Miriam's Art Happenings
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The Robots Are Coming
Writing is an art. And writing about art is an art of arts. Like art, it’s hard. It’s complicated. Helk, people make careers writing about art! On Miriam’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, we are in the midst of a series reviewing Miriam’s still life pieces over the decades. Still life is an art genre that
What do Miriam McClung and Andy Warhol Have in Common?
If you are on this newsletter list, you probably want to know more about Miriam and her art. And you probably like art in general. What you probably don’t like is reading about Supreme Court case rulings, regardless of your political leaning. We’re betting that, like us, you’ll find the recent Supreme Court ruling of
Meet a major influence on Miriam’s art
With Mother’s Day fast approaching, we thought we should introduce Miriam’s mother, Ellen Maddox Jackson, and her impact on Miriam’s art. Ellen (b. 1904) was one of five siblings and grew up in a small town and farming community (Easonville) in central Alabama. Her brothers preferred hunting, fishing, and other popular outdoor sports, which Ellen
What do Miriam, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning have in common?
It’s “Teacher Tuesday” — a day we’ve totally made up to explore the art teachers and influences throughout Miriam’s career. Let’s jump to 1955— specifically the summer between Miriam’s sophomore and junior year at the University of Alabama where she was a Fine Arts major. The University of Alabama Fine Art Department at the time
Where have you been?
Whether you are just dropping by or have been hanging around this newsletter for a while and wondered where we went, let’s get you caught up on what has been happening with Miriam and her art in 2023. First, we are particularly grateful for collectors from Aubrey TX, Philadelphia PA, Birmingham AL, Fairfield CT, Jackson
Since our last email in August, we’ve been busy!
Miriam’s health has continued to improve after hip replacement surgery due to the help of a great primary care team, the orthopedic surgeon, and most importantly regular, focused physical therapy. She is walking with just a walker now. Miriam has also enjoyed seeing friends and fellow artists stop by for lunch and a chat. If
Gilchrist Drugstore Watercolor
We are taking a break this week from a mini-retrospective of Miriam’s early work and looking at some of her work centering on Birmingham and surrounding areas. The piece below depicts Gilchrist Drugstore, a landmark in Mountain Brook Village just a mile from where Miriam grew up. The drugstore with a soda fountain and now
The Blue Lady
The piece above, “The Blue Lady” was done in 1962. Although it is a portrait of a model, the face of the model does bear a resemblance to the artist herself. This is one of Miriam’s most striking works from this early period when she was experimenting with bold style and a limited color palette.
Miriam’s First Works
It’s not often that an artist’s first substantial work is preserved for over 70 years. When you are a young artist, you don’t know if art will become a career, hobby, or fad in one’s life. We are fortunate to still have in Miriam’s collection two of her earliest works. One is a self-portrait (her