Saturday night, July 21st
8pm until midnight
at 907 East 54th Street
Austin, TX, 78751
I will be one of six artists showing our work for the one night only 4th Annual GROW Forth! art show. Also showing will be metal sculptor Anne Woods, photographer and painter Ann Woodall, painter Pat Strong, ceramic artist Michael Merritt, and mixed media artist Stephanie Rubiano.
A portion of the proceeds from this show will benefit Urban Patchwork, an Austin-based non-profit urban farm. Dripping Springs Vodka has graciously offered to sponsor our show.
The 5×7 annual fundraiser, art sale, and exhibition benefiting the Arthouse at the Jones Center opens tomorrow night with the Art Splurge, where you will have your first chance to purchase artwork from among 1,000s of original 5×7-inch works of art by emerging and established contemporary artists.
I will have two pieces in the show, part of a new series of small paintings. (I will unveil the series sometime after the ArtSplurge and ArtSocial have passed, as all works are supposed to remain anonymous until they are sold).
This is a really exciting event. Patrons can preview the art for about an hour and decide on the pieces they want to purchase; then at a certain hour, a horn is blown and it’s a fun scramble for the patrons to grab their chosen works of art.
Or come out to the 5×7 Art Social on Friday night to schmooze with the artists, where you will have your second chance to pick up a 5×7 work of art. There will be food, drinks, and music both nights. Hope to see you there!
Controversy at the Arthouse
The conversation Friday night (and possibly Thursday night, too) should be pretty lively, due to the controversy created earlier this year because of the decision by the Arthouse to dismiss their only curator, Elizabeth Dunbar—for financial reasons (after having spent $6.6 million on their year-long renovation and expansion). Some of the artwork in the 5×7 show is a direct response to this controversy, and you may even see some blank boards in protest of the decision to eliminate Dunbar’s position.
If you’d like to read up on all the details of the controversy, there are several excellent articles online:
Wendy Vogel, the editor of “might be good,” weighs in on Austin’s art implosion
A fascinating conversation between the duo Rachel Cook (in curatorial studies at Bard) and Claire Ruud (in business school at Yale) about the Arthouse situation and the environment in which artists and curators operate today: Arthouse: The Dilemma of Authenticity and Visibility
Many thanks to everyone who made it out to the opening reception for my first solo show! It was a great opening!
People started to arrive right on the dot, and before long, friends and art fans were arriving so quickly that I did not get to meet at least a couple of dozen guests (sorry!), nor talk to quite a few of my friends! The good advice I got from another artist was indeed accurate: “Think of it like a wedding, you won’t be able to have a complete conversation with anybody, but they won’t mind.” At least I hope no one minded!
Three of my encaustic paintings are showing in the “Working in Wax” exhibit at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek California. The show runs from May 3 through June 21, 2009, with an opening reception on May 6 from 5:00—7:00 p.m., and a Culture + Cocktails Reception on June 18 from 6:00—8:00 p.m.
Eileen P. Goldenberg was the juror for this show. She stated, “Selecting well conceived, beautifully executed, and visually satisfying art works was my vision for this show. I was looking for artists who give us a glimpse into their emotions and lives. Though the focus of this show is the material, what is vital to art is the expression of the artists, and it is their visual language that shines through.”
2011 5×7 Art Splurge
Artwork from members of Texas Wax | Austin | Dallas | Houston | San Antonio