AUSTIN ART TALK - Gladys Poorte - Nuevo Mundo

This week's podcast guest is Gladys Poorte. Her work for many people appears to be very otherworldly and fantastical, maybe even sci-fi inspired, but in fact, it is all based on real-life objects and 3D models that she creates in her studio to draw and paint from while controlling the light and mood to ultimately create space and depth. The inspiration often comes from observing, processing, and reacting to real-life events that have happened in the world, and concerns about the future.

I’m very impressed with Gladys' willingness to keep pushing herself to learn new skills and gain knowledge to enhance and evolve her artwork over time. We talk about her life growing up in Argentina, working as an educator, transitioning to living in the US, and her many years of diverse art classes and schooling to evolve her style and craft to where it is today.

Nuevo Mundo
Gladys Poorte At The Davis Gallery
May 1st - June 12th
Davis Gallery & Framing
837 West 12th Street
Austin, TX 78701
512-477-4929

Gladys Poorte's "Nuevo Mundo" debuts at the Davis Gallery. Exploring the new settings wherein which we find ourselves during an unprecedented time, Poorte helps us transition into seemingly foreign yet familiar landscapes within her interpretation and style.

AUSTIN ART TALK - Tom Jean Webb - Being Here

Artist Tom Jean Webb grew up in England but knew from an early age he wanted to live in America. His mother and grandfather helped to inspire his creativity and if not for a chance visit to a contemporary art gallery as an adult, he would not have realized that what he wanted to say with his own art was valid and possible. After many trips and back and forth from the United States to England he finally committed to fulfill his dream and made the US his home.

The work he creates is heavily inspired by the colorful and rocky desert landscapes of the southwest and are explorations of space and his own personal reality. As he consistently strives to create his distinctive artwork he prioritizes being open and present, staying playful, having fun, and letting go of control and preconceived ideas.

“As much as art is about creating an object, it’s also about learning about yourself. My art has always been this tool for which I decipher the world, and my place in it, or who I am and how I learn and what I see. It’s the medium through which I decipher everything.”
— Tom Jean Webb

Here are some images I made when I was visiting Tom Jean’s studio to record the interview.

Cande Aguilar | It’s only barrioPOP but I like it @ grayDUCK Gallery

I’m so impressed by Cande’s work and it was fun to help capture and produce an interview with him and then photograph the exhibition for Jill the owner of grayDUCK. I love having a regular gig working with artists and capturing exhibitions!

Text by artist/writer Noe Hinojosa for Cultbytes

What is Cande Aguilar’s barrioPOP? In the United States, when you place the word "barrio" in front of anything, it acts as a filter. It filters whatever words follow through a Mexican American context down to a common denominator: the neighborhood. If I say I can play barrio tennis, it means I may not have the fancy equipment or clothes, and my strokes may not be refined, but I do know the rules, and I can play. I might have to jump a fence to get to some tennis courts, but that just reinforces the point that "barrio" anything is being of, or pertaining to, the common folk of the barrio where people are accustomed to less access of all kinds for basic socio-economic reasons. Read more…

Exhibition Dates: April 9 – May 23, 2021

AUSTIN ART TALK | Joyce Howell - Expressing The Abstract

As an adult, after working many jobs in the business world and raising her daughters' artist Joyce Howell decided to go back to school to study art and eventually achieved her master's degree. She started out painting in a very representational style but in graduate school found the encouragement and a strong desire to create abstract works that expressed more of her internal reality and how she processed everything in her world.

For the last almost 25 years Joyce has been committed to her studio practice and has participated in many solo and group exhibitions. She creates colorful and often atmospheric abstract paintings that without a doubt contribute to the joy and beauty experienced through art that we all need in our lives and our homes.

Mujer Pintada, 2021, oil on canvas, 42x42 inches

Mujer Pintada, 2021, oil on canvas, 42x42 inches

She has been represented in Austin by Wally Workman Gallery for over 10 years! Be sure to make an appointment and see her work in person.

Joyce Howell: Solo Show
March 6-27, 2021

Wally Workman Gallery

"Howell’s palette is informed by nature and its flux between calm and chaos. She describes it as an ongoing conversation. Each color and the mark by which it is applied to the canvas informs the next. Colors give the impression of physical weight. Colors become instruments, much as in a musical composition. As the work progresses, the painting becomes a collaborative, a dialogue between Howell and the canvas. This is her 8th solo show with the gallery."

Art Collecting Stories

Collecting art is one of my favorite things to do. My most meaningful pieces have come from friends and artists I’ve worked or connected with in a personal way. When I look at each piece of art in my collection I see its visual impact and physical attributes, but then there is also my memory of how I acquired it and the joy of the relationship with its creator.

Almost as enjoyable is the search for lost or unnoticed art treasures waiting patiently to be rescued from a thrift store or estate sale. In years past I made a point to visit stores and sales weekly in search of artworks that might be valuable or a nice addition to my collection. When Goodwill was still doing auctions, allowing people to bid on their nicest donations every Saturday, I would scout the offerings ahead of time and research anything that looked promising. I’ve developed a pretty good eye for original and unique pieces.

One of my favorite stories is of a painting of a rural scene with trees and a colorful house and fence. That stood out as an interesting choice by the artist. It was in a Goodwill auction, but the starting price I felt was too high. It would be nice to have but I wasn’t totally sure. So I let the auction pass and said that if that evening I went into the store and it was discounted and on the sales floor after no bids, I would buy it.

The painting was found in a bin waiting to be shelved post auction, at a cheaper price, so I happily bought it. After researching the signature I discovered that the artist lived in San Angelo, Texas. I gave him a call and he said he would be happy to meet with me. Later that year on my way to Marfa for my 40th birthday, I made a detour to see Mr. Hugh Campbell III. We had a very nice visit. I was thrilled to have made such a connection, but I don’t think Hugh was thrilled that one of his paintings ended up in a Goodwill. He didn’t remember that specific piece but was glad that I liked it and that I decided to rescue it and hang it on my wall.

His website is not working so I am not sure if he is still around or not. But I am very thankful that a bit of synchronicity at a thrift store connected me to him and that we got to meet.

Painting from 1996 by Hugh Campbell III, found at goodwill.

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in Saint Petersburg, Russia

A Second Story - The painting you see here of The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in Saint Petersburg, Russia, I found at an estate sale on the last day when everything was half off. Seems it was overlooked because there appeared to be damaged, but I was able to tell that the glass in the frame just made it look that way. It’s an approx 8”x12” pristine watercolor, possibly with gouache accents. The fun part was trying to figure out what it was a painting of and then getting to learn all about the history of this gorgeous structure. The artist is unknown so there is still more to the mystery. I put the painting in a better frame with museum glass and I just love it. And I got to discover a new place to visit someday.

San Angelo artist Mr Hugh Campbell III, posing in his studio back in 2014. I had not put this panorama together before today. It’s 5 photos stitched together.