The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 75

WOMEN February 18, 1990 1 By Bernice Love Staff Writer OKTAHA Paintings by Jeanne Walker Rorex have an almost hypnotic effect viewers find it hard to turn away from the compelling gazes of the dark-eyed Cherokee women the artist portrays. Rorex's women till the soil, harvest the fields, gather wood, carry water, bear children and endure the harshness of the elements. Their faces reveal the strength and determination to cope with lives of hard work, pain and deprivation, but deep within each pair of eyes rests a calm, nurturing spirit and the wisdom of antiquity. Although Rorex, herself part Cherokee, had always been interested in art, she didn't approach it seriously until 1978 when she enrolled in Bacone Junior College. "In high school, we didn't have art classes because Oktaha was a pretty small school, but when it came to doing projects for a prom or anything like that, everybody always came to me," she said.

"Then, in 1977, I took a tole painting class, and as I sat in that See ARTIST. Page 2 Staff Photos by Jim Argo Jeanne Walker Rorex sits on her living room floor surrounded by some of her paintings. The picture in the foreground is titled "Selu Moon." Organizers Run a Tight Ship By Peggy Gandy Society Editor Selecting, furnishing and operating the Decorators Show House every year is no pantywaist job. And listening to a roomful of "Type women map out plans for putting the project together and making it work is an awesome experience! Operating the Decorators Show House is big business and committee members leave nothing to chance. Their attention to detail is incredible.

In fact, over the years the show house has branched out into so many other money-making entities than just the Anatomy of a Show House home tour, one board member remarked, "Sometimes I think the tail is wagging the dog." Organization is the key word to this annual fund-raiser, which benefits the Oklahoma Philharmonic Orchestra. Beginning with the selection of decorators, every phase involved in turning the empty house at 1644 Queenstown into a showplace by April 29 is on a rigid schedule. The first of December, invitations to a See HOUSE. Page 2 Staff Photo by David McDamei Tris While, left, and Ollie Fulton of the River Boat Jazz Kings Band, play a number tor Mardi Gras Charity Ball chairman Lynn Ashley and her husband Dr. John Ashley.

Edmond Women's Club Puts The Ball in Oak Tree's Courts ppppi HB i That just might be the understatement of the year. But tennis courts7 Committee members say don't knock it until you've tried it. The new Sports Facility at Oak Tree encompasses a area with four tennis courts that will accommodate 100 tables, a dance floor and stage. Club members first became interested in the sports center when they By Peggy Gandy Society Editor You won't see any tennis balls bouncing on the courts at Oak Tree Country Club Saturday night. Instead you'll see about 1,000 guests doing their thing at the Edmond Women's Club Mardi Gras Ball.

"It is a challenge for us to find a location with the space we require for our ball." said chairman Lynn Ashlev A design for the show house dining room by Montell Vogt and David Clark of Foxglove. i ifc Stall Photo by Pan; Hensiern bus;.