Stores in Indianapolis, Richmond to host Cuban-American artist

Cuban American artist Vincent Mendez Perez works on a painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary in his studio at his home in Miami. He will display his artwork at The Secret Ingredient stores in Indianapolis and Richmond, respectively, on July 15 and 16. Perez’s oil paintings will be available for purchase at both locations. (Submitted photo)

By Sean Gallagher

The Catholic Church has historically been a great patron of the arts. Musical composers like Mozart and visual artists like Michelangelo or Raphael often created their masterpieces with the support of the Church.

That tradition is still found today, if in a perhaps less dramatic way, in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis through Jeanne Weber-Rush’s love and promotion of the arts.

A member of Our Lady of the Greenwood Parish in Greenwood, Weber-Rush has for some 30 years operated a small chain of fashion stores called The Secret Ingredient.

From noon to 7 p.m. on July 15, she will host Cuban-American artist Vincent Perez Mendez and a showing of his paintings at her store at 5631 N. Illinois St. in Indianapolis. A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m.

From 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on July 16, Perez will display his artwork at The Secret Ingredient, 720 E. Main St., in Richmond. At noon, there will be butterfly release to benefit a local food bank. A luncheon will follow.

Perez’s oil paintings, which often portray Christ or the Blessed Virgin Mary, will be available for purchase at both stores.

Weber-Rush appreciates carrying on, in some small way, the Church’s tradition of being a patron of the arts.

“I’m thrilled to be [doing this] because there’s something about his work,” she said. “People just stand there and look at it. [It’s] awe-inspiring.”

Perez, 63, said he developed an interest in art when he was a young boy growing up in Cuba.

“When I was 5 or 6 years old, I used to draw everybody that came in the house,” he said in a telephone interview from his home in Miami. “So my mother took me to an academy in my hometown. I learned the basics of charcoal and drawing. I was only there for a year. I never went to a real [art school] though. I am a self-taught painter.”

Perez moved to the United States in 1962 when he was 16. But by that time, he had left his artistic talents behind. He didn’t start nurturing them again until he was in his 40s after he experienced a religious conversion and re-embraced his Catholic faith.

For Perez, his faith and his art are closely intertwined.

“Art, in my view, has a lot to do with Christianity,” Perez said. “I’m praying when I paint. It’s as simple as that. I wouldn’t put it in any other way.

“Sometimes I forget because I’m really into the mechanics of painting. But then I remember that I’m painting the Virgin Mary.”

Perez sees himself sharing his faith with others when they purchase his religious art.

“It’s very rewarding when somebody buys a painting of, say, the Virgin Mary from me,” said Perez. “As a Christian and as an artist, it’s very rewarding to see my religious art spread around. I thank God for that.”

(For more information about the appearance of Vincent Perez Mendez at The Secret Ingredient in Indianapolis, call 317-253-6632. For more information about his appearance at The Secret Ingredient in Richmond, call 765-966-0090.) †