Portrait of the Artist

Bryan-College Station Eagle, Odessa American

'A striking label' Photo by Paul Zoeller Article by Jim Butler Bryan-College Station Eagle
Artist Charlotte Seay's hibiscus-motif painting will soon be seen on wine labels. "I'm passionate about flowers, painting and wine," Seay said. "To see that all combined in one package is like a miracle." Seay's painting of hibiscus won the Messina Hof Winery art competition and will appear on all of the winery's private reserve wine bottles for the next 12 months. "I have entered this contest several times before," the Midland artist said. "I have placed but never won. And I really wanted to win because I really am a wine lover." Seay said she chose the hibiscus because "I like the shape of them. They are an expressive flower, and I thought they'd make a striking label." More than 100 artists entered the competition, Seay said. The field was narrowed to 10 before the winner was chosen. Seay received a $700 commission. "This is one of the most stunning labels we've had," said Paul Bonarrigo, Messina Hof co-founder along with his wife, Merrill. The Bonarrigos presented Seay with a bottle of Pinot Noir Private Reserve that was adorned with her painting at the 28th annual Wine Premiere luncheon Saturday. "Messina Hof is developing into a world-class winery," Seay said. "I'm proud to have my painting on the label. And this Pinot Noir is one of my very favorite wines." Story and Photo courtesy of the Bryan College Station Eagle Bryan-College Station, Texas
	A Splash of Color: Area Artist Makes Her Work Shine Photo by Paul Zoeller Article by Ruth Friedberg Odessa American

MIDLAND — Charlotte Seay is the first one to tell you she’s been blessed in her life. One of her chief blessings has been her talent as an artist. Brightly colored watercolors, mixed media work, prints and collages hang throughout her Midland home. Her work is also part of gallery and private collections worldwide.

“It has truly added another dimension to my life. This is a magical elixir, and I am blessed to drink from it daily,” Seay said. “I feel like when I paint a painting, I write a book,” she added.

Seay has been painting all her life. “I truly became serious about art about 20 years ago and started selling art and studying more,” she said.

This included taking classes at Midland College and The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Before that, Seay designed invitations and decorated for events and non-profit groups. “I had a lot of experience with major art endeavors,” Seay said.

But when she began studying, it was like starting all over again. “I was just like some little child who had never drawn anything or picked up anything. I realized how little I knew,” Seay said.

Seay studied with Warren Taylor and Dr. Charles Stewart at Midland College and Pam Price at UTPB. “They were all superb. We are extremely lucky out here to have these wonderful instructors,” Seay said.

Seay mainly does water media work, monotypes, a printing method whereby you get one print, and some oil painting. She paints with transparent watercolors and uses watercolor crayons, an acrylic/watercolor mixture, watercolor pencil and collage.

In November, in conjunction with the Midland Community Theatre production of “Charley’s Aunt,” Seay had a show entitled “Charlotte Seay: Love of Life.” Seay’s work for the exhibit had a patriotic theme in reaction to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. For three weeks after the attacks, Seay said she could not paint.

Then she and her husband, John, went on a trip to New England for two weeks. In the Northeast, “patriotism was just rampant.” All the small towns had flags everywhere, Seay said.

This inspired her American theme. “My feelings were very black, and I didn’t want to put black art on the walls. This change in my thinking has allowed me to get through this,” Seay said.

After Seay and her husband made the trip east, she felt better. Also, just the act of putting brush and paint to canvas got her going again.

For a number of years prior to her American-themed work, Seay worked on a series of pieces on preservation and conservation of the natural habitats of animals and plants and cultures and traditions.

“I’ve been very concerned about our world becoming so homogenized that cultures get lost,” Seay said. She added that she is also concerned about the environment. “As I was delving into preservation and conservation, I have done probably 200 paintings of Southwestern Native Americans. As that evolved, I got interested in petroglyphs and pictographs. I’ve been developing paintings that related to that theme. That’s evolved into an interest in symbols …,” she said.

Before doing a painting, Seay will draw up studies, sketching out what she plans for her work.

“I have and am designing book covers for authors, so I read the books. I do quite a bit of research,” Seay said.

Much of her art is realistic, stemming from her memory or her travels. When she does abstracts, she lets the painting take her where it will. “That’s the joy and wonder of that type of painting. It paints itself and I’m just the tool,” Seay said.

When she’s not busy painting, Seay tends to the business of being an artist. “There is a considerable amount of business that goes along with making art. You send out slides, keep brochures current, enter competitions …,” she said.

Through the years, Seay has also taught classes. “I’ve had a lot of Odessa people take classes with me. I’ve done a lot of demonstrations at the Ellen Noel Art Museum as well,” she said.

When she conducts courses, Seay teaches beginning watercolors. “There are always things you can learn. I always learn from the students,” she said.

Seay is a past president of the Midland Art Association and president of the Texas Watercolor Society, a national group of about 1,000 members.

She was also selected to be curator for the Midland/Wirral, England “sister city” art exchange. Seay selected 20 artists from Odessa and Midland to have their modern artwork exhibited in Wirral, England.

In the community, Seay is an elder at her church, Grace Presbyterian Church in Midland. Seay and her husband, John, have four children and five grandchildren.

Story and Photo courtesy of the Odessa American Newspaper, Odessa, Texas