Destinations

A low key birthday with Sisterwoman, wine, and art

: Destinations, TroysArt : Written by Troy Broussard : 01-08-2015

It’s me on my birthday with Picasso’s Seated Woman, the Museum of Fine Art – Houston.

I love having a birthday on January 2nd; I start a new year with a new age, it’s like a full cycle. But celebrating in a big way can be difficult. It’s like just when you thought the holidays were over, guess what! People are partied out by January 2nd. And to travel somewhere sensational is expensive because airlines and hotels are charging New Year’s premiums. And then this year, given the loss of our dear Lisa Benitez and the epic funerary festivities that followed, I was absolutely exhausted both mentally and physically. So this year I opted for a low key birthday …continue reading

Tallahassee house museums: Knott House & Goodwood

: Destinations, Galleries & Museums : Written by Troy Broussard : 12-11-2014

The Knott House, Tallahasse, photo courtesy of Museum of Florida History

Tallahassee, the heart of Leon County, is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve seen. With rolling hills, moss-draped oaks, and columns on every building, the city seems more like an extension of Georgia than Florida—absent are the beaches, ocean breezes, palm trees, nightclubs, and shell shops which are commonly associated with the Sunshine State. Tallahassee is a big small town that seems to find itself in national spotlight often, certainly every presidential election at least. I have visited Tallahassee numerous times. Sisterwoman’s family had a three-acre estate in the ritzy Rose Hill subdivision. From Houston’s Bush International to Tallahassee …continue reading

An art pilgrimage to Utah, II

: Destinations : Written by Troy Broussard : 11-30-2014

Artwork can be the best souvenir from travel, especially from an area renowned for its landscape or indigenous culture. Unfortunately, while in Moab, Utah, I rarely saw authentic Indian pottery in the shops—a group of lovely vases seen through a shop window, to my chagrin, revealed a stamp reading “Made in China.” I learned that locals were desirous of Moab becoming a stronger visual arts community. And a few painters did catch my eye for their unique flair and perspective for capturing the landscape. One artist in particular was Chad Neihaus. And Moab has served to provide ample inspiration to …continue reading

An art pilgrimage to Utah, part I

: Destinations : Written by Troy Broussard : 11-29-2014

Katie Scarlett with authentic petroglyphs, Moab, Utah

Reading somewhere on the internet the other day I saw an article about how scientists and historians now believe that many Petroglyphs found in areas of America could be much much older than previously believed. It brought to mind an adventure I had a few years back–an art pilgrimage to Utah. I put my dog Katie Scarlett in the car and my bicycle on the back and headed west. After two long days of travel I found myself amidst the mystical and strange landscape of Moab, Utah. The geology of this part of Utah is complex and unique in the world. …continue reading

Monet and a river, in Houston

: Artists, Destinations, Galleries & Museums : Written by Troy Broussard : 11-06-2014

Claude Monet The Thaw at Vetheuil [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Claude Monet said, “I have painted the Seine throughout my life, at every hour, at every season. I have never tired of it: for me the Seine is always new.” And the latest exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) is a testament to that lifelong obsession. Oscar-Claude Monet (1840-1926) was perhaps the most revolutionary artist of the 19th Century. He is one of the founders of the French Impressionist movement and was the most consistent practitioner of that artistic philosophy. His body of work based on the Seine is the repetition of plein-air scenes at not only times of …continue reading

Art & fine dining in Houston: La Colombe d’Or

: Destinations, Food & Beverage, Galleries & Museums : Written by Troy Broussard : 11-05-2014

I enjoy getting together with Sisterwoman (Julie Boggio) every week for dinner. Last week she was headed in from Memorial on a Friday night—we had plans to attend art openings and then have dinner. In the meantime I received a call from dear friend Shannon Schrader. He and Charles Leigh III were dining at La Colombe d’Or and requested that we join them. Located in the heart of Montrose, La Columbe d’Or occupies the historic Fondren mansion which was originally built in 1923—the Fondrens being the founders of Humble Oil, which with Standard Oil would become Exxon. On the first …continue reading

An Ornament in Houston by James Surls

: Artists, Destinations : Written by Troy Broussard : 09-25-2014

"Tree & Three Flowers" by James Surls, Kirby Drive, Houston, Texas

Have you wondered about the monumental floral sculpture that went up in April on the 2700 block of Kirby Drive in Houston? The 38-feet high sculpture is “Tree & Three Flowers” by the legendary James Surls. The artwork, like examples that can be found on Park Avenue in Manhattan or Sunset Boulevard in LA, is bronze and stainless-steel and was commissioned by the Upper Kirby District. The $850,000 price tag, which includes the cost of installation, was paid for partially by funds raised by UK and by the City of Houston’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone fund. And this public work …continue reading

And then to Rembrandt’s House

: Artists, Destinations, Galleries & Museums : Written by Troy Broussard : 09-18-2014

Rembrandt Harmeszoon van Rijn self-portrait, National Gallery, UK

I was so grateful to make it back to my hotel suite in Amsterdam after the journey to the Otterlo. (Recommended background: TroysArt “That trip to the Kroller-Muller Museum”, September 17, 2014.) I crawled into bed and thought I was dying. Thankfully my impending death was not holding travelling companion Michael Anderson (aka Manderson) back from exploring the nightlife for which Amsterdam is famous. The next morning Manderson was packing a bag. “I’m headed to The Hague,” he announced with boundless enthusiasm. “Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring is at Mauritshuis. Sure you don’t want to go?” I begged to die …continue reading

That trip to the Kroller-Muller Museum

: Destinations, Galleries & Museums : Written by Troy Broussard : 09-17-2014

The Clown by Auguste Renoir, 1868, Kroller-Muller Museum

A few years back while touring the Netherlands with fellow artist Michael Anderson (aka Manderson) he suggested that we visit the Kroller-Muller Museum. I had never heard of it, but I’ve never turned down a museum. The Kroller-Muller is located near Otterlo in the middle of the National Park de Hoge Veluwe, a 5,500 hectare area created in the last Ice Age with alternating woodlands, prairie, and sand dunes. Crazy rich Helene Kroller-Muller was one of the first major collectors to recognize Vincent van Gogh’s genius. In 1909 her husband Anton Kroller created the park and in 1935 she donated …continue reading

The New & Improved Mandell Park

: Destinations : Written by Troy Broussard : 09-02-2014

Now we all know what was going on behind the curtained fence at Richmond Avenue and Mandell for the past nine months. The 1 ¼ acre Mandell Park with (Urban Harvest) Meredith Park underwent a complete renovation. For years Friends of Mandell Park worked to raise $1 million for the project. The following is an excerpt from the Manny Chronicles, a journal project that I did in 2010 while caring for the infant Evan Rosette: February 19, 2010 Evan and I had an interesting walk today. We Four Wheeled it down Bonnie Brae Boulevard to the Mandell Park. Bonnie Brae …continue reading