A taste of the Southwest, right here in the Midwest
Artist Cecilia Brendel and her husband, Michael, love trains and the Southwest. They combined the two when they embarked on a 64-mile day trip last October on the Cumbres & Toltec. It’s the highest and longest steam railroad in North America, and crosses the Colorado-New Mexico state line 11 times.
Their most recent trip out west sparked an idea for Brendel to do a series of oil paintings for an exhibit. “Southwest Series” will be shown at the Art Gallery at the Centerville Police Department throughout August.
On Sweetest Day, they took a steam locomotive trip between Durango and Silverton, Colo. The train stopped for a meal and a concert by a John Denver lookalike.
“I was brought up with country music. My dad was from a small town in southern Illinois, and my mother was from the big city of St. Louis, so I had the best of both worlds,” said Brendel, a Centerville resident. “My husband loves to watch westerns, and I’m just an old country girl at heart.”
She’ll be featuring her worn-out cowboy boots and hat, turquoise necklace, and a brown antique bottle in a still life. Another work, a large-scale oil, honors the “Cumbres & Toltec” train trip. The steam locomotive travels a flat landscape, dotted with sagebrush, alongside breathtaking mountain scenery. Brendel’s expertise with light and shadow bring out the sun-kissed treetops on the mountain.
“We were following the train and chasing it the day before we actually rode it. We wanted to get some good photo shots in front, and on the side. We’d go ahead and find a good spot to wait for it. We’d see the smoke and my husband would take images on his tripod,” said Brendel.
Other paintings will feature her sister Rita posing in a poncho, her brother Danny wearing an old headdress, and husband Michael
IF YOU GO
“Southwest Series” by Cecilia Brendel Art Gallery at the Centerville Police Dept., 155 W. Spring Valley Road. Aug. 1-31 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 937-433-7151, www.ceciliabrendel.com riding a horse. Brendel starts some of the paintings with a block-in from direct observation and finishes using photos. Her friends and family will be on hand modeling western wear during the Reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on Aug. 12. Refreshments will be served.
“Viewers can’t saddle a horse in the gallery, but this will be the next best thing,” said Brendel. “My husband is an engineer, so dressing in costume is definitely outside the box for him.”
Brendel is based at the Olde Masters Galleria at 25 Irongate Park Drive. She frequently has workshops, and her next one is scheduled for Aug. 26-27. It features a landscape by John Singer Sargent. Those interested may sign up at oldemastersgalleria.com.
Brendel was born in St. Louis. She has an arts and sciences degree in graphic arts from Ivy Tech State College in South Bend, Ind. In her initial career of illustration, she painted Broadway sets and designed book covers, technical articles and other publications.
Over the last 20 years, her career shifted to studying painting techniques established by the old masters. She’s studied with master artists Alexei Antonov, Cesar Santos, Douglas Flynt and Virgil Elliott. She’s recently signed up with a Cincinnati art consultant. She keeps busy with many commissions, and has clients all over the U.S.: California, Texas, New Mexico and North Carolina, to name a few.