Houston Glass Studio 2017

December 11, 2017 Earnest Painter

Another Art Festival has come and gone. I love going with Barry to these things, and I have seen them change in the short time that I've been going with him. I've been going since around 2005; he's been doing it for thirty years. We talked with other artists, talked with his customers – new and established. We had wine and water, food and candy while we talked about art, techniques and life.

What I've always loved about these festivals is the family that has sprung up between the artists. They would run into each other around the country on the circuit of festivals, and after a few years some very strong friendships emerged. People ask after each other. This weekend I heard people talking about an artist that they hadn't seen in a while; all trying to figure out if everything is okay and telling stories about that person. They talked about people that they had seen recently. They talked about health and how much longer they can continue and who is thinking about retiring to the Carolinas.

And, of course, I love the art. I am partial to ceramics, but there is a special place in my heart for painting. There weren't actual paintings this weekend. Liz Conces Spencer is a painter, but the work she was showing was glass. She kind of painted with glass and it's beautiful.

There was a time when people came to these shows with the intention of decorating their homes. Some still do, but the concept seems to have declined in popularity. I think that the possibility isn't even in younger people's minds any more – the idea of decorating a home with art. But, one of Leslie's accent tables would be perfect for the smaller homes and condos that are becoming so popular these days. Paintings and 3D artwork make for wonderful conversation, and as soon as people learn how to have conversations face-to-face again fine arts could have a renaissance. I'm certain that the next generation will revolt against the Communication Machine and hold conversation in cellars of coffee shops. Maybe they'll have somebody accentuate their more important points with percussion instruments. It's a nice thought. Somebody is bound to do a painting about the Burning of the Devices. There could be a novel about it as well, akin to Fahrenheit 451.

In the meantime, feel free to ponder over these pictures I took this weekend. My plan is to do more in-depth entries on some of the individual artists – their history, their art... their stories. Stay tuned.

Barry Perez - Pendant

Houston Glass Studio Glasses

Leslie Ravey Ensemble in Wood and Leather

Leslie Ravey Handbags

Leslie Ravey Table

Liz Conces Spencer

V. Chin

Henna

October 28, 2017 Earnest Painter

I was at an Open House of my friend's beauty salon (Flaunted Curves Salon) last night. I enjoyed meeting and talking with her friends and other clients, but it was also fun to watch a Henna artist in action. Nicole (AKA Scarlet Bee Henna) was among the vendors/artists who were there to make it a multifaceted event. My friend, Brenda, put her name on the list for a session, and with the artist's permission I took pictures.

As Nicole worked she talked about making her own paste, how the recipe changed with different conditions. Humidity and temperature played a part as they could directly affect how the paste behaved. She said she received some from a fellow artist in Nevada, but it just didn't perform well in Central Texas. She talked about the essential oils she used in the recipes – lavender with this batch for its soothing effect. Different oils/scents work for when she's feeling sociable, more introverted, stress or any other feeling that she thinks she and/or her clients might experience.

Below are some pictures of Nicole working.

Thinking, contemplating, imagining the design

Beginning

Adding glitter

Getting closer

Nicole with her work

Brenda asked if I was going to get henna as well. Nicole added, "I love working on men!" That was all the inspiration I needed. When she called my name... well, when she called my name Brenda jumped in to have Nicole fix the "accident" that happened when she reached into her purse. Then I sat down.

Nicole asked what I did, so I told her that I work at the state. We discussed where to put the Henna. She thought the palm of my hand would be best because there's fuzz on the back of my hand and arm. I showed her my simian crease and we discussed that a bit. Then she took her time to imagine the design, and how to incorporate the crease that now called to her since I had pointed it out.

Eventually her husband sat down near us and we all talked about archiving, art, writing and all sorts of other things. She is, apparently, a professionally trained photographer doing social media promotion for Austin Community College. He also works for ACC – Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy, and the Department Chair. After a while she commented, "I thought you were a creative type, but when I asked what you did you said you worked at the state." My answer was that I had to pay the bills somehow, a feeling we all share.

This morning I looked at my design. I had slept with it on my hand to help darken it and make it as permanent as possible. (She said it would last around 2 weeks.) I had closed my hand at some point during the night and the design jumped over my simian crease, but I think I did pretty well for a first-timer.

TomCat felt that he needed to supervise this photo session going on in my backyard by the morning light.

I have kept hand salve on it, which is actually kind of a treat. I love my Henna and I'm looking forward to the next session with Nicole. Every party should have a Henna artist, just like parties need a DJ.

Houston Museum Day

August 13, 2017 Earnest Painter

The face of the exhibit - literally. This is a mask of the artist's face.

I have piles and piles of laundry to do, and a floor to sweep and mop. Haven't cleaned under my bed in a while. So... it's a perfect time to go to Houston to see the Museums. Saturday crowds? Check. Construction near the destination? Check. Temperatures over 100°? Double-check. Let's go!

Actually, this was the last weekend for an exhibition that I've been wanting to see – Ron Mueck. I've seen his work on Facebook posts, but never thought that I'd see his work in person. I wasn't disappointed. His famous quote is that he never does life size, because he doesn't find it interesting. He either does things that are on a smaller or a much larger scale. Two old ladies confer with each other, a young couple is caught in an awkward moment of new love, a nude man looks skeptically out of his boat, all in a scale from 1/2 to 3/4. Then there's the face of the exhibit – literally. The picture above is a self-portrait of the artist sleeping. It's not enough that his eyes are closed, but each line under his eye is believable, the skin where the face hits the ground is pressed and squished just right and his hair, from a distance, looks just like hair. Whiskers come out of his face and you can see the pores in the skin on his nose. You can almost see a puddle of drool where the mouth is slightly open while he sleeps.

After seeing that exhibit, we ate, had coffee, and passed by the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Then Barry wanted to go to see something, but he couldn't remember exactly what it was called, just that it was across the street from the Convention Center and it had the word 'Green' in it. After looking for a while, we discovered Discovery Green.

It's a beautiful park in the middle of the skyscrapers, a garden tucked away with public art. We were thrilled to see art by a friend of ours, Margo Sawyer. (I knew she had a public installation, but I thought it was at the airport.) There are green lawns, listening vessels, gardens, public art installations and people milling around. We didn't eat at The Grove, but this is a goal of mine on the next trip. I really wanted to sit in there and have a cup of coffee, but when don't I crave this? We had visited Bosta Kitchen for coffee earlier, so I contained myself.

We watched people dancing tango under the beautiful live oak trees on a wooden deck. They were there promoting Milonga Mi Refugio. They encourage appreciate of the art of Tango dance in Houston, and with Milonga Mi Refugio they have a fundraiser for ACLU. It was the perfect way to end a perfect day.

Thank you for visiting bemol Ardiente. What is your favorite museum? What's your favorite city to visit? Do you believe that people who have passed on can come back to visit us through dragon flies, spiders and other critters? I don't know if I do or not, but it makes me happy to think it's true, so I do. Leave me a note in the comments below. ;-)

V Chin Pottery Presentation

August 10, 2017 Earnest Painter

My friends and I attended a presentation by a ceramic artist, V. Chin. (I have written about him before.) The event was put on by the Greater Austin Clay Artists organization, hosted by St. Edward's University – Fine Arts Building.

None of us is a ceramic artist, so our attendance was questionable at best. Fortunately, we know Chin and a few other of the artists there, and they were kind enough to let that tiny detail slide. I mean, it was promoted on Facebook, so that means it's open to the public right? Maybe? In the end, it probably caused less of a commotion to just let us sit in than to have us forcibly removed.

Also, we decided to make an adventure of it and walk. Tamara lives near the university, so we left our cars at her apartment and set off – believing, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, that it was simply going to be a matter of crossing Congress Avenue, which is an adventure in and of itself. In point of fact, her apartment is a few blocks south of St. Edward's and all of those blocks are uphill. There remained the matter of crossing Congress Avenue – quite wide at this section, particularly on foot. Having crossed with our lives intact, we continued to walk, because getting to the intersection of Woodward and Congress doesn't magically drop you into the lobby of the Art Building. It doesn't even mean that you've arrived at the university, per se. More uphill climbing got us to the campus where we did our best to look like lost tourists, in case anybody wanted to stop and give us directions. Most of the people we came across either didn't speak English, were only walking their dog through the campus or both. Combining the direction of two nice gentlemen (one of whom was a campus police officer who was very pleasant) we finally found the art building. Several spooky hallways later we came across the meeting already in session.

We quietly joined at the back of the class and did our best to use our inside voices. This is not something that we are particularly good at. I did manage to get a few pictures of Chin while he worked. Lots of cropping was needed because I didn't want to bring attention to myself by pushing my way to the front. (I kind of did want to, but decided that it was probably best if I didn't.)

I took notes (even though I am not a ceramic artist.) He talked a bit about the thickness of the wall and how that will play into the pot you're throwing. He mentioned that when he carves he doesn't want to have a beginning or an end – it should be continuous on the round vessel. Also, just like in a painting he recommends doing the background first and then the foreground. There were a few quotes that I thought were worth sharing.

"If you don't sell a pot today, you won't be able to throw a pot tomorrow." In other words, a professional artist has to survive and sell work, and as such, they should stay in touch with current trends and what people are looking for. He spoke about the frog that has adorned his pots for years. He said that if he adds a frog, the pot sells. If he just has a pot, it might not sell for months or years. Some of his work isn't conducive to having his frog on it, but he keeps his little friend around because he brings luck.

"To develop a style, you don't try to develop it. Throw lots of pots in lots of styles and your own style will come." (Loosely transcribed.) When trying to master a craft, this is always important. Quantity is as important, if not more, than quality – particularly when you are first learning. Throw hundreds and thousands of pots.

And here's one that really spoke to me. "Always carry a sketchbook." I do, I always have a notebook or sketchbook. (Unless I've left the silly thing somewhere.) He said that you never know when inspiration will come or from where, so always have your sketchbook. I would add to that, use it regularly. Make it a habit to open it and draw or write.

Thank you for visiting me at bemol Ardiente. I'll leave you with a piece that Barry owns, completely with frog.