Nevada Trip Wed. April 8th, We Also Attended Harry Chew's Art Exhibit

Pam Chew, Harry Chew's daughter today living in Tulsa.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070707_238_A11_spanc00274

The 45 pieces of Harry Chew's Art was amazing! The nude was there I had seen as a little girl in the Chew's living room above the fireplace.

We learned that Harry was born in 1925 and passed away in 1978. His work was in Life magazine, Young American Painter's, Oct. 1951. Seeing Harry's art from the 1940's, 50's, 60's and 70's was very fascinating. There were many pieces belonging to private collection of people in Nevada that were his friends.

Reception, exhibit honors the works of the late Harry ChewTuesday, March 31, 2009By Rusty Murry- Herald-Tribune
Family, friends and art lovers gathered at the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts on the Cottey College Campus Saturday, March 28, for a reception of Harry Chew's family and an exhibition of his art work. Despite the inclement weather, more than 100 people greeted members of the Chew family who came from as far away as San Francisco, Calif., and New York, N.Y. "I'm so happy that so many people came, I was worried about the weather," said Dodi Chew.
Dodi Chew of Nevada, Pam Chew of Tulsa, Okla., and Winston Chew of New York, N.Y. were joined by Harry Chew's sisters, Nellie Hom and Lillian Fong and her husband Bill Fong who live in San Francisco, where Chew spent his younger years.
"What's really interesting here is the fact that my father and his siblings were all separated early in life and lived in orphanages. They lived separate lives in the same city for many years without seeing each other," said Pam Chew. They have never been to Nevada nor seen his work.
Family members and visitors had some finger foods and punch and fondly remembered Harry Chew, his artwork and his contribution to Cottey College and Nevada. There were 45 different pieces of Chew's work on display in the P.E.O. Foundation Art Gallery. Wendy MacLaren, the dean of institutional advancement, said, "it's quite an eclectic collection." Chew worked with different media like water colors, oils, and acrylics to create still lifes, portraits, and landscapes.
There were some photos of Chew and letters on display along with the exhibition which was arranged in such a way as to give the viewer a glimpse into different phases of Chew's development as an artist. Some of the early works, dating back to the late 40s were water colors depicting waterfront scenes that one might see in the San Francisco bay area.
The work progressed into a more abstract style with time and birds were a favorite subject of Chew's, especially owls. Chew had depth as an artist that his siblings never saw, and Pam Chew said, "I love that they can see this range of my father's work."
Chew's sister Nellie Hom had never seen any of her brother's work and was amazed. "It's spectacular," she said, "I didn't know he did water colors." Fong was very touched by her brother's work with patients at the state hospital many years ago. Chew's west coast relatives had not seen him but once after he left San Francisco and that was at least 10 years ago, "maybe more like 15," according to his brother in law Bill Fong.
Winston Chew, who is now a chiropractor in New York City was glad to be home even for a short while. "I really do miss it," he said. "It was really a great place to grow up."
The Chews spent more than two hours talking with guests and reminiscing with old friends and acquaintances.
Regarding early memories of his father's art Chew said, "it brought us together as a family; he was such a fan of so many other art forms. We're just honored that so many people remembered him," Chew said, and whether he realized it or not, his father's work had brought them together again.