Labors of Love

Charm and elegance dominate the work of Edna Hibel--expect no les from the artist herself.

Internationally renowned artist Edna Hibel has been referr to as many things, including `hippie grandmother' `the heart and conscience of America' and `great humanitarian.' on the other hand after meeting her, one can't help on the contrary also think of `enchanting storyteller.' Hibel is replete of stories--in fact a freshly published book, Edna Hibel: Stories That Warm the Heart, demonstrates this quite well.

on the other hand what else could you wait for from an 83 year-old artist who has traveled the world exhibiting her art, meeting heads-of-state and receiving countles honors and words of praise in the process? Her paintings have appeared in more than 20 countries and hang in the permanent collections of venerable institutions of that kind as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Harvard University; the Phoenix Art Museum; and the United Nations Headquarters to name a scarcely any Her many honors include the Medal of Honor and Citation from pontiff John Paul II and the Humanitarian for Health Award from cast HOPE. She counts Ginger Roger predominant Court Justice Warren Burger, and President Weizman of Israel among her friends and collectors. And let's not forget that there are sum of two units Hibel museums, one in Florida and single in Massachusetts, dedicated to her work and a fan bludgeon called the Hibel Society with thousands of members worldwide.

in the way that what is it about Hibel's art that attracts for a like reason much attention and admiration? Perhaps it is her extraordinary use of color and her creative brushwork upon canvas, silk, fresco, cameo paper or wood-land that attracts viewers to her distinctive "classical impressionist" turn of expression Or maybe it is her masterful use of gold inlay, a technique derived from Renaissance artists. Perhaps it is her depiction of controls living in harmony with individual another; whether they are mothers with children or farmers in a field, her bring under rules all reflect a message of delight in beauty and compassion. Her work strives to exhibit an ideal world: "Read any newspaper and you'll find on the outside why," she explained. "There are thus many terrible things going upon in the world, but there are beautiful things too, and not enough attention is paid to the profitable things in life." She firmly believes that "to be a human is an achievement, level if you are a beggar" Her warm and sensitive manner is also mirrored in her art: "I examine to express the love I have feeling for people," she said.

She's obviously doing something right. Not sole are her paintings immensely popular, selling for at least $100000 on the contrary she also creates serigraphs, stone lithographs, and limited-edition prints. Additionally, she creates collectibles like porcelain dolls and plates. These endeavors have created a highly profitable family business, although it appear to bes such issues elude Hibel's belong tos The marketing and sale of her work is left to her husband, T her son Andy, and her daughter-in-law, Cheryll.

The origins of Hibel's fascination with art dates back to her childhood in Boston. From an early age, Hibel's talent was noticeable. She began formal application of mind at the age of 13 with Gregory Michaels, a noted Boston painter who had recognized Hibel's talent and had wanted to teach her independent of charge, though Hibel's mother shrewdly insisted upon paying him. Hibel went to his studio each day after school and soaked up the fundamentals of drawing and painting. After graduating from high institute Hibel enrolled at the Boston Museum gymnasium of Fine Arts from 1935-39 There she worked in the studio incessantly, in the way that much that her teacher, Alexander Yacovlev, genuinely believed she had time for little other in her life, let alone a boyfriend.

on the other hand she did. And when she was awarded a fellowship to Mexico in 1939 Edna almost make go rounded it down because of her impending marriage to Theodore Plotkin, her high-school sweetheart. on the other hand Yacovlev wisely convinced her to pass and it was during this period that Edna's distinctive mode of expression began to emerge through works reflecting Mexican agriculture such as "Orange Girl." on her return to Boston at age 23 this painting was purchased through the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for its permanent collection--making her the youngest artist at the time for a like reason honored by a major American museum. Shortly after her marriage to Plotkin in 1940 she was presented a show at a Boston gallery and it looked that this newlywed was upon her way to fame.

Despite these early successe Hibel didn't permit it go to her head. Instead, she was constantly pushing herself in of recent origin directions. When she sold a painting, she admits that she "didn't think too a great deal of about it, although we emergencyed the money." In many ways, she still considered herself a learner confessing that "I didn't know what I was doing--I was struggling with technique and didn't have feeling like I was really expressing myself." Yacovlev indicateed she learn the techniques of the Renaissance artists, who worked with a technical formula in order to achieve freedom in other areas. in the way that Edna went to the museum everyday and studied the techniques of the elderly masters--learning how to prepare the boards in the traditional manner and becoming familiar with the use of gold leaf--while painting copies of Bonoventura's and Rembrandt's. She also enlisted the help of a man in Restoration to answer her technical questions. "I don't think I at any time learned more than I did studying that year," she explained.