Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 115

Saturday, October 24, 1 992 Austin American-Statesman 15 avoirs Pora's fspoduos yCy This section is recyclable run might be Austin's best-known artist. And with an lmnrpeaiva naraar "38! I I sPannm8 almost three L-J L-i decades, 49-year-old 1 I j9it--(fc 4 I Bm ft "r- fir' Ella de Colores Is one of Pefla's most recent works, painted this year as part of his 'Mestizo' series. Visual arts J. R. Oleson 7f Amado Maurilio Pena also is arguably Austin's most successful artist.

From rather humble beginnings as a high school art teacher who would spend weekends selling his prints and drawings at small arts-and-crafts fairs for $5 and $10, Pena today is less a creative anomaly than a triumphant corporate kingpin whose works sell for thousands of dollars. An adept draftsman and supreme col-orist, Pena works in a variety of media including watercolor, oils, acrylic paints, cast paper, glass and ceramics. But it is his Southwest-style prints and posters that have garnered him the most fame. In fact, one can scarcely go into a local restaurant, hotel, office building or bank lobby without seeing one of his images augmenting the decor. Stony, stoic faces profiled against the rugged terrain of the American Southwest, accented with the geometric beauty of an Indian blanket or pottery have dominated his imagery for the past 15 years.

It is a style which continues to fascinate a devoted percentage of the art-buying public; it's as if they just can't get enough of this stuff. Perhaps his most enthusiastic supporter is Olga Pifia, who purchased Peiia's El Taller Gallery at 1221 W. Sixth St. a year and a half ago. "My passion for his work is legendary," she said.

Having been a friend of the family for a number of years, she is also perhaps the most knowledgeable about his art and career. Coupled with a cheerleader-like attitude, it makes Pifia the perfect dealer for his work. "It is better than banks," she said in reference to an investment in an original Pena artwork, higher appreciation." Pifia, who hopes to publish a book on the artist soon, has organized a retrospective exhibition of the past 20 years of Peiia's work. "Ayer Hoy" and is Pefla's first retrospective in Austin. It opens tonight with a public reception from 7-9 p.m.

at El Taller Gallery. The artist will be present. Consisting of more than 100 works created between 1972-92, "Ayer Hoy" contains quite a few surprises for those who are only familiar with Peiia's famous poster style. The surprises include portraits of friends and family members rendered in delicate strokes and a still-life painting of a guitar. A self-portrait of the artist looking straight ahead as if seeing his reflection in a mirror has more in common with post-Impressionism's bold colors and heavy gestures than the precise lines and muted colors which define Pefla's mature style.

With his early works, it appears Pena was trying to find himself, searching for an identity. The '70s were a time when many Mexican-Americans began identifying more with their ancestry south of the border than north. It was a time ('Yesterday and Today') chronicles how the complexion of the artist's work has changed during the past two decades. weaving a large blanket, one can even spot a small rainbow on the horizon. This is a not-to-be-missed exhibition for hard-core Pefla fans.

The unusual combination of styles will expand preconceptions about his work, giving perhaps the most well-rounded vision of the artist ever offered in Austin. "Ayer Hoy" will remain on view at El Taller Gallery through Nov. 7. For more information call 480-0100. Amado Maurilio Pena, one of Austin's most successful artists, has 20 years of artwork on display at El Taller Gallery.

'Ayer with composition and patterning as with human emotions and insight. Gallery-owner Pifia refers to this time as the artist's "Storytelling Period." The late part of the '70s witnessed significant change for Pena. He met a man named Encarnacion Pena, who, though not related genealogically to Amado, was a kindred spirit, a fellow artist who would become his mentor. Together they toured the Southwest, and soon its soft, muted colors, jagged landscapes and Indian symbolism began to creep into Amado's work. A serigraphic portrait of his new friend, printed circa 1980, and simply titled Encarnacion, eloquently testifies to the profundity of their relationship.

The beginning of that decade marked the transformation of the artist's work into his mature, current style. The vast majority of the works in "Ayer Hoy" are from this period. The '80s offered another important influence on the artist's work. In 1984 he met a woman whom he would later marry an artist and weaver named Julie Bowles. Works from this period show a brighter palette and fuller composition than those from only a few years before.

In pieces such as Un Tesoro (A Treasure), which shows an Indian woman when the word Chicano was added with pride to our national vocabulary and conciousness. In a series of small prints created in the mid-'70s, Pena, who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, wrestled with politically powerful imagery that addressed Chicano issues of that era. Utilizing hot, fluorescent colors, (so popular and prevalent then), he combined sharp words with simple illustrations in an attention-grabbing manner Pifia refers to as Peiia's "Revolutionary Style." A cross-between Pop Art and the trendy graphics of Peter Max, this series of aggressive prints stands in sharp contrast with the calm and somber works he now makes. "I am a Mestizo, part Mexican and part Indian, and I was born in Texas," Pena has stated. "All that is never going to change.

When people see my work that should be enough to tell them about me. "I used to paint bleeding heads of lettuce, protesters carrying signs. Now the statement is still there, but it's cultural, not really political. Anything I put on paper is going to be a statement, a reminder of who I am, of where I come from in the world." From the political realm, Pena began to focus inward toward his family and homelife. Works from the mid-'70s show his then-wife, Mercedes, and their children, large-eyed and happy.

They are peaceful works which deal as much A solo show of work by New York artist Mary McKinley-Haas titled "Sacred Palms" is at the Texas Union Art Gallery on the UT campus. McKinley-Haas has been in Austin teaching a monotype (printmaking technique) workshop as part of the informal classes offered by the Union. Her striking, colorful abstractions will remain on view through Oct. 31 at 24th and Guadalupe streets. Paintings and constructions by Julie Speed and sculptures by Gerald Patrick make for an interesting show at Tarry-town Gallery, 2414 Exposition Blvd.

The artist's work couldn't be more different, yet the contrast is stimulating. This two-person show remains on view through Nov. 14. For more information call 473-2552. 3Q.