Tags
bayou city art festival, brenda griffin-wagner, bruce holwerda, cl cunningham, clare malloy, daryl thetford, gm webb, grushovenko, houston art collector, juried art festival, justin dobbs robinson, matthew naftzger, roderick stevens, works of man
Last Friday, I had the pleasure of attending the Bayou City Art Festival in Memorial Park, here in Houston. It was a beautiful Spring day. Because it was a weekday, it was not very crowded, a situation that lent itself to chatting and leisurely looking without the stress of shoulder-to-shoulder foot traffic that came on Saturday.
The event is a juried event. Many many artists applied to show at the festival, but only the best of those were selected. A thoughtful selection of artwork was featured — painting, mixed media, fine craft, sculpture, jewelry — there was something for everyone. Because it was a juried festival, one can easily say that everything encountered was created at a high skill level. Amazing creations were on display at every turn. I was at once interested, inspired, entertained, and sometimes dazzled.
I’m going to list my favorites below. I’ll try to keep my comments to a minimum and let the work (or what you can see online) speak for itself.
- C.L. Cunningham: www.clcunningham.com : Mixed media painter from Marietta, Georgia who has quite a following, and for good reason. The paintings are compelling, and she has a technique of crushing Waterford crystal to use (the “mixed media”) to make things sparkle. I think most painting must be seen in person to really be appreciated, but this is ten times more stunning in person.
- Justin Dobbs Robinson: www.justindrobinson.com : Mixed media painting. To use my own clinical term, this folk arty work has very happy mojo.
- Signe and Genna Grushovenko: www.grushovenko.com : I could not stop looking at this work when I walked into the festival. After seeing everything at the entire festival, it still drew me back. These artists live in Greenville, SC, a place I know well. I think I may need one of these. What do you think?
- Clare Malloy: www.claremalloy.com : Midwestern pastels of pastoral scenes and barns. Many people do this kind of work, but this did not look like pastel. It looked like oil painting and was calming and beautiful. From Chicago.
- Matthew Naftzger: www.worksofman.com : Titanium metal sculpture that will rock your world. I’ll let the artist’s page speak for what inspires him. He works in Hannibal, Missouri.
- Roderick Stevens: www.restevensart.com : It was the mixed media that I liked, but he does a number of things. Specifically, an American flag sculpture where the stripes were made from little plastic red soldiers was compelling. From Sierra Vista, Arizona.
- G.M. Webb: www.gmwebbmask.com : You’ve got to see the masks (for your wall) that this man is making from wire. I enjoyed speaking with him about his inspirations. From Richmond, Virginia.
- Brenda Griffin-Wagner: Gracious me, I don’t think she has a web site. I am kicking myself for not photographing her decorative sconces made of birch bark. A photo is below. This decorative art might end up in the home we are looking to buy this year. I wonder if it would break coming from St. Paul, MN.
- Daryl Thetford: www.darylthetford.com : Photo collage made digitally. I must admit, I have been skeptical about art made on computers, because I am old fashioned. Daryl’s work has changed my mind. It is amazing, and he comes from Chattanooga, TN.
- Bruce Holwerda: www.bruceholwerda.com : Amazing colors, dynamic images, good composition (I think, but what do I know?). And happy mojo, to boot.
There were other artists that I really liked, but if I listed them all, then this short list would have less meaning. A deep bow of gratitude to all of these accomplished people for inspiring all who saw their work.
Sadly, my computer crashed the day before the festival. Between the purchase of a new computer the night before the festival and the need (says my husband) to get it together for our impending home purchase, I did not buy anything this year. But I’ll remember these guys and it was a fantastic day.