Column: Shorelines

Photos by Denise Allen Membreno

Lee Walker has been painting for four years; her show at Bedford's Goose Creek Gallery includes Mingus Kahn, one of her favorites.

Walker

Nature has always enticed Lee Walker, whether it was absconding with flowers from the neighbors' gardens as a child or depicting its beauty with a paint brush and watercolors on rice paper as a Smith Mountain Lake resident.

Now Walker is showing and selling her Chinese brush paintings at the Goose Creek Gallery in Bedford. This is her first solo showing. It is the culmination of four years of studying and discovering her talents.

"I always liked to draw and I've always liked to be in nature," said Walker. "This Chinese brush painting seems to work for me in being able to put my subject on paper."

Walker retired in 2005 from a 30-year career as a respiratory therapist. In the late 1980s, while she was still working, she went back to college as a part-time student. At Virginia Tech, she majored in landscape architecture with a minor in art.

"I found that landscape architecture was a great way to blend my fascination with science with artistic expression," said Walker. "Landscape architecture was really wonderful for me because it encompassed all my interests."

It was also at Tech that she found her first art mentor, Virginia Tech professor Robert Henry Graham. Local artist Revelle Hamilton has also had an impact on Walker.

"I was looking for a watercolor teacher and I saw Revelle Hamilton's work at a store in Forest," recalled Walker. "I knew I wanted to learn from her. She has taught me so much about color theory and composition."

During a trip to Callaway Gardens in Georgia, Walker met another inspiring force. She did not know the vacation would eventually lead to a solo show at an art gallery.

"I was on a trip celebrating a girlfriend's birthday," recalled Walker. "They had a number of activities. My girlfriend wanted to do fly fishing, but the guy was not available to us."

Walker suggested the Chinese brush-painting class because her friend also is very artistic. That was how Walker met another mentor, Chinese native Tehwan Tso, the teacher of the class.

"It was completely accidental or incidental, whatever you want to call it," said Walker of her chance meeting with Tso.

The origins of Chinese brush painting come from calligraphy. Chinese brush painting is thousands of years old. Artists use specific brush strokes in an attempt to capture the spirit or essence of the subject rather than create a realistic depiction. Paintings are frequently done from memory instead of from a model or observation.

"It's very meditative, yet it is a very logical way of painting," said Walker.

She said Chinese brush painting is divided into two schools of thought: northern, a detailed styled most frequently painted on silk, and a southern school, which is more spontaneous; the brush strokes are bold and it is most often done on rice paper. Walker's work is more from the southern school of Chinese Brush painting.

"The Chinese brush painting is just so simple," explained Walker. "Right now, my subjects are birds and flowers. I love my garden and to be able to paint what I see is wonderful."

Over the winter, Walker decided to put herself out there and do a solo show. So she visited Tso again to fine-tune her Chinese brush painting. She then talked with Patrick Ellis and Mitchell Bond of Goose Creek Studio.

"They looked at my work and said, 'Sure.' They have been very welcoming to artists in the community, like me, that may not have had a place to display our work had they not welcomed us into their hearts," said Walker. "They have just been so supportive of the artists in the community."

Walker, 53, lives in Moneta. Work and responsibilities did not leave her much time for art. It is only since retiring that she has been able to rekindle her love for drawing and painting.

"It's never too late to start over, whether it's art, writing or even getting yourself into shape, your mind, your body, your soul into shape," said Walker. "It is never too late to do that."

Lee Walker's work will be on display at Goose Creek Studio, 330 West Washington St., Bedford, through July 31. For more information, contact Walker at leewalker02@yahoo.com. www.goosecreekstudio.com