Readers who know me personally know that I have a weakness for cufflinks—I wear them daily. For years I kept my cufflinks in a drawer, some of them had their own individual boxes, some were just loose. But it became a problem rooting through dozens of cufflinks in the morning not only deciding which ones to wear but finding a matching pair. A few years ago I came up with a solution to my cufflink storage and display needs by making easy DIY cigar jewelry boxes, which I also call cufflink keepers. This craft project is so simple, it’s almost embarrassing to write about.  But these cufflink keepers also make great gifts and I have been asked where I bought them. You ...

It was the one year anniversary of Mother’s death and it was a quiet day at work (as explained in previous posts I do design work for a major American furniture company which also entails assisting any Tom, Dong, or Jugdish who wanders in off the street). Most of the design staff sat around the office that day wondering if the doors were unlocked. And I was grateful to make it through the day with calm and grace. It was also the night of the week that I am key holder charged with locking up. And evenings mid-week are rarely eventful. But it was that particular night that caused me to consider that whoever coined “the customer is always right” was ...

Regular TroysArt readers know how much I adore the blending of art, food, and booze—so it should come as no surprise that I must rave about the June Painting Party with John Palmer. I have known John Palmer since his first showings. (In fact, in the late 90s when I was the designer responsible for the restoration and conversion of the old Southern Pacific Building in downtown Houston into Bayou Lofts, I commissioned some large paintings by John for the lobby.)  Since then I have come to know that anyone who loves art loves John; and anyone who loves a fun guy especially loves this one. John is one of the hardest working artists I know.  And over time he has garnered international acclaim as founder of the Escapism ...

Touch is an instinctive quality to gain information about an object and that ability to perceive sensations through touch gives our brain an abundance of information. It is understandable that the desire to touch is sometimes overwhelming. The colors and textures of a painting in a museum can be as alluring as candy; the urge to possess an actual artifact of history can be innately tempting. But the vast majority of museums on earth require that patrons DO NOT TOUCH the Art. But even with a no touching policy, museum visitors continue to do so, whether by accident, by ignorance, or by sometimes sneaking a feel. This topic comes to mind because of a recent discussion I had in Washington DC with my ...

I was in Washington DC last week to visit a friend—I had not seen Elizabeth Arledge since we graduated high school, and having never been to DC looked forward to a tour of her stomping ground. When asked what I wanted to see I suggested a couple of monuments and a few wine bars; but I also hoped to see some great museums while there. And boy did we! I was asked upon my return how I liked the art in Washington DC. And I can offer a simile in answer to that inquiry: Art in Washington DC is like walking into the finest restaurant and ordering everything on the menu—there is too much, it’s all good, but there is no way ...

No book has been so absorbed into American culture, especially Southern, than the novel Gone with the Wind. In fact, with over 30 million copies printed, a 2014 Harris Poll found it to be the second favorite book of American readers, behind The Bible. A year ago I made a blog post about a few of my favorite books (TroysArt – A few favorite reads) in which I included Margaret Mitchell’s classic 1936 masterpiece. The story chronicles the struggles of Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy Georgian cotton plantation owner, who uses all means at her disposal to claw her way out of poverty following the Civil War. While I included the novel in my list, I had not ...

You are never too old to paint Easter Eggs. But no matter the age, child and adult alike, the inner-artist yearns to break away from the traditional PAAS vinegar dip method for a more unique and sophisticated egg. In honor of Easter, this post is a TroysArt simple & elegant DIY Easter Eggs tutorial. You will need: Boiled Eggs Craft paints, or acrylic paint, including a metallic gold and/or silver Krylon acrylic (non-toxic) spray varnish A bottle of wine Using room temperature dry eggs select a bright color and apply a small amount of acrylic paint with your fingertips.  Have fun swirling it around until the paint is smooth and set it on a paper towel tray to dry. Aim for a nice ...

My dog should be an international socialite… Once again this year Delta Dawn rocked the ballroom of a fancy hotel! The occasion was another exciting Best Friends Brunch benefitting aniMeals on Wheels at Houston’s fabulous Hotel Zaza. aniMeals on Wheels, a division of Interfaith Ministries Meals on Wheels program, was conceived after Interfaith administrators for the Meals on Wheels program questioned drivers about what they were learning on their routes.  Seems recipients were not finishing their meals in order to save portions for their pets. The aniMeals program was created to provide pet food so that home-bound seniors would not feel compelled to share their limited food. This year’s brunch was hosted by Laura Max Rose and Ben Rose with co-chairs, the ...

Sometimes it only takes a few hours to discover something interesting in your own backyard.  For years I passed the overgrown and neglected parcel of land on the eastern border of River Oaks on West Dallas—always told that it was an ancient slave cemetery.  I guess it is poignant that I visited the site a couple days ago, being as it is Black History Month.  And I was particularly intrigued by the restoration and the folk art—all of the stumps are brightly painted at College Park Cemetery. College Park Cemetery is one of the three remaining African-American cemeteries from the era of segregation in Houston.  Founded in 1896, it is believed that some of the burials might even predate its ...

(As we all know, February is Black History Month. This post is a simplified and revised version of a feature article that I wrote about artists in Black History Month for the Lake Charles American Press; it was published with my byline on February 3, 2008. A version was also published on my original TroysArt blog February 2008. Photographic images were provided courtesy of the Zigler Art Museum in Jennings, Louisiana. Also, please recognize that art historians often use the description Black American in defining the group apart from Caucasians. This term embraces those of African, Caribbean, and Creole decent. While the inclusion of Creole lineage is occasionally debated, it is generally accepted, and I have included Creole artists herewith.) The mention of ...