ANGELA OBENHAUS
At 14, I found my true love, oil painting. It would save me through the darkest of times. It still does. It is my escape; I think of nothing but what I look at when I paint. Shapes become shadows and light. Emotion becomes color.
I was born in a very small town about 50 miles south of Houston, Texas. Being an only child, my hippy parents played a huge role in my cultural growth taking me to museums and introducing me to the works of such artists as Salvador Dali and Renee Magritte. Mom loved art and painting. My grandmother was a floral designer and a seamstress, and she was always creating something. The outdoors were my playground. The woods, the trees. Horses would play a part in my formative years as well Being terribly shy as a youth and young adult, I didn’t build many close bonds. My time was filled with drawing and being outside. As a preteen, I began my portrait painting journey with oils. I couldn’t get enough, so I tried to go bigger, creating huge faces. Trees have also been a favorite subject for me, but I dabble in anything creative, from charcoal to ink to sculpture. I graduated in 2002 with a degree in graphic design. At The Art Institute of Houston, I won several school-wide awards and designed a program for NASA’s annual Ballunar Liftoff Festival. I even rode in a hot air balloon, complete with a crash landing. While my college career was promising, the corporate world was not for me. I would delve into painting as my career. I have shown in both juried and non-juried shows. There are too many to mention, but some were at Winter Street Studios, where I had a studio for three years. I have also shown at Hardy and Nance and have a permanent placement of portraits with The Museum, “Stephen F. Austin,” in Brazoria County. Art is who I am. I wouldn’t know how not to be an artist. This adventure began during childhood and has only abandoned me for brief periods of time. Realism and impressionism in oil painting are my favorites and are reflected in my many paintings of people, animals and nature. My work can be seen in the book, “50 Artists, Houston,” created by Taft and Dana McWhorter. Most recent available works may be purchased or commissioned by Higham and Associates. Genre: Figurative, Abstract, Hyperrealism |