Art happens. No hovel is safe from it; no prince may depend on it; the vastest intelligence cannot bring it about. – James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

Denton artist Joan Hart identifies strongly with that artist of long ago.

“Art just happens. That’s the way I feel about it,” Hart said. “It sends me into whimsical worlds where luscious, vivid colors bring fantasies to life. It’s not logical. It’s magical. It just happens.”

Hart’s magical world will be on display from 5-7 p.m.Oct. 18 at Café Du Luxe, Denton’s newest and most exciting coffee and wine café.

The café offers private label coffees, some of the world’s finest wines and a menu featuring breakfast pastries, sandwiches, salads, soups, evening appetizers and decadent desserts.

In addition to treating the sense of taste and smell, Café Du Luxe offers a visual treat.

While some coffee cafés may feature a local artist from time to time or dedicate only a limited amount of space for the artist to display his or her talent, Café Du Luxe is going the extra mile. An entire wall of the café has been designated solely for the purpose of featuring some of the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area’s brightest and most exciting artists.

Featured art will be displayed monthly with a “meet the artist” night on the third Sunday evening of the month.

Hart is excited about being chosen to showcase her talent.

Although she was born in Salem, Mass., and graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with a bachelor of arts degree, Hart makes Denton her home.

“It’ll be fun for me and my friends to get together,” she said of the Sunday night gathering.

Her foray into art followed an unusual path. She was a journalist most of her life, writing as a newswoman and columnist for The Tampa Times in Florida. She also wrote for The Los Angeles Times, among many other publications. Her assignments ranged from police reporting to investigative reporting to features.

Always a creative soul, she studied art throughout the years in California and Texas with several well-known artists. Hart continues her study of art as a world traveler. She has been selected in many local and national juried shows over the years.

Her art has been featured in various galleries and institutes all over California and Texas. She is an active member of the Visual Arts Society of Texas and the Southwestern Watercolor Society.

Hart’s paintings, reminiscent of Fauvism, derive from subconscious memories of places like California, Italy, Mexico and New Mexico.

She is unable to describe how she gets her inspiration.

“It’s just magical,” Hart said.

“I don’t plan what I paint. It just happens,” she said. “It just comes to me.”

Her colorful paintings have colorful titles as well, including: Whimsical Days, Pink Sun and Boobies.

Many painters would envy the prolific painter.

She has 27 works of art being showcased at the coffee café and many more at home.

“Sometimes I paint two or three paintings a day,” Hart said.