Kelly and Gary Keers with Mike Danahay and Annabel.
Heather Kelley and Ashley Wilson.
Nancy Pullig with daugher-in-law Susan Pullig.
Marj Gustine, Reva Chesson and Dot Atkins.
Ginny Karg with artist Albino Hinojosa.
I Googled the whereabouts of VSE and off I drove. And I drove. And I drove. Yes, that sweet little country school is a good distance away, but what I learned made the trip worthwhile. Great scores, dedicated teachers, a wonderful, gung-ho, parental support group and . . . did I say great scores? Back in the spring of this year, VSE hosted its first ever auction and dinner fundraiser. There were all kinds of wonderful things to bid on. Representative Mike Danahay bid on a brisket and I think he won. Gary, Kelly, Jarod and Annabel Keers purchased the right to name the Vincent Settlement Elementary School (VSE) Driveway. The Keers named the driveway “Dooley’s Dawgs Drive” to honor the Louisiana Tech University 2009 Independence Bowl Champions, and to honor the University’s student athletes and their drive for academic excellence. Kelly graduated from LaTech and is awfully proud of the fact that her alma mater has the top athlete graduation rate of all Louisiana universities. The name Dooley’s Dawgs Drive also fit well because in 2008, VSE was 1 of 147 schools in the United States recognized by President Bush as “A National School of Excellence” and continues to score well above the state and national averages on standardized tests. It wouldn’t surprise me if Vincent Settlement Elementary School is one of Southwest Louisiana’s best kept secrets. Representative Mike Danahay opened the driveway, and helped Annabel Keers cut the ribbon while Louisiana Tech alum Allan Hauser looked on. The Shadow visited with Principal Pam LeDoux and Assistant Principal Kashia Askew and Meredith Harris, a LaTech Regal Blue. VSE will hold another fundraiser in the spring of 2010. The funds raised purchase a variety of new technology and educational
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Robert Cooper of the McNeese English Department with Carrie Chrisco of the Mass Communication Department.
equipment for the school.
The Anatomy of a Painting: Albino Hinojosa The Shadow covered a really interesting lecture at the Historic City Hall. The artist, Albino Hinojosa, spoke for an hour, illustrating how he worked and, like most writers, I applied everything he said to my writing. It is amazing, the similarities between artists and writers — and yes, I know writers are artists. Hinojosa was born in Atlanta, Texas, in 1943, not far from my hometown. That means we have a lot in common—the way we say things, the way we think. Probably even the way we hear things. When I listened to him speak, I heard East Texas. Hinojosa was raised by his Cherokee mother and Mexican-American father. He didn’t buy his first paintbrush until he was a senior in high school, but he had already been pursuing his interest in art for years, working with an ordinary knife and the pieces of wood he found for himself. He carved intricate wooden guns and toys, not realizing he was actually sculpting. He was offered an art scholarship to Texarkana College.
September 17, 2009
Tristyn Pippin and Lakyn Chesson.
That scholarship made possible everything that followed. Hinojosa, American Realist, lectured on “The Anatomy of a Painting.” His “Still Life with Sesanqua Camelia” hangs in “The New Reality” exhibition and is compared to Charles Caryl Coleman’s “Quince Blossoms,” 1879. Hinojosa has exhibited in 16 one man shows and has paintings in permanent collections at numerous art centers across the country. Albino Hinojosa was inspiring, and encouraging to the many students, art lovers and amateur artists sitting in his audience. To me it seemed he shared more than his techniques. The more he talked, the more he shared his heart. He said, “an artist is always trying to do that master painting, the one that will make him famous, or at least pave the way.” Albino Hinojosa was an inspiration to me. He advised all artists to incorporate passion into what they do. It was evident that he does. Hinojosa’s works have received national awards and recognitions and are included in many private and public collections. He is devoted to the advancement of the Realism movement in America and paints out of his studio at his home in Ruston.