skill, just ‘spottin’ on canvas. I took to it, I got better and better and better at it.”
Olivas said the art teacher at his rehabilitation center gave him “a crash course” in color science. “If you can read, you can make any color in the world. All you have to do is read the primary colors. I now mix all my own colors at the table on a palette.” Olivas said he can see shades, so he can tell the difference between “dark and light.”
John works primarily with acrylics, and occasionally he will utilize “acrylic pour,” which is clear acrylic poured over the work of art.
Arthur J. Uphold, known as AJ to his friends, served 28 years in the United States Army and retired as a Master Sergeant. While gainfully employed and enlisted in the service, Uphold pursued his art education.
Uphold received his AS degree from Tulsa Community College and obtained his BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in 1995 from Oklahoma State University. Uphold enjoys exhilarating the viewer’s eye with color, and appreciates when people take the time to analyze his work and discover the hidden forms. His medium includes oils, acrylics, watercolor, and his sculptures include bone, acrylic, and wood.
Fern Patterson has been an artist for numerous years as part of the outreach program at First Baptist Church, Sapulpa.
“Painting is the best therapy I know of. I paint to relax; I have always had a love for art,” said Patterson.
Patterson took lessons from Lois Shields in Tulsa for four years, followed by four years of instruction from Johnie Mason at the Mason Jar, an art studio in Sapulpa that is now closed.
She has been taking classes from Sam Houghton, Director of the Sapulpa Artist’s Guild, for a number of years.
Fern favors oils and relishes painting landscapes, farm scenes, and still lifes, such as flowers, birds, and animals. She is also an ardent quilter and has spent numerous hours sitting at the sewing machine and quilting frame.
Patterson has received an abundance of awards at the Creek County Fair, the Tulsa State Fair, and the Route 66 Art Show. Her work has been sold at the War Eagle Art Show.
Albert Valadez, which is the name given to him by his adoptive parents, learned at the age of 50 that his biological parents were Native American, and he displays his art under his biological parent’s last name, Thunder Cloud. Albert served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, flying an astonishing 129 successful missions.
Pondering what to do after retirement, Valadez contemplated what the next chapter in his life would hold.
“We didn’t know what to do, and I said we just can’t be sitting around, so let’s get creative and do something. We heard about this art class here, my first painting with Sam (Houghton) was two years ago…from there on it just took off,” said Valadez.
Peggy Shelden explained her path to basket weaning: “The story is that my dad died, and I just thought I needed something to link me to my grandmother. I am sure she was a basket weaver, Cherokee women were back then, so I just started self-teaching. Shelden went on to teach classes in basket weaving at various museums.
Beside basket weaving, she wrote a short book on basket weaving, and she creates steampunk jewelry.
Cheryl Warren, who has been an artist most of her life, said she received her Masters of Science in art from Luther College in Iowa. She subsequently taught Art, and later received a Master’s Degree from Drake University in Iowa and became a counselor. She moved to Sapulpa five years and became a member of the Sapulpa Artist’s Guild.
Her favorite medium is watercolors, and she has won first place with many of her paintings. She is also a consummate creator of custom-made greeting cards, some of which are three-dimensional and fold up for mailing.
Claire Tosh started taking art classes in 2013 and when she fully retired in 2015, sold her house in California and moved to Sapulpa, joining the Sapulpa Artist’s Guild the same year. She had many beautiful watercolor paintings on display.
Donna Elder had many colorful objects that had once been terracotta pots, lamp stands, and even candleholders. Next to the repurposed items that are now works of art, she had several lovely paintings. She previously took classes from Sam Houghton, but her work schedule now precludes that. However, she is still a member of the Sapulpa Artist’s Guild.
Sherman Baker, Assistant Director of the Sapulpa Artist’s Guild, has been a member of the Guild since 2017. Baker said he started painting when he lived in New Orleans, however a fellow criticized his work and told him to stop painting. Several years later, he decided to start painting again. He currently owns over 100 paintings he has created. Unfortunately, he was unable to receive a first place ribbon at a local art show because they had no category for abstract art. He had a number of paintings that were eye-catching and demonstrated his abilities.
The Sapulpa Artist’s Guild meets every Thursday, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the Senior Citizens’ Center at 515 E. Dewey Ave. Parking is available in the rear of the building and the entrance is through the back door. The group works on individual projects in oils, acrylics, watercolors, and pastels. No experience or art training is necessary. Help and formal instruction are available from the Sapulpa Artist’s Guild President, Sam Houghton, who is a retired art teacher and painter extraordinaire.
The diverse group of artists includes award-winning professional painters, amateur artists, and everyone in between. “Anyone can learn to paint if they want to,” said Houghton. Additional information can be found on the Sapulpa Artist Guild’s Facebook page.
Membership in the guild is not necessary to participate in the classes, but anyone who wants to join the guild can do so for the meager sum of $20 per year.
Anyone who is interested is welcome to visit the class. Classes are free, however, class size is limited and those wishing to take part in this excellent opportunity to hone their artistic skills should contact Sherman Baker at 918-344-6506, or Sam Houghton at 918-224-8106 as soon as possible.
