Artists Of Texas Contemporary Paintings and Art

Royal Pumps © 2011 Amy Hillenbrand 14 x 11 oil on canvas $325.00 + shipping  What is it with women and their shoes? We know how Carrie Bradshaw felt about her love affair with shoes, and I quote: “The fact is, sometimes it’s really hard to walk in a single woman’s shoes. That’s why we need really special ones now and then to make the walk a little more fun.”  Carrie Bradshaw-Sex in the City But did you know that Marie Antoinette had a special relationship with her shoes? Yep, even while France was being torn apart by the revolution, Marie cherished her shoes. It has been reported that Marie Antoinette took special care to keep her beautiful shoes clean for 75 days while being locked in a dark, dank, dirty, 17th century prison waiting her turn at the guillotine. She wore those same shoes the day she died. I wonder, did those shoes help her keep her dignity as she walked to her death? http://amyhillenbrand.blogspot.com www.am...

High School Treasures © 2011 Amy Hillenbrand 12 x 12 oil on canvas www.amyhillenbrand.com http://amyhillenbrand.blogspot.com The classics. I was recently commissioned to paint some shoes.  I accepted her request without  knowing what type of shoes she wanted painted. One day the UPS truck appeared and the man in brown handed me a little square box. I had forgotten about this painting request, so I was curious what was inside. What a happy surprise to see this fabulous pair of worn saddle shoes. You just never know what people will want. She still had these gems from her 1970's high school days and they meant a lot to her. You could tell they were dearly loved from the evidence of the white shoe polish that had been applied over the years. There is something so endearing about saddle shoes. I had a pair of my own, they were brown and white with extra high heals, I loved those shoes.

  Always in Vogue © 2010 Amy Hillenbrand 16 x 20 oil on canvas I love watching the old black and white movies from the 30's and 40's. There is nothing better to do on a rainy day than curl up with a blankie, turn on the movie channel and take in an oldie. I love the glamorous  clothes and shoes and the happy endings. These shoes remind me of those days and  these wonderful shoes are actually mine this time.  I feel like a million bucks when I wear them, but it's just not everyday I'm sporting 5" heels. (Yeah, no, I don't wear them to paint in) They remind me of the old glamor days of Hollywood, so to get just a little more use out of them I thought they could pose with this wonderful book of portraits by the famous photographer Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann . I hope Horst would approve.