Cover | M. Louise Stanley

Rich Lady Languishing, (acrylic). M. Louise Stanley works in the tradition of history and narrative painting, documenting current and fictitious events using myth and allegory. Under her wry scrutiny, the foibles of contemporary society and mores are examined. Recent paintings focus on the mortgage crisis, bad bankers, organized religion, and travel. About Rich Lady Languishing, the artist said, “As a child I was fascinated by the period rooms in the Huntington Museum in Southern California. I used to wonder about the former ‘rich ladies’ who inhabited them. Through my European travels, I’ve visited many palaces and villas hung with extravagant chandeliers that dwarf their surroundings. Though the chandeliers are full of sparkle and glitter, the rooms are often in disrepair, poignant reminders of better times.” An award-winning artist and educator, Stanley has exhibited nationally, and her work is in permanent museum collections. She has won numerous awards, most recently the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. She lives in Emeryville and teaches at Berkeley City College. Her paintings and journals can be viewed at MLouiseStanley.com. Contact her directly at lulu@locrian.com for information on her Art Lover’s Tours, planned for June 2015, of Rome, Florence, and Siena.

NEXT MONTH: Is rabbit the other white meat? Is there any truth to the theory that the cuter the animal, the better it tastes? Julia Park Tracey ruminates on the theme as le lapin pops up with frequency on Bay Area menus. Also in the queue: Paul Kilduff catches up with the East Bay’s favorite winemaker, Kent Rosenblum, and Dave Weinstein, author of It Came from Berkeley: How Berkeley Changed the World, predicts an upswing for Berkeley’s iconic Telegraph Avenue in a historical retrospective.