Puerto Vallarta Art Collection

Evelyne Boren Celebrates 40 Years of Artistry

World-renowned artist, Evelyne Boren will be presenting her latest collection at a cocktail inauguration this season in her Puerto Vallarta. Sharing her talents whether through her work or by teaching has always been important to Boren. What follows is a question and answer with Evelyn about the passions of her work and her methods of teaching.

Q. "What makes a good painting?"

A. "Good design and good light pattern, which is one of the things I teach in Sayulita. I have a new area, I built a palapa, to teach just footsteps from the beach below my house. It is called 'Palapita Evelyne'."

Q. "What specifically do you teach?"

A. "Color therapy and some design."

Q. "Could you explain color therapy?"

A. "I show how you make a panting bright; there is a way to choose colors in order to make a painting glow. You cannot just randomly pick colors and hope for the best, there are certain choices you have to make. These are the types of things I like to teach."

Q. "This 'glow' you create is obvious in your work, especially your new painting 'Une Route de Provence en ete.' (The Road to Provence in Summer.)"

A. "Yes, thank you that is what I wanted to portray. I wanted the viewer to be invited in to see the center of interest. It is up to the artist to do that, to invite you through the painting and take you where they (the artist) want you to go. If that is not thought through you end up with two centers of interest, which is confusing. It is important that an artist decide what he wants the viewer to look at. Your eye actually takes a path through a painting. You also have to decide if the painting is warm or cool and use colors to enhance each other, greens make red pop, purple makes yellow pop. You can do that with any color. The theory behind this is a fun thing to teach."

Q. "I understand you also paint as well as teach in France."

A. "Yes, In the Northern part of Provence there is an area called Drom Provencal, that is where most of France's lavender is grown and where I rent an 18th century farmhouse each year to teach. I also provide a gourmet chef from Belgium to cook dinners for the students. Everyday we take busses to different locals to paint and eat. In France we say that we eat for seven hours, paint for five and sleep the rest of the time. Many of the paintings in my new show are inspired by my annual trips to this region."

Q. " Besides Galeria des Artistes in Puerto Vallarta, where else can your work be found?"

A. "The Cline Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Texas Gallery in Dallas, Texas. Interestingly, my paintings were in auctions the past two years at the Texas Gallery and since they were auctioned for more than the value, they offered me a show."

Q. "How does an artist price a painting?"

A. "When I first starting to sell my work over 40 years ago, I sold at garage sales for $10.00 or $15.00, whatever I could get. The main thing is to sell and to get them into peoples homes and hanging. It is very important for an artist to create and let go, create and let go, because there is more creativity where that came from. If you hold on to it, it will stifle you. The idea is not to fall in love with your work but to share it. Many artists believe they can never reproduce a wonderful painting again that it was a fluke, so they hold onto it. But actually you become more inspired by letting go and having faith that the next one with be better and you will get an even better price. Basically for me, I raise my prices ten percent every year, if my paintings from the previous year sell. If the economy isn't good or I don't sell well, I float and keep them the same price, like this year. It is better that way in the long run."

Q. "How many years have you been showing in Puerto Vallarta?"

A. "Since 1974 or 75, Manuel Lepe and I were basically the first artists here. Manual and Laura had a gallery and that was where I had my first show, then I showed for Jan Lavender at Gallery Uno. This will be my fourth year showing at Galerie des Artistes."

Q. "How many new paintings will be in the new show and from what are their inspirations?"

A. "Twenty-two, they are of my travels in France, Spain and of course of my second home, Mexico. The show includes watercolors, oils and giclee's, (a process that creates prints of canvas). There are small paintings to large format pieces, something for every budget."

Q. "Can you share some details about your new paintings?"

A. "A lot of people like window scenes, so there will be a couple of those including 'Bouquet en la Fenetre' (Bouquet in the Window). It is a new painting of my own bedroom in France. 'Petit De jeuner Coix du Gres' is the name of the farmhouse where I stay in France as well as the name of a painting I did of my breakfast area there. There is also oil called 'Champs de Lavenders en ete'(Fields of Lavender in Summer). Mexican markets are one of my favorite themes. I never have a show without at least one market scene. And of course many other scenes from around Mexico will be included in the show." While studying photographs of her paintings for this interview Boren chuckles and continues: "About 16 years ago I started painting oils. It looked like two different people were paining. One did the watercolors and one did the oil. It was my goal to be able to make each type look as if the same person painted them after many years I can now look at photos such as these of my work and I have to think did I do this in oil or watercolor? Each has helped me with the other. My oils are loose because of the watercolors and my watercolors are strong because of oils."

Q. "Your work is wonderful, where will you be showing after Galerie des Artistes?"

A. "Thank you. Next I will be in a new gallery for me in North Carolina, the John Silva Gallery and my next big show will be in September at the Cline Gallery in Santa Fe."

Q. "What do you like best about being an artist?"

A. "I have always enjoyed sharing my art both by painting and more recently by teaching. I feel it, teaching, is a way that I can give back a share of the 40 years of my life as a painter." Evelyne Boren exhibits at Galerie des Artists; Leona Vicario 248 Centro Tel: (322) 223 0006. She can be reached my email at eboren@earthlink.net, by phone at (329) 291 3095 or at her Open Studio Tours in Sayulita every Wednesday from 2 to 5 pm November through April.