art

Bunnies and Dead Presidents on Parade at The Russell Collection

I visited The Russell Collection last weekend at its new home in the Whit Hanks center on West 6th Street to check on their ongoing show of Hunt Slonem. The gallery’s new digs are lovely — wide open spaces with high ceilings, white walls, and concrete floors. Modern, but not too industrial. Slonem’s colorful paintingsContinue reading “Bunnies and Dead Presidents on Parade at The Russell Collection”

Who’s a Pretty Bird? Watercolors Light Up Wally Workman Gallery

I stopped into Wally Workman Gallery a few days ago after a jaunt through the rain to check out a new show of watercolors by artist and writer Carol Dawson. I was greeted at the door by Wally herself, an ebullient lady who has presided over her West 6th Street gallery for 38 years. AsContinue reading “Who’s a Pretty Bird? Watercolors Light Up Wally Workman Gallery”

Austin Book Arts Center is On the Move

I recently visited the Austin Book Arts Center to discuss the organization and its upcoming fundraiser with Executive Director Amanda Stevenson and Board Chair Mary Baughman. The nonprofit center exists to “engage people in the art of the book,” Baughman said, detailing that this encompasses a myriad of subjects, including printing, bookbinding, papermaking, typography, bookContinue reading “Austin Book Arts Center is On the Move”

‘Ancestral Modern’ Dazzles at the Blanton

There’s about a week and a half left to check out the gorgeous show of Australian Aboriginal art at The Blanton Museum of Art. The show, Ancestral Modern, closes on September 9. The exhibit’s name is apt. The art in this show — dozens of paintings and sculptures from the Kaplan and Levi Collection — isContinue reading “‘Ancestral Modern’ Dazzles at the Blanton”

Art Goes ‘From the Streets to the Library’

A new show called ‘Art from the Streets to the Library’ opened Wednesday night at the second-floor gallery of Austin’s new Central Library. The show features about 50 works from more than 30 artists in the Art from the Streets program, an Austin non-profit that provides studio space and materials to Austin’s homeless population. Works in theContinue reading “Art Goes ‘From the Streets to the Library’”

‘Surface’ at Women & Their Work

A deceptively simple show of works by Meg Aubrey is on now at Women & Their Work. The show features paintings of women that I recognize. Women in jeans and sunglasses, women drinking coffee from to-go cups, women carrying iPhones, women driving to wherever they have to get to. This is me, and my friends.Continue reading “‘Surface’ at Women & Their Work”

‘Chasing Desire’ at Lora Reynolds Gallery

An unusual show is on now at Austin’s Lora Reynolds Gallery. Chasing Desire features portraits and a fascinating installation by Austin artist Xavier Schipani. I have mixed feelings about this show, but foremost amongst them is my admiration for Schipani’s apparent fearlessness. The installation, called What Makes a Man, is literally a large bathroom, with sinks, a mirror,Continue reading “‘Chasing Desire’ at Lora Reynolds Gallery”

USA Museum Bucket List

So far, I’ve posted here a few reviews of museums I’ve visited in the U.S. and abroad, and have a huge backlog of others that I want to write about. In the midst of that project, I thought I’d take a break and share the list of my top five museums that I’ve yet to see.Continue reading “USA Museum Bucket List”

Davis Gallery’s ‘Of Warp and Weft’

I dropped by Davis Gallery after work this past Thursday, to check out their current two-person show, Of Warp and Weft. It features Austin-based artists Caprice Pierucci and Charles Heppner. Pierucci’s flowing wooden sculptures are pretty amazing. The light-colored ones almost look like the bones of some giant fish. A lady I was chatting withContinue reading “Davis Gallery’s ‘Of Warp and Weft’”

A Flying Visit to My Giant on a Hot Day

This past weekend, I paid a visit to my giant silver friend on the shores of Lake Austin at Laguna Gloria, one of the sites of our local art museum The Contemporary Austin. It had been a while since I had been by to see him, and I’d forgotten what a behemoth he is. At 33Continue reading “A Flying Visit to My Giant on a Hot Day”