TRAHC presents Deborah Paris

The Texarkana Regional Arts & Humanities Council presents Deborah Paris "Lennox Woods – The Ancient Forest" exhibit through May 7.

ThE exhibition includes 12 works of art by Texas artist Deborah Paris, recording the pristine beauty of Lennox Woods Preserve, located in northeast Texas. Lennox Woods is an old growth southern hardwood forest containing one of the few remaining examples of fully mature, virgin timber found in the state. For two years, in all seasons, Paris has explored, drawn and painted the Woods.

In these works, she shows us why the beauty of the Woods and its unique heritage are worth preserving and taking note of. Located in Red River County, the pristinely preserved Lennox Woods allows visitors a glimpse into the past. Lennox Woods exists as tangible history, an example of how the land looked before the settlers arrived. The Lennox family first acquired the Woods in 1863, and over the years resolutely protected it from the logging and development that became popular throughout the region.

Martha, David, and Bagby Lennox donated 170 acres of their land to the Nature Conservancy in 1987, and three years later Martha and the Lennox Foundation deeded an additional 206 acres to the nonprofit organization. The area was officially dedicated as the Lennox Woods Preserve in 1990.

Deborah Paris is an American landscape painter. Her moody, tonal paintings reflect an intense, intuitive connection to the natural world and its rhythms. She has been featured in American Artist, Southwest Art and The Pastel Journal. In December 2004, she was named an Artist to Watch by Southwest Art Magazine. Her work has been shown at the Laguna Art Museum, the Albuquerque Museum of Art, the Panhandle-Plains Museum, the Gilcrease Museum, and the Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

Based on a foundation of intense and close observation, drawing, memory and imagination, her work is produced using indirect painting techniques such as glazing, scumbling, and velaturas to produce luminous works full of mystery and mood.