RHENDA SAPORITO

While many artists might shudder at the thought of an empty canvas, likely wondering if the work is good enough before the brush has even touched the piece of tightly-woven fabric, Rhenda Saporito loves the blank space for the very same reason others loathe it: the possibilities are endless, and you don’t yet know what you’ll paint.

STARLA GATSON KELLY MOORE CLARK

he New Orleans-based artist picks up T a brush and begins to mark the canvas with strokes that respond to one another, letting intuition be her guide. Then, she explains, the brain gets involved and reveals exactly what else needs to be done to finish the piece.

It’s all part of the process, Saporito says, and it’s got nothing to do with painting something that’s flawless. “Many artists say, ‘Well, I don’t have any talent’ or ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘Somebody’s better than I am,’” she says. “You have to let those things go; those don’t have anything to do with the art process. Perfection is not what we’re striving for; we’re striving to continue the process.” She paints for herself, of course hoping others like her pieces, but at the end of the day, being more concerned about pushing through the process and all its struggles to create pieces that are strong.

The advice she offers to an artist struggling to continue the process to which she refers is simple: don’t second-guess yourself. “Even when you paint what we all call ‘the ugly painting,’ the ugly painting, if you keep going, takes a life of its own,” she says. “I’ve got paintings that look nice and people might respond to, but I’ve got other paintings that were so ugly and so bad that it didn’t matter what I did to it; anything I did would’ve been better than where it was. And some of those paintings, to me, are the strongest of my work.”

In other words, Saporito is a firm believer in the power of perseverance and resonates with it so strongly that she calls it an integral part of her artistic process. “I’m just an optimistic person,” she explains. “I just think good things are coming, no matter what it is, and they may not be here today, but they’re going to come.” This optimism is a driving factor as she works, striving to paint “out of chaos,” or create a piece that projects a sense of calm and is a resting place of sorts to the observer.

Growing up, a career as an artist wasn’t even on Saporito’s radar — not seriously, at least. “I had very good elementary art through Louisiana Tech and the A.E. Phillips school that’s associated with Louisiana Tech,” she says of her early relationship with art. “I had a good art background as a young child, but then no real art to speak of in high school or college.”

By the time she finished her time as a Louisiana Tech Bulldog, Saporito had earned a Bachelor’s degree in home economics (now human ecology), a field of study that made perfect sense for her, as her mother was once the dean of the department. While the decision for a home economics degree-holder to pursue art may seem random to some, as she looks back now, Saporito can see how she was in touch with her artistry even before beginning to paint.

She explains that back then, she created out of necessity. She did a lot of crafting, sewing, and cooking because her classes required it or because she needed something for her personal use, but realized tasks like sewing articles of clothing according to a pattern, for example, was an artistic process in itself. “When I graduated, I had an apartment and I needed a painting on the wall, so I painted it,” she recalls. “And then, my grandmother gave me a chair. I wasn’t going to be able to have it upholstered, so I just made the upholstery and did it myself. I was kind of crafty in that way.”

THE ARTISTIC PROCESS “When I graduated, I had an apartment and I needed a painting on the wall, so I painted it,” she recalls. “And then, my grandmother gave me a chair. I wasn’t going to be able to have it upholstered, so I just made the upholstery and did it myself. I was kind of crafty in that

ow, her motivation for her artistry has shifted

Nfrom necessity to passion, thanks to her time at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. Her time there began in 1986, when she enrolled in her first course, a color theory class. “It was Becky Vizard, who is from St. Joe, Louisiana, and does all of the beautiful pillows, that suggested that I take a class with Auseklis Ozols,” she says. “His class started the next week, and it was color theory. So, I started there.” The next step, she decided was to enroll in an independent study class the following semester. Throughout the course of the class, which was also taught by Ozols, a Latvian artist and the founding director of the Academy, students would paint whatever they wanted, and Saporito set out to create her own rendition of a painting she had set her sights on before.

“I had seen a painting that I wanted, and I called the designer in New York, and she referred me to a gallery in San Francisco. She sent me a slide, and it was by a painter named Stanley Boxer,” she remembers. “When she sent me the slide, the painting was so expensive, I thought, ‘Well, shoot. I can do that.’” So, she did.

Her version of the painting, an off-white and minimally colored canvas marked with strokes of oil paint that look like scoops of icing, currently hangs in her living room and inspired her to remain at the Academy of Fine Arts — and not just because it took about nine months to dry. (“Everybody at the Academy was so mortified that I was squeezing the tube out as if it was toothpaste, and they just could not believe I was wasting all of that paint on this abstract painting,” she explains.) Instead, it drove her to learn more and find more people she enjoyed painting with.

“I got there because selfishly, I wanted a painting, and I was going to take color theory, learn about color theory, and then I was going to paint the painting,” she says of the beginning of her time at the New Orleans art school. “That’s what got me there, but what kept me there is working on the artwork, getting the satisfaction of producing something that I’m interested in hanging on the wall and hopefully that someone else wants to hang on their wall.”

Saporito continued to take classes at the Academy for the next 18 years, continuing to seek growth and knowledge. She says she perseveres by learning about color, process, and materials, even the ones she uses less frequently. “When I was in college, I did everything I could to skip a class; I never had perfect attendance. If it was a beautiful day, I’d be cutting class. Now that I’m a long time out of college, I don’t want to skip a class; I want to be there.”

Saporito’s and being there seems to have paid off. Simply take one look at her Curriculum commitment Vitae and see how far she’s come since her first color theory class. Thanks to her to learning commitment to perseverance, learning, and trusting the process, the wife, mother, and grandmother has wound up with a rather successful career. She has attended several residencies, been showcased at duo and solo shows, including an exhibition at the Degas Gallery that was cleverly named “Rhenditions,” and has been featured on the lineup of a few group exhibitions, most notably the 2018 Ogden Museum of Southern Art Louisiana Contemporary Juried Show, where her piece “Got GPS, Fore!” ranked third in show.

Her abstract paintings hang in both public and private collections across the country, and if you have ever spent an afternoon strolling and shopping in Monroe’s Park Avenue garden and design shop, Parterre, chances are you’ve caught a glimpse of Saporito’s work for sale; perhaps you even purchased a canvas or two!

The artist credits each experience she’s had, from showing and selling her work in galleries to being painted in her former instructor Auseklis Ozols’ mural for the Windsor Hotel, to art, believing it’s the thread in the fabric that has made up much of her life for the past three decades. As she steps through the doors art has been kind enough to open for her, she doesn’t get so distracted by opportunities that she forgets about the relationships she has established in this industry.

“The community is huge,” she says. “It’s just amazing, particularly in New Orleans; we’ve got the most amazing art community here. But when you get to go to these residencies, you get to meet people from all over the country. So, if I travel to New York or San Francisco, I have friends there that are artists I could go visit with.” These friends include her mentor, New York-based postpainterly abstraction artist Gary Komarin, whose work is collected across the globe.

Saporito values the creators she’s met because of how they influence her own work, whether by offering constructive criticism or creating a piece that sparks a flame of inspiration inside of her. “All of that brings a whole other level to my being because I’m so enriched by all of these other people and their work,” she says. “And it comes into my work, and I hope my work projects itself to those who collect my work, and I hope they have a certain feeling of the internal feelings that I have coming out on the canvas.”

Aside from being inspired by her beloved art community, Saporito also says she is drawn to certain elements of nature, especially water. “I love the Caribbean water. And I’m not really looking for blue water; I like the light, aqua teal. I’m looking for more of the green water. And I love a lush garden, you know, tropical plants, that kind of thing.”

The passion that perseverance, learning, community, and nature ignited in Saporito burns strong as she continues to create. She paints, of course — mostly abstract mixed media on canvas — but she can also be found working with pastels and even sculpting with clay and cast bronze; in fact, sculptures of her grandchildren are among her current projects. She’s had some of her work made into silk and cashmere scarves as well as pocket squares that are available for purchase on her website, and even dreams of one day having her art turned into carpet for a large space, like a casino or hotel.

Both Saporito’s successes and dreams are the results of the process that began when she enrolled in color theory, which was the first mark on the then-blank canvas that was her art career. “All of these experiences I’ve been telling you about have all come through the art — every single one of them,” she declares as she shares her current projects and aspirations. “The common thread is art.”

To keep up with Rhenda Saporito’s work, visit www. rhendasaporito.com or follow her on Instagram at @ rhendasaporitoart.

ANYONE WHO HAS HAD A POOR night’s sleep can tell you how it impacts their productivity the next day. Feeling sluggish, dull, and not at one’s best are all hallmarks of a lack of sleep. Now add on the increased stress levels of a global pandemic, as well as the recent time change, and you may find yourself feeling extra groggy in the morning.

But what are the impacts of sleep deprivation outside of how we feel the next day? Not getting enough shut eye is being tied to serious consequences for both general health and weight loss.

People who don’t get enough sleep: • Suffer from increased hunger and appetite • Have impaired impulse control • Consume more food, especially high-calorie foods, than the well-rested • Feel decreased satisfaction after eating • Experience decreased effectiveness of weight loss when dieting

How much sleep is enough? Most people need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, but many people get less than six hours of restful sleep.

Why is sleep so important? Among other things, adequate sleep fine-tunes the balance of insulin and glucose, regulates our appetites, and helps our brains make the right choices about what to eat rather than impulsively gobbling down sweets. Levels of leptin, the hormone that helps you feel full, go down. Meanwhile ghrelin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry, goes up. These changes may make you eat more food than you need, causing you to gain weight.

If you have trouble sleeping, here are a few tips to help you get a good night’s rest: • Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on the weekends. • When you exercise, make sure there are at least two to three hours before your bedtime. • Avoid caffeine and nicotine. Both are stimulants and can make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep. • Avoid large meals and beverages near bedtime. • Don’t nap after 3 p.m. • Allow time for relaxing before bed. Take a hot bath, read, or listen to music. • Practice good “sleep hygiene:” keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool. • For a couple of hours before bed, avoid using devices, such as phones, computers, and tablets, that emit blue light. Blue light has been shown to disrupt sleep by suppressing the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin.

Coupled with healthier eating habits, physical activity and a structured approach, a good night’s sleep is a key part of a healthy weight loss journey. Try getting enough Z’s this week, and see how it affects your productivity, your appetite, and your general health.

Our Ideal Protein Coach, Kyla Swett, can offer additional resources to help maintain a healthy balance once you begin the Ideal Protein Protocol. Call Kyla at (318) 966-2001 for information on how you can attend a free webinar to learn more. You may also visit our website at www.stfran.com/ idealprotein.

THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AND ANNUAL Meeting and Banquet for the Monroe Chamber of Commerce is scheduled for Monday, April 26th at the Monroe Civic Center. Dr. Ron Berry, the 9th President of the University of Louisiana at Monroe will be the keynote speaker.

Dr. Berry is a native of Winnsboro, LA, and a two-time graduate of ULM, and has served ULM for 25 years. He advanced through the academic ranks as assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor of Information Systems and now serves as President.

As Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences, Dr. Berry has built a diverse leadership team, spearheaded the college’s academic program accreditations, received substantial external funding, made and improved alumni relations, created partnerships locally, statewide, and nationally, and built a culture of studentcentered learning.

Berry has worked closely with the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, serving two years on the executive board as Vice President for Membership and Vice President for Business Advocacy and six years on the board of directors. Berry served as chair of the United Way of Northeast Louisiana for two years and seven years as a board member.

The 100th Anniversary Celebration will include some clips from the Monroe Chamber’s long and impactful history. Terri Hicks, COO/ CFO of Specialty Mgmt. Services of Ouachita and Vice President of Procedural Services for St. Francis Medical Center and the 2020 Chairman will offer remarks on an eventful 2020 and give some positive news on the state of the Chamber. John Landry, partner at McNew, King, Mills, Burch and Landry, LLP and the 2021 Chairman of the Monroe Chamber, will provide a look to the future and a look to the next 100 years.

The 2021 recipients of the Rambin-Silverstein Award and the Kitty DeGree Foundation Lifetime Business Achievement Award will be announced following Dr. Berry’s address.

Tickets for the event are $45.00 per person for Monroe Chamber members and reservations are required. For tickets or more information, please call Ruthie Wheatley at 807-4004 or Daphne Garrett at 807-4018.

The sponsors for the event are ANGUS Chemical, Associated Business Printing, ATMOS Energy, City of Monroe, Entergy, Glenwood Regional Medical Center, Holyfield Construction, KTVE/ KARD, JPMorgan Chase, Progressive Bank, St. Francis Medical Center, Stephens Media Group, The News-Star, The Radio People, The University of Louisiana at Monroe and Vantage Health Plan.

TIMOTHY J. MICKEL, MD, FACS, CERTIFIED, AMERICAN BOARD OF PLASTIC SURGERY

“Give a small boy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding.” - Abraham Kaplan, American Philosopher

THE OTHER NIGHT I DREAMED there was a pandemic in which infected individuals had disproportionately full lips and round, ping-pong ball fullness in their cheeks. Then I woke up and realized it wasn’t a dream. Overuse of facial fillers – relying on them to do more than they were intended to do – is rampant in this era of aesthetic medicine where specialty training doesn’t seem to matter and any doctor can take a weekend seminar and become an expert in plastic surgery. Misuse of injectable fillers at best results in lumps, bumps and asymmetries. At worst, it creates an unnecessarily alien appearance that you can spot from across the room.

The most commonly used fillers are composed of natural substances found in the body – either hyaluronic acid (Juvederm family and others) or hydroxyapetite (Radiesse) – although I also inject the patient’s fat for a more lasting result. They are used to fill wrinkles, creases or areas of volume deficiency. They do not take away extra skin. And unlike Botox, they do not temporarily paralyze muscles.

Injectable fillers add volume, and in properly selected patients have been a significant advance in the treatment of facial aging. However, as patients approach 50 yrs of age, some of these issues are best addressed by surgical intervention, with periodic injection of small amounts of fat or filler over the subsequent years to maintain the surgical correction. Older patients, especially those over 60 are always better served by having a facelift, a browlift or eyelid surgery. In these patients, injectable fillers are an aesthetic compromise, and I always point out these trade-offs to my patients.

The ethical practice of aesthetic medicine demands this kind of honest exchange as part of the patient education process. But if you go to a non-plastic surgeon and you have typical changes of the aging face you generally don’t hear, “the best treatment for you is a facelift, a browlift or a blepharoplasty, but if you are not ready for surgery, we can give you a little bit of improvement with fillers.” I see a patient or two every month who were told that fillers would solve their aging issues. They are unhappy because they spent a lot of money on fillers with minimal improvement, only to face the prospect of spending a lot more on surgery to finally give them the result they wanted in the first place. If all you have is a hammer, everything is a nail.

A board-certified plastic surgeon has more than just a hammer in his toolbox. He provides the full spectrum of aesthetic services, from fillers and botox, to peels and laser treatments to cosmetic facial surgery. He has taken the face apart and put it back together again so he has intimate knowledge of facial anatomy and the progressive effects of the aging process on all the layers of the face. He understands that fillers are just one of many tools, and he won’t try to make them do more than they were meant to do.

Nowadays there is a “MediSpa” on every street corner, so do your homework. If you are considering facial fillers, or any type of aesthetic facial rejuvenation, call Mickel Plastic Surgery at (318) 388-2050 for an honest opinion on which procedure is right for you. You can rest assured, I’ve been trained to use every tool in the toolbox.

AS WE ENTER SPRING, WE LIKE TO take the sweet approach to design at Revival. Just as the honey bee is drawn to the nectar of the honeysuckle, we are drawn to creating unique settings in our showroom. After a lemon of a year with 2020, we have learned to make lemonade out of the worst and create the best shopping experience in North Louisiana within our 10,000 square foot and growing showroom.

Who knew? Bees have an affinity for both agriculture and interior design! These fashionable fliers may be more suited to help nurture our environment, but there is no denying the French bee motif has had an important impact on design as well.

The noble bee was one of the most important symbols of power and prestige during Napoleon’s era. He wore the bee motif embroidered on all his garments and ornamented his residences as well. According to some accounts, he wanted a personal emblem that represented industriousness and prestige in French history and the motif was said to be older than the fleur-de-lis. Painter Jean–Baptise Isabey is credited for creating the look of the open-winged bee as viewed from the top. For as long as he held power in France, Napoleon used the emblem of the bee and it became known as the Napoleonic Bee. Today, this design, as well as the beehive and the honeycomb pattern are extremely popular in all facets of design, including wallcoverings like the dark and dramatic Barneby Gates pattern and the contemporary Hicks Hexagon patterns

Honeycombs have long been a part of design. They are often featured in furniture textiles as well as some mid-century modern inspired furniture pieces. The honeycomb pattern is also present in wallpapers and light fixtures. The geometric lines and angles of their design add a wonder sleek pattern without a lot of fuss.

Bees have been prominent in textile designs as well as wallpaper. They have sometimes found their way into glassware and ornate moldings and frames. They have survived many design esthetics over the many decades.

Revival is excited to be bringing a renaissance of the bee and honeycomb motifs to their showroom. Much of this inspiration came from two sources. One of which was Project Runway contestant, Garo Sparo, who brought awareness of the many challenges the bees have experienced as they have seen a down spiral in their colony growth due to global warming and commercial growth in their habitats. The other inspiration came from San Francisco street artist, fncch, who took the honey-bear jar motif to another level as he began painting various images across that city of shuttered businesses during the height of the pandemic.

The bee symbolises hard work, diligence, industriousness and orderliness. Just like the bees we have survived a year of the pandemic as a locally owned business. All of our worker bees have worked to continue to reinvent our hive to make it the best and most unique shopping experience in North Louisiana. Revival is located at 300 Walnut Street in Historic Downtown Monroe. Our spring hours are Tuesday- Saturday 11am- 5pm and Sunday 1pm- 4pm. We can be reached at 318-381-8191. So buzz on in and see what everyone is talking about.

AS THE SAYING GOES, “DON’T count your chicks before they hatch,” but for those done counting chicks, it may be time to schedule a vasectomy. Vasectomy is a medical procedure in which two tubes (the vas deferens) that carry sperm from the testicles to the urinary tract are tied and sealed. This prevents sperm from passing into the seminal stream and fertilizing a woman’s egg. Although it is permanent, it is surgically reversible in most cases. Reversibility is dependent upon time elapsed since the vasectomy.

When it comes to forms of permanent male birth control, a vasectomy is the ideal permanent surgical procedure available to men. The procedure carries a very low risk of complications and is available to be performed as an outpatient procedure with localized anesthesia. Dr. Marx performs a nocut technique, which is the least invasive. The patient is sedated and local anesthesia is used in order to achieve a painless procedure.

Prior to a vasectomy, patients may be asked to prepare by: • Washing the scrotum to prevent infection • Not shaving the area • Bringing a pair of tight-fitting underwear or athletic support to the surgery to support the scrotum and minimize swelling • Arranging for transportation home to prevent extraneous movement • Avoiding anti-inflammatory drugs prior to and following the procedure, which thins the blood and can cause excessive bleeding

After the vasectomy is completed, patients are advised to rest for two days in order to reduce swelling and allow the vas deferens to heal. Discomfort may last for up to a week after the procedure, with patients often being prescribed anti-inflammatory or painkillers for pain. Patients are encouraged to avoid heavy lifting, straining or squatting for 1 week. If you do any of these activities for work, you may need to take off work or arrange for light duty. Dr. Marx can give you an excuse. Also, keep the area dry for a week as well. Robert D. Marx, M.D. is this community’s hometown urologist. He was born and raised right here in Monroe, Louisiana. He graduated from NLU, now ULM, and graduated from medical school and completed his residency at LSU Shreveport. Dr. Marx has traveled extensively working with the leaders of the field in order to keep up with the latest and most successful techniques in incontinence. He has been in practice for over thirty years and conveniently operates at Glenwood, Monroe Surgical and P&S.