Unique Featured Art at Gallery 10 in January

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1 Unique Featured Art at Gallery 10 in January Luang Prabang in Laos is one of the prettiest and most interesting places a tourist can experience. The natural scenery, elaborate temples, kindly people, terrific shopping and fascinating culture all make up an idyllic setting. Thanks to the efforts of gallery member, Annie Hughes, Gallery 10 is proud to present a display of Laotian art for the month of January. Ms Hughes started working with Laotian students in Stockton in 1987 and began her first of several trips to Laos in Among other things while there, Annie painted with children at an Ethnic Minority School (orphanage) and met several renowned Luang Prabang artists. For January, examples of their unique art will be highlighted at the gallery. Paintings by P. Noy are the featured presentation. She was taught by her husband and then developed her own natural talents. They both describe their endeavors as "Contemporary Neo- Fauvism Expressionism". Due to the nature of the Laotian government, it is unacceptable work and the couple often has to hide their creations. A second feature of the show are watercolor paintings by children at the Ethnic Minority School. Annie has been promising them for years to show their work in America and tell their stories, and is now able to fulfill their hopes and keep her promise. A final grouping of art treasures will be the textiles and clothing of various tribes in the area. Old, traditional pieces as well as newer works will be available to discriminating patrons of the arts. Ms Hughes will host the reception as a stand-in for P. Noy and her husband, P. Anousa, who for political and economic reasons must stay in Luang Prabang. Annie looks forward to meeting you at the show and sharing their stories and their art work. The reception honoring Laotian art will be on Saturday, January 5, from 2-4 pm. The Gallery is located at 15 Eureka Street in Sutter Creek. Hours are 11-4 during January. For further information call the gallery at or visit the website at Treat yourself to a truly enjoyable artistic experience.

2 LAOTIAN ART COMES TO SUTTER CREEK It wasn t easy and it took many years, 18 years to be exact. The story began much longer ago then that. It all began in 1987, when I was teaching my first Laotian students in Stockton. We were having lunch in the cafeteria and a group of girls took from their lunch boxes something wrapped and tied with string. They couldn t tell me what it was. They didn t know the English name for it but they would unwrap the green leaf and eat the contents. Several years later I learned that it was a banana leaf. At the end of the school year a Laotian father gave me a beautiful hand woven bag. This was the first Laotian textile to call my own. Year after year I would meet more Laotian students and families, and some Hmong, Mien, and Khmu, who were the hill tribes in Laos. All were the children of Laotian refugees fleeing from a war torn country and a communist government. Their parents all said that they wanted a better life and education for their children. The parents and grandparents brought them to school and would be wearing some clothing from their villages. Being a person, who loves clothes, I was fascinated. In the late 80s I became involved with a group of women and men, who called themselves Hmong Artisan, who s desire was to be able to market their beautiful native textiles called Pa Ndau and have an income from them.

3 With each piece of their culture -- the stories, the food, and the art I was drawn more and more to where it all came from, that being Laos. It s a small land locked country in Southeast Asia, tucked in between and around Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar (formerly Burma). In 1995 I made my first trip to Laos to see and feel where it all came from, to visit the villages and markets and feast my eyes on the art, food, architecture, and people that were only stories for years. That first trip led to many trips and time spent there, plus a two year contract with the Laotian government to teach English to their officials, a provincial governor, and Laotian staff, who were working in development of the country. Those two years (1999 to 2001) gave me the opportunity live with the people, learn the language, paint with children at an Ethnic Minority School (orphanage), meet the artists and artisans and share art stories, experiences, books and supplies. This was the Gold Mine times, mining all of this, gathering, collecting, collaborating about art and what we do. I found that art was our common language, both with the adults and the children. When I returned to California in 2001 I was Bringing Home the Boon. I had the treasures and the stories and this filled my home and heart. I could finally bring treasures and letters to many of the families in Stockton, who shared their stories with me and inspired me to go in search. So it is this boon that I will be sharing in the January show at Gallery 10 in Sutter Creek. Paintings by P.Noy, a young

4 woman/artist in Luang Prabang, are the featured art work of the show. She was taught by her artist trained husband, P. Anousa, and then developed with her own natural talents and passion to paint (mostly) the women and children of an ethnic minority hilltribe. She and her husband have been painting works, that they describe as Contemporary Neo Fauvism Expressionism, and would be considered outside the acceptable realm of the Lao government and for this reason they have sometimes been hard to locate over our ten year friendship. There are times when I go I have to ask for days to finally find them. I ve come to accept that. It s life there and they have to be careful. And each time we meet it s a great reunion and sharing and if I m lucky there s a new painting or two to bring home to share with this world. Also included in the show are watercolor paintings by children at the Ethnic Minority School, called Huen Hien Son Pao, in Houai Xai. Since 1999 I have been painting with the children, taking art supplies, and telling them that I will show their work in America and tell their stories. The third grouping of treasures in the show are the textiles and clothing of Laos, of the Lowland People and the Hill Tribes in the mountains. Some are very old, traditional pieces and some are newer works for the market place so the viewer will see a vast array with an opportunity to buy. Yes, lots of the work in the show is for sale and will benefit artists, cooperatives, and the Ethnic Minority school in Laos.

5 With that being said I look forward to meeting you at the show, sharing stories and the art work, and standing there for P.Noy be with us. To you they say, Sa bai di, Sok Di, Kohp chai which means, Hello, good luck, and thank you. The show is called BRINGING HOME THE BOON, a collection of watercolor and oil paintings, woven textiles and ethnic clothing of Laos.

6 GALLERY 10 EUREKA STREET SUTTER CREEK, CA. OPENING RECEPTION: JAN. 5, 2013, 2-4 PM THE SHOW RUNS THROUGH JAN. 28 Gallery Hours: 11 AM to 4 PM, Wed. through Monday Gallery contact: (209) or Annie Hughes contact: (209)