Helen Carolyn Dodd Aws

1924 - 2014

Helen "Glen" Carolyn Dodd, AWS, of Houston, died on Saturday, the 5th of July 2014, attended by her family, at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. She was born the 9th of July 1924. She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Gerald D. Dodd, Jr, M.D., and six children: Patricia Cording of Bolivia, NC, Michael Dodd of Houston, Barbara Dodd of Austin, Gerald Dodd, III, of Denver, CO, Anne Dodd Britton of Houston, Thomas Dodd of Ft. Worth; thirteen grandchildren; one great grandchild: and four nieces. She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Helen Glenzing, her sister, Betty Harris, one son, William Dodd and one daughter, Susan Brown.
Helen Dodd graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in Psychology and worked for the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot as a Psychometrician until she had married and begun her family. At the age of 67 she embarked on a third career as a Water Color Artist, studying at the Art League of Houston and the Museum of Fine Art Glassell School of Art.
H.C. Dodd is listed in Who's Who in America Art, 24th Ed. [2001-2002] and in the Biographical Encyclopedia of American Painters, Sculptors and Engravers [2002]. Since 1992, her paintings have been shown in over 400 national and international juried exhibitions. They have received more than 200 awards, among them the Gold Medal [2003] and the Bronze Medal [2000] of the American Watercolor Society, the Gold Medal [2004] and the Silver Medal [2000] of the Audubon Artist, Inc. and the Best Of Show awards from the Philadelphia Water Color Society [1999], the Southern Watercolor Society [2001] and the Oklahoma Watercolor Association [2001]. Other major awards include the Frederic and Eileen Monaghan Whitaker Award from the National Academy of Design [1998] and the first place [2003] and second place [1999] in the Experimental Category of The Artist's Magazine Art Competition. Examples of her work can be found at HCDodd.com, Best of Watercolor 3, Best of Watercolor 2, Painting Composition, Fifty Years of Excellence TWS, Color Right From the Start, Artist Magazine, Watercolor Magic, International Artist, Southwest Art, The Taos Magazine and The 2002 Collector's Guide. She was a signature member of 32 watercolor societies.
Artist statement: "Painting is a personal emotional experience. The only individual I can bring to the creative process is me. Whether I like it or not, I can only do it my way. Because I am constitutionally unable to simply let things happen, my abstracts are totally planned. It frequently takes days of trial and error to construct a satisfying composition. I push bits of color, assorted textures, different shapes and values around and around until something deep inside of me says 'yes'. Then and only then do I begin to paint. When the blank white paper has been covered with pigment, it is time for a critical revue. Once again emotion or mood, or intuition dictates the changes necessary to bring the disparate pieces into a unified whole. If Lady Luck is kind and the painting is successful, it will arouse a similar response in the viewer." www.hcdodd.com
She will be deeply missed by all who knew her. She demonstrated that it is never too late to pursue another career. She appreciated all that life has to offer, and passed her lifelong love for Arts and Crafts not only to her children, but also to her grandchildren.
The memorial mass is to be celebrated at two o'clock on Thursday, the 10th of July, at St. Anne Catholic Church, 2140 Westheimer Road in Houston, where Fr. Jay Walsh is to serve as celebrant.
At a later date, the family will gather for a private interment at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.
In lieu of customary remembrances, please consider making a memorial contribution to the Museum of Fine Art Glassell School of Art, P.O. Box 6826, Houston, TX 77265-6826.