Coral Gables Historical Archive
The Times
Saturday, October 9, 1976, page 4 (of 24)
The page
The text of this pageRead by computer from the scan, so some words may be wrong. The page picture is the original.
She welcomes the children: 'They're the best critics'
By ELIZABETH OWEN Staff Writer It's Halloween . . . the night of the witch, a the werewolf, and the pumpkin. Neighborhood children are making the rounds. They go from house to house, stuffing as much candy into their bags as the sacks can hold. But when they come to Sis Campbell's house in Perrine, they don't ask for candy. Instead, they ask the tall, thin, leathery-tan woman if they can come inside and see her paintings. She warmly welcomes them and lets them in and watches them wander through her soft-lit open-air house that looks out onto a canal. Her paintings — years of work — stand and hang about, on the floor, on walls, propped up again the furniture. The paintings are mostly seascapes — raging scenes reminiscent of Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea." The skies are always magnificent. "The best critics in the world are children" said Sis, a 68-year-old woman-child, who is a well-known local artist. "They are honest, and they aren't afraid to hurt your feelings." When Sis is painting, in her kitchen or on the patio, the children wander in one by one and sit down to watch her paint. She doesn't know all their names — but she never forgets their faces. They often sit and watch for hours at a time. There are times when the artist cannot paint, when she swears she'll never pick up a brush again, but such times always seem to pass. And when she is painting, she can't do anything else. "I can't think of anything else . . . if I go to bed, I keep getting up to look at what I've done," she said. "Sometimes I paint all day and all night, without a thing to eat." She's done hundreds of landscapes, animals and portraits as well, but her true love is the sea. She travels extensively, then comes back home and recreates what's been imbedded in her mind's eye. She's never painted on location except when she used to paint as a child, with her mother. "My mother liked to paint outside, so I'd paint with her," she recalled. "But I remember there would always be a gust of wind, and the painting would topple face down in the sand." After going to such far-away places as Formosa, Taiwan and the Philippines, her favorite places to paint are Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts and Florida. She painted one of her most beautiful seascapes after a sojourn to Cape Florida, at the tip of Key Biscayne. "I just saw that sky, and when I came back I painted it, then filled in the rest," she said. "I remember things, and I paint from memory." Her work, signed with a Chinese character that translates to "Snow Silk," a name given to her while painting the people and scenes of Formosa, has won many awards. But in spite of her acclaim, the artist said she has some unfinished business. "I have a picture in my mind that I have wanted to do ever since I can remember," she said quietly. "It would be a painting I'd never sign, a painting for all the world to see — that someone troubled could look at and find peace."
S. A. T.
SHELDON ROSE EDUCATIONAL CENTER PREP COURSES 945-3347 MCAT - DAT - LSAT - GMAT - GRE - SAT - CLEP
M QUIRANTES ORTHOPEDIC MOLDED CUSTOM SPACE SHOES & SANDALS
WE WILL CAST AT HOSPITAL, HOME OR OFFICE JUST PHONE 8522 BIRD ROAD 552-8400 5849 W. FLAGLER 261-1382
ALL SOUTH WEST & KEY BISCAYNE "SINGER"
"Service Guaranteed on any Sewing Machine, SINGER-Guaranty, Pick up & delivery, Free Estimate. Trade your's in for a new SINGER, Easy Terms. Better prices. Largest Stock in town. New Line SINGER Vacuum Cleaners, Free Demo - Prices. SOUTHWEST SEWING CENTER STORE 5744 S.W. 40 St., Phone 665-8021
TAPESTRIES FROM ECUADOR
100% WOOL • HAND WOVEN Large Selection of Tapestries in All Sizes Both Framed & Unframed PAPILLON UNIQUE IMPORTS DADELAND MALL PH. 666-4096
AMERICAN TOYS
DOLLS • GAMES • HOBBIES • PARTIES GOODS SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN $6.99 TRACK-BALL $5.99 SUPER HERO FIGURES $1.99 MASTER MIND GAME $2.99 HUSH LITTLE BABY $8.99 MATCH-BOX CARS 69¢ EFFECTIVE FROM: OCT. 9 TO OCT. 12 LAY-AWAY NOW FOR CHRISTMAS. PHONE 264-6471 7199 Southwest 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33144
Sit On It! (Or Sleep On It)
CONVERTIBLE CORNER GROUP - $299 This Week Only! Regularly $429 Ideal for Den or Guest Room Variety of Herculon fabrics Choice of mica finishes 4 Built-in drawers Casters for easy maneuverability Sofas. Sleepers. Sectionals. Chairs. FURNITURE TRENDS THE COMPLETE CONTEMPORARY SHOWROOM 11223 South Dixie/Suniland Shopping Center/Tel. 253-4545