December 25, 2024

Spreading LOVE in Houston, artist Wiley Robertson

"LOVE" in Montrose by Wiley Robertson

About three years ago while walking the dog through a weird alley in Montrose I came upon a small plank of wood with “LOVE” painted colorfully on it. I picked it up and hung it on my wall. Then my friends and I started noticing “LOVE” paintings on 2 x 4s nailed high upon utility poles around inner-city neighborhoods. Friends would tell me about a new sighting and vice versa. I was fascinated; and wondered who was doing it. I asked a few hipsters who was responsible—one actually answered, “I thought it was you!” Three weeks back I saw a …continue reading

Amy Evans at Kiehl’s

"Marge had her usual breakfast and then she took her usual measurements" by Amy Evans

Thursday evening I attended a reception for artist Amy Evans at Kiehl’s. Her brightly colored paintings on wood are on indefinite display. Her work is unusual. Considered a surrealist she strives to document moments in time, mostly from her imagination and beginning with a specific object such as a vintage package. When the package or product is rendered in combination with other seemingly mundane objects such as bobby pins, combs, fabrics, or jewelry they are transformed into portraits, illustrating a woman who is part of the artist’s narrative. And while the paintings are “surrealist-inspired” Amy is represented by Koelsch Gallery, Houston’s most …continue reading

A Vegetarian in Cajun Country

"Squirrel with Apple" © Gavin Spencer, RGBStock.com

During my great “swamp artist” adventure (aka midlife crisis) in Louisiana a few years back, one of my close friends planned a visit from Texas. I met Willem Overwijk several years back when he was new in Houston by way of Amsterdam. Recruited to the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Overwijk’s specific area of proficiency, in layman’s terms, is cancer immunotherapy and vaccines research, tumor immunology, with specific emphasis how immune cells can be manipulated to destroy cancer. It’s wildly complex, technical, intellectual, and important. At any rate, he is tall and handsome, gregarious, exceedingly meticulous, a bit eccentric, …continue reading

Artist: Amy Guidry

"Dichotomy" by Amy Guidry, photo courtesy of the artist

Of all the young up-and-coming artists I have seen in recent years, Amy Guidry is one of the most auspicious. A resident of Lafayette, Louisiana, this artist exhibits in galleries and museums across the USA. Her work has been described as surrealism, but I think that categorization alone is inadequate. Surrealism has become a blanket term for a clever painting with a tricky composition. I have seen it written that surrealism seeks to resolve contradictory conditions between dream and reality; and while Guidry’s paintings often seem quite dreamlike, they are indeed more a statement of her reality than her dreams. …continue reading

The Bishop’s Palace

The Bishop's Palace, Galveston, Texas

The crown jewel of the Galveston Historical Foundation is undoubtedly the Bishop’s Palace, also known as Gresham’s Castle. Located at Broadway and 14th Street in Galveston’s historic East End, the fabulous high Victorian style house is considered by the American Institute of Architects as one of the 100 most significant buildings in the USA. Built by crazy rich Colonel Walter Gresham in 1892, it was designed by Galveston starchitect Nicolas Clayton. Constructed of stone, it withstood the great hurricane of 1900 and was refuge for hundreds of survivors after that disaster. In the 1920s it was purchased by the Roman …continue reading

The Art of Bread Pudding, Simplified: Blue Magnolia

Blue Magnolia Bread Pudding Ingredients, TroysArt photo

Bread Pudding is one of those desserts known by a myriad of cultures around the world—Creole cuisine not excluded. Considered to be of plebeian origins it is now featured on the tables of the most upscale restaurants. The history is traced back to the 11th Century as a way to use stale bread. Years back while exhibiting paintings at the Louisiana State Ducks Unlimited Convention, one of the vendors I got to know over the weekend was Desiree Guillory, an entrepreneur from Lafayette, Louisiana—the creator of Blue Magnolia. She proudly offered the passersby a taste of bread pudding. I traded a …continue reading

Magnolia Mound Plantation

Magnolia Mound, a TroysArt photo

If you expect a plantation house tour to conjure visions of Scarlett O’Hara descending a sweeping stair, try Nottoway or Madewood; but for the true culture and architecture enthusiast, Magnolia Mound is a gem. Built in 1781, it is the oldest wooden structure in Baton Rouge. Sitting on a high ridge facing the Mississippi River and once the center of a 900-acre indigo and sugar farm, it is a rare example of the architectural vernacular adopted by the earliest Louisiana settlers. The other day I toured Magnolia Mound for the second time—the first time being approximately 25 years ago. The house is …continue reading

The Art of Escape: Hotel Galvez

Hotel Galvez, a TroysArt photo

Galveston is a short drive from Houston—in less than an hour a city weary soul can be transported to another realm. Sadly, because of its brown water and toothless underbelly, not many people I know share my enthusiasm for the convenient island retreat. A few days back I made one of my regular trips. When I stepped out of my car at the Galvez’s valet stand a pungent stench affronted my nostrils—like being slapped in the face with a spoiled trout. One look at the beaches and the reason is obvious. Galveston is experiencing one of the worst red seaweed …continue reading

Mihail Simeonov: Pleasant Surprises

Sunday Morning Series by Simeonov

I admit it; I hit the art racks at resale shops when I get a chance. Remember the guy in 2003 who bought a painting of workers in a field at a flea market that turned out to be by Vincent van Gogh, it sold for $3.6 million? What about the woman last year in West Virginia who launched a firestorm of controversy when she found a Pierre-Auguste Renoir at a flea market for $7? Last week I stumbled across a small piece at Goodwill signed “Mihail”.   The pastel on paper was in a cheap looking frame but I could …continue reading