Page 54 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2020- Online Magazine

GAS is a Good Thing

LUBBOCK’S GERIATRIC ART SOCIETY

by Jan Davis

In the fall of 1990, a fine Houston artist,
Harold Phenix, invited 12 watercolor
painters to participate on a group BYRON MARTIN is 91 years young. He
painting trip. All were from various was born and raised in Lubbock, along with
parts of Texas. They met near Rockport, his brother C.B. and sister Betty Van Ness. He
TX. The men formed a kinship and received an architectural degree at Texas Tech
decided to meet twice a year. As University and worked with his brother and
the years passed, the group grew in father in Claude Martin & Sons Construction.
numbers and experienced significant He has been very involved with Lubbock ISD,
turnover. It was named the “Geriatric serving on the school board for many years. His
Art Society”, or GAS for short. They are story was in the Spring 2020 issue of Senior Link.
very active and now include women He has watercolor painted all his life.
and painters of other mediums.

As the GAS group grew, the members
who lived in Lubbock decided to meet
every Tuesday to paint together at the
Lubbock Municipal Garden & Arts
Center. The eight in the original group
painted and then critiqued each other’s
paintings. They really bonded and, once
a month, showed up at C.B. Martin’s
home for Happy Hour and stories.
Sadly, several have passed away, but
they inspired more painters to join ROGER SAATHOFF grew
in. The original Lubbock GAS group up in San Antonio and earned
included C.B. Martin, Byron Martin, degrees from Trinity and UTSA
H.A. Sessions, Marvin Dobbins, Bill and a doctorate from the University
Cantrell, Mike Landress, Tim Oliver and of Tennessee. He has been a
Reg Narmour. Some of the “newbies” Journalism professor at TTU for
include Roger Saathoff, Jimmy Davis, 35 years. He recently decided to
Frank Harmon and Johnny Branum. learn how to paint watercolor. He
is the amateur of the group and is
learning much from the GAS guys.

REG NARMOUR
was born in Bosque
County TX in 1938 and
moved to Lubbock in ’52,
graduating from TTU with
an architectural degree.
His mother, Etoile, was a
prominent artist in Lubbock in the 1950s. He practiced his craft in Seattle, WA and
Charlotte, NC before moving back to Lubbock in 2012. He is a member of GAS and
the West Texas Watercolor Society. He has received awards from WTWS and the
Federation of Watercolor Societies and has exhibited in the Bosque Art Classic.

54 Lubbock Senior Link