Artist Isis de Alencar Lyon

Artist Isis de Alencar grew up in the State of Pernambuco in Northeast Brazil (at one time in the 16th Century the richest state in the country due to it's sugar production from cane).

Her father was a chief of police, who was transferred frequently to different towns, so she lived in a number of different places in the state. Her paternal grandparents owned and ran a large ranch in the interior of the state, called Oitisica (Jujube tree), about which a famous Northeast Brazilian folk singer, Luiz Gonzaga, wrote a song, entitle, of course, "Oitisica." Isis spent many memorable summers as a girl at her grandparents ranch,

absorbing the economically poor but culturally rich rural life of

Northeast Brazil that was portrayed in novels like "Vidas Secas"

(Dry Lives), made into a movie of the same title. One of her notable predecessors was Jose de Alencar, the foremost Romance novelist in Brazil during the 19th Century.

As a young woman Isis emigrated with her sister to the United States, sponsored by a family in Afton, Wyoming (The Turner Family), in 1965. She attended college in Utah, married, raised 3 children, divorced, remarried and raised one more.

Her children are grown; her oldest, Christine is an OBGYN physician in private practice in Houma, Lousiana; her second child, Thomas is a professor of Chemistry and Chairman of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Geo-Sciences at Notre Dame University; her third child Alan, is a stay-at-home

Dad in Hershey, Pennsylvania; her youngest son, Andre, is in his last year of graduate school (MFA in film at Columbia) in New York City.

Isis spends her time painting, exercising, gardening (she has a large collection of exotic tropical fruit trees---an interest that she acquired from her grandfather who had a famous exotic fruit orchard on his ranch in Brazil---that require a lot of care and feeding, doing photography, cooking, and enjoying her friends and family, and the rather surprising parade of wildlife that transits her back yard in College Station, Texas. She is married to Kent Lyon, an endocrinologist in private practice

in the city.

I went to UCLA with Kent about thirty-five years ago.

While working on a reunion I found Kent and gave him a shout. Soon we were chatting as if no time had passed. It was great fun to catch up on his busy life and love of bicycling. A hundred mile plus ride? In Texas? I rather be sitting on a dock watching the tide rise.

I learned that Kent married a special lady, Isis, who among her many talents paints fabulous colorful arrwork. Kent sent me photos of her work and I asked if I could feature her work on my blog. Above are three of her lovely paintings. She signs her work Isis de Alencar.

Hope you have an amazing August.

Don't forget to sunscreen yourself, the family and all the pets.

Critters need special sunscreen so ask your vet which one you need for your pet.

Cheers,

pm