Gallery Openings – Saturday, March 29

Marty Walker Gallery was the first stop to check out the recent prints from Durham Press. My favorite was a grid by Roland Fischer called Facades on Paper III, 2007. Roland created these abstract compositions by photographing sections of building facades.

Facades on Paper III by Roland Fischer


Roland Fischer



On to Conduit Gallery, to see the recent works of Justin Quinn and Vincent Falsetta. I enjoyed both exhibits. My favorite was one of Justin’s that has the Es cutout, so I took a photo of him in front of it. I cannot even think of how long that had to take. On the other hand, all his work is VERY detailed.



Justin Quinn

My next stop was Holly Johnson Gallery. Casey Williams was showing his latest abstract photography. Years (and years) ago, I took my first photography class from Casey at the Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX. It was interesting to meet up with him so many years later.


Casey Williams

The last stop was Craighead Green Gallery, for a group show of gallery artist. They were also celebrating their third year on Dragon Street. I cannot believe they have already been there for three years. Great artwork and I had a chance to catch up with two of my favs, Heather Gorham and Diane Walker-Gladney.



Heather Gorham

Diane Walker-Gladney

unNatural disaster exhibit at UTD

unNatural disaster, curated by Greg Metz, opened Friday night in the Visual Arts Building at The University of Texas at Dallas. The exhibit runs through April 18, 2008. It is a thought provoking exhibit. My favorite piece is Rita Barnard’s Tribute, see below. In this memorial installation, Rita uses toy soldiers to represent soldiers that have died in the Iraq war. The sheer size is staggering. It really brings home the sacrifices many have made in a way that just hearing the numbers does not.
For information on the exhibit and the artists go here. To see more photos of Rita's artwork, Tribute, go here.

Enrique Fernández Cervantes working on a video of Rita Barnard and her artwork, Tribute.

Detail of Rita Barnard's artwork, Tribute.

Blue and Yellow

Lights

Bath House Cultural Center Exhibits

Two great exhibits opened at the Bath House Cultural Center this weekend.

In the large gallery, VERSE AND REVERSE, paired visual artists and writers for an interesting collaboration. The artwork and the writings are moving. More information is available here.

In the back gallery, Julia McLain-Echols and Ann Huey presented their CRACKED! Two Chicks’ Eggsabition. These are two very clever artists. Also, the world premiere of Ann’s first film, “Eggs & Hamlet” was shown. Not to be missed!

Showing in the White Rock Lake Museum, http://www.bathhousecultural.com/museum/index.html, stunning White Rock Lake bird photographs by Dallas art photographer J R Compton.

Tracy Hicks Studio

I was so lucky to be able to visit Tracy Hicks’ studio. It is the coolest place and all about frogs.
He has tanks of amazingly colored frogs that he raises from tadpoles to adults. He has molds of extinct specimen frogs he has made over the years. He developed the techniques and procedures that museums and scientists are currently using to make molds without damaging the specimens. His studio windows are filled with jars that feature frog molds. There are molded jars that have inclusions. So much to look at.

The frogs, global warming and extinction are reoccurring themes in his artwork. Currently Tracy has an installation at the Valley House. In May, he will have an installation at the MAC, McKinney Avenue Contemporary. Many of the jars in his windows will be in the MAC installation. Guaranteed to be great.

Check out his website. Cool photos of his work and short animations he has made of the jars.

See more photos I took at Tracys studio.

Is It Spring Already?

Tracy Hicks Artist Talk at Valley House Gallery

I have admired Tracy Hicks’ artwork for years so it was great fun to hear him speak on Saturday March 8 at the Valley House Gallery. He has a great installation in the middle of the gallery comprised of a fascinating assortment of small artworks. It was interesting to hear his thoughts and the process of the various artworks that make up the installation. He also talked about his art in general, life as an artist and his frogs. If you ever get a chance to hear Tracy talk, do not miss it!
Also showing, are Mark Messersmith’s paintings that incorporate carved pediments and mixed media dioramas.
Both exhibits are definitely worth checking out. And, of course, a stroll through the sculpture garden is always a beautiful blend of sculpture and nature.

Gallery Openings – Saturday, March 8

There were many art venues with openings Saturday night. Unfortunately, I could not make them all but still managed to view lots of art and capture some of it with my trusty cell phone camera.


The first stop was at The MAC (McKinney Avenue Contemporary). I wanted to check out David H. Gibson’s new work, Ephemeral Moments. His landscapes always have such a mystical quality and this new work seems to be a natural outgrowth. David said he had been photographing waterfalls, exploring the aspects of mist and smoke, and ended up doing further explorations in the studio. Very cool!
David Dreyer and David Everett also had great exhibits.


The next stop was Barry Whistler Gallery to check out Andrea Rosenberg’s new work. I always enjoy her artwork and really like her new work.

Onto The Public Trust gallery. I wanted to see the Urban Abstract book and limited edition boxed set by Evan Hecox. Four prints from the set were included in the exhibit, all featuring cameras. An intriguing exhibit and lots of cool art books in the gallery store.


The last stop was 500X Gallery. The art exhibits are always interesting and so worth checking out. Two of the exhibits really caught my eye. David Willburn was doing an interactive/performance piece “The Object of My Affection”. His set was a metal folding chair on a riser topped with faux grass. People were invited onto the set to pose by themselves or with the object of their affection(s). He then took a photo, printed it out and pinned it to the wall. After Saturday night, all that will be left of the performance will be the photos arranged on the wall.

In the Project Room, Natalie Macellaio and Matt Clark collaborated to create “Wannabe.” They placed large ramps on pedestals around the room. Above each ramp a series of hanging objects mimicked the curve in a mesmerizing visual effect of stop-action motion – all stopped and all showing.

Outdoor Dining

Woo-Hoo, Snow!

OK, if you live where it snows a lot you are probably laughing right now. But, when it only snows occasionally, you must grab the camera and capture the event. Shortly after I took this flash photo of snowflakes, it stopped snowing.

Journey

Every journey has it's share of light and dark.

Birds In Motion

Currents

Cell phone video.