The Colors in My Head
paintings by Eva G. Mapp
Exhibit: June 7 - July 4, 2004
Reception: Friday, June 11, 2004, 6-8 pm
Eva Mapp was one of nine children who grew up in Kingsville, Texas during the 1950s. She picked cotton until she was 8 years old and then became an apprentice at her father's auto body shop. At the age of 18, she enlisted in the Air Force where she spent the next six years. Shortly after her discharge, she moved to Franklin, Georgia in 1978, raised her family, and worked as an auto-paint and body-mechanic. It wasn't until she became disabled in 1998 that she decided to move back to Kingsville, go back to college at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and finish her education.
Since then, she has excelled and become recognized as a student and an artist. Eva has received numerous scholarships, was selected for inclusion in the 2001 edition of "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges", on the Dean's List and Honor Roll in 2002-2003, and is also an alumnus of the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program. She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts Studio Painting in August 2003. She continues her education as graduate student at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Eva has described her oil paintings as an extension of her hand and her heart. They also show the colors in her head that need to be released. Because of Fibromyalgia, a painful muscle syndrome, she is in constant pain. However, when she paints, she doesn't feel the pain anymore. The results are landscapes and abstractions with brilliant colors. After having a solo exhibition at Las Manitas during June 2003 and being a part of the "Dia de Los Muertos" show in November 2003, La Peña was more than happy to invite her back.