Friday night saw the opening of three exhibitions at Art League Houston: "Suspended Memory" by
Shane Allbritton & Peter Bernick-Allbritton in the Main Gallery; "Speak of the Devil" by Edward Kelly in the Front Gallery; and "Thingness" by Benjamin Terry in the Hallway Space.  Full disclosure, I did not take pictures of or spend a great deal of time looking at "Thingness", and will therefore not be writing about it here.  Hallways and gallery openings are busy places by nature, so combine the two and it doesn't allow for much reflection or indeed photo opps - sorry Art League! 

Kelley's "Speak of the Devil" is one of the coolest installation pieces I have seen at Art League since I moved to Houston. Being from England (the most watched country in the world, by the way), this piece spoke to me as a clever and timely comment on the voyeuristic nature of modern society, and the slow but complete normalization of this constant invasion of our privacy.  

This interactive exhibition features over 250 surveillance cameras installed in clusters throughout Art League's Front Gallery. Some of the cameras are motion activated, so you really get the sense that the installation is watching you with its beady blinking red eyes as you move about the space.  As if that's not enough, the cameras actually photograph viewers and send these grainy surveillance-style images to a printer in the centre of the space, where viewers are invited to either feed their image into a shredder, or pin it to the gallery wall where it will become part of the exhibition.

“Systematic surveillance has become such a routine and inescapable part of our everyday culture, that we have become accustomed to its presence” says the artist. “The exhibition playfully highlights this growing presence through an immersive installation that explores the complexity and variability of our own understanding and engagement regarding surveillance technology, while also highlighting the ethical issues relating to personal privacy”.

"Speak of the Devil" will be at Art League until July 22, 2017 - Providing you're not on the run and avoiding surveillance cameras I highly recommend stopping by! ​

Next up: "Suspended Memory" by Shane Allbritton & Peter Bernick-Allbritton in the Main Gallery. If you have been following Artful Dodgy for a while, you will know I already think that Shane and Peter are a creative power-couple, so it came as no surprise to me that "Suspended Memory" is another must-see showcase of their work.  

The exhibition features installations which explore memory, and the process of how memories are stored and retrieved in the brain. The artists' use of fragments of patterns, textures and colors repeated across various surfaces is intended to represent the process of recollection, specifically reflecting the complexities of "lost memories" and the way they are accessed and reinterpreted in our minds. 

A personal highlight for me were the "Working Memory Cards", pictured above. The 32"x20" pieces are comprised of laser cut mulberry paper suspended in a colored water reservoir.  At first glance these pieces are obviously beautiful, but examined in the context of the exhibition as a whole they are truly stunning, complex and thought provoking. The pieces will continue to evolve as the paper absorbs and distorts the ink, mirroring the way memories and imprinted and changed over time - super cool right?

“The fact that recalling our memories changes them means that they are relatively unstable” says artist Shane Allbritton. “This phenomenon is referenced through imagined, neurological patterns cut into fragile materials and soaked in water, reflecting a robust record-keeping capacity that is also elusive and delicate. Given that our concept of the past is fallible, each passing moment renewed, and forgotten experiences buried, our transient reality remains suspended in time.”

"Suspended Memory" will be at Art League until July 22, 2017 - definitely worth setting aside 30 minutes to contemplate how incredible the human memory can be! 

Verny Sanchez was born in 1973 in Maracaibo – Zulia, Venezuela. Now living and working in Houston, TX Verny has participated in exhibitions in Caracas (Venezuela), NY (US), Miami (Florida, US) and Barcelona (Spain) over the last 19 years.

Before settling in Houston, he lived in Spain where he was a resident artist at La Escocesa for 5 years (Barcelona). The artistic work of Verny Sanchez is a reflection of his abstract thinking and redrawing in graphic structure-compositions based on abstract-figurative "open language", which he refers to as Glyphs or "Glifos".  His telltale style features variations of these "Glyphs" across different mediums including painting, sculpture, installations and murals.

I have known Verny for several years now, having worked with him on the CityCentre Mural Project back in 2015.   He is literally the nicest guy you will meet, with an amazing passion for his work.  I am therefore thrilled to be able to introduce him as my first Artist of the Month in 2017 (I know, I've been slacking): ​

Tell me a little about yourself, what is your background?
I have a Graphic Design background. I actually considered myself an artist since the middle of high school. In my young artist life, I was always drawing, and most pieces that I did for sale were commissioned paintings in large format. 
In my twenties, I combined work in several graphic areas (Graphic Design, Editorial, Art Direction, Art Production, Teaching, etc), with my artist work. In the last 15 years I focused on my artistic career, and only took two small part time jobs during that time.  One was teaching in Istituto Europeo di Design in Madrid and the other was managing an art production Studio in Barcelona. So yes, my background is as a graphic artist.

Talk me through your creative process, how do you get started, what's the first thing you do when starting a piece etc.?
Two things are very important to me in the process: The Concept and The Emotion. I do not follow one straight process. I am emotional person, so I follow different systems of processes depending on how I feel in that moment.  My discipline is to go to the studio and work everyday when possible. I normally have many ideas, I’m always  trying to find the correct timeline to develop. I normally work in series. Sometime, the idea is so extraordinary and intense, that I start the pieces without any plan.

Are you a full time artist? If not, how do you find a balance between creating and another job/family etc.?
Let me say before I answer this question, when you are an artist, you are a full time artist. Now I consider the last 15 years as me being a full time artist. When I have to combine this with another job, I usually work in the creative area, so that makes me feel good too. To combine work with family, since my child was born, takes time to get in regular schedule. I always think that I´m missing something important and I want to be there. It’s amazing the world of children, and it gives me new ideas that I project in my new work.

How would you describe your style? 
It’s an Abstract-Figurative Language, with strong topics in concepts.

Your style is very consistent in your work, where did the use of linked shapes/circles come from?

PetroGlyph is the key to answer this question.
When I was young, one of my favorite inspirations was general symbols with roots in my home country. One of those symbols that became very important in my work is a PetroGlyph ("Petroglifo de Vigirima", Estado Carabobo, Venezuela). I extract the form and create a particular structure and new forms with the same concept. Later I work to enrich the topic using graphic concepts, applying for example, Escher optical concepts in very simple organic form using union to express ambiguity, strong contrast to create noises or harmony, balance composition, etc.

 How did you get into mural painting/street art? 
The first time was in high school. Most of my work is in large format. I have to say, in my artist residency in "La Escocesa ,Barcelona, Spain" I shared space with some of the greatest street artists, like Kenor, Zozen, Mina Hamada, Otica, RH101, etc.  Part of my master plan is to let my work start to go in other formats or directions, and of course with this influence, one way was trying it in a mural. 

How do you typically get commissions?
Networking, somebody sees something that I am developing or working on,  Some commissions are from contests though.

What are your biggest influences as an artist?
So many, from today to the past:

General Sciences in all areas: Daniel Richter, Peter Doig, Julie Mehretu, Matthew Richie, Cecily Brown, Sebastian Bianick, and Jaime Gili´s installations. Starky Brines and recently discovered Hyon Gyon. My Venezuelan country was a very important topic.

Leonardo Da Vinci, Picasso´s life, life and paintings of Dali, Niki de Saint Phalle´s work, Tinguley, special attention too Kandisky.

Dadaism: Cabré, Héctor Poleo, Mateo Manaure, Jesús Soto, Jacobo Borges, Alirio Palacios. Campos Biscardi´s vision, the dimensions of Pancho Quilici. And I always had a special interest in Edgar Sánchez´paintings.

One special painting of Miró, “Lección de Ski”.

Massimo Cappecci, He was a family member of my best friend, an unrecognized and underestimated genius with an incredible graphic expression and an amazing world of creativity and knowledge. I never met another person with a similar talent.

And finally Enrique Oliveros. He was my art teacher.

What's your favorite subject matter to paint?
Connection/Emotional

What's your favorite medium?
I have two: Mixed material and pencil with oil

Do you have any advice for artists just beginning their career?
The first thing is recognizing your talent in a good way (never underestimate or overestimate), the second, work hard and create a disciplined routine. The third is in art today, networking is the key!
​
What projects do you have on the horizon?
If you’re interested in visiting my studio, just make an appointment and I will be pleased to show in what I´m working on (Silver Street Art Studios 312). You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, and my website vernysanchez.com

*Some answers have been edited for length/clarity*

This weekend saw the VIP kick-off of the second annual Houston Urban Experience Festival (or HUE, to its friends). The week-long extravaganza of urban art will feature over 100 artists from around the world, including Puerto Rico, Iran, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Spain, and promises to "transform Houston’s cityscape from concrete to color".  Those of you who are familiar with Houston's urban art scene will also see some familiar looking work popping up by local artists such as Nicky Davis, Scott Tarbox, Dandee Warhol, and Anat Ronen in locations ranging from St. Arnold's Brewery to the Holiday Inn parking garage.

The event is being spearheaded by GONZO247, a local heavy hitter in the street art world, and the mastermind behind Aerosol Warfare, the Graffiti and Street Art Museum Texas, and the "Houston is Inspired" mural that is LITERALLY ALL OVER EVERYTHING. 

​I was lucky enough to attend the VIP opening shin-dig on Saturday night - it was all very mysterious, with the venue announcement being distributed day-of,  ultimately leading guests 3 stories underground to view the aptly-named Wall of Fame II in the belly of a Holiday Inn parking garage downtown.

Bad news first: it was BOILING, as in I genuinely suggest going to see these murals in your bathing suit and not a long-sleeved woolen dress like this idiot here did.. However, the work certainly makes it worth the trip. Although my phone snaps unfortunately don't do it justice, this cavernous canvas is another great example of Houston artists transforming the traditional consumption of their work to make it a true experience.  A few highlights for me included an intense portrait by Skeez181 (pictured), Alex Ramos' 3-story worm mural, and my personal favorite: "Hit 'Em With That Llama" (also pictured), by tgp_htx artist Bao Pham. 

With just a few days of the festival to go, there is still SO much to see. There are daily tours in addition to four or five different events each day to suit everyone. Wednesday is the HUE Playground, where you can actually try your hand at some graffiti of your own, Thursday there is HUE Artist Vendors on Canal St., Friday is HUE Brew at St. Arnold's Brewery... But I don't know your life, so to be safe go and check out the calendar yourself here, and see what you fancy. 

Stay tuned for more coverage of HUE events to come...

So, today I took a preview tour of the Sculpture Month Houston exhibit at the Silos at Sawyer Yards. If you haven't had the opportunity to see an exhibit at this space yet, now's your chance! The preview opened last night as part of Houston Art Fair, and the full opening, with additional pieces, will take place on October 15th (put it in your diary!).

A quick background of the Silos to set the scene.. Inside the old Success Rice factory, (which was built in the 50s and abandoned in the 70s), lies an approximately 9,000 sq ft "Honeycomb" area at the base of 83' rice silos. The space is spectacular, creepy, and completely turns the traditional white-washed gallery aesthetic on its head. The space is different, and therefore presents a challenge, even Sculpture Month Houston's founder Volker Eisele said that it "takes guts" to exhibit there - it's certainly not for the faint hearted.

This is the perfect setting for the series of quirky and thought-provoking installations that make up one part Houston Sculpture Month, As soon as you enter the exhibit (if you can call it an exhibit, it's really an all-around immersive experience/interactive/installation hybrid) the experience begins.  You are greeted by Wei Hong's installation, served Mulberry tea and asked to pose for a photo. Your cup will later become part of the installation, and your photo will used in another animated art piece.

For me, there are a few real highlights. Ed Wilson's piece - suspended from the very top of the interior of the 83' silo it resides in - is the show-stealer. As it gently moves with the rotation of the earth you can forget about everything else and be totally mesmerized - I could watch it all day.  Other highlights include Sharon Kopriva's addition - an unsettling collection of distorted human-like forms made from found objects and rope, suspended over a sculpted fire; Joe Mancuso's installation that casts spectacular shadows on the concrete floor of its silo; and the gorgeous work of Adela Andea (seriously, it's gorgeous).

To borrow from SMH's own website, Sculpture Month Houston is a citywide event that celebrates and showcases sculpture throughout Houston. The campaign is hosted in numerous galleries and venues throughout the city from October 15 through November 19, 2016. Houston last celebrated sculpture 16 years ago with Sculpture 2000. In presenting Sculpture Month Houston, organizers Volker Eisele, Sean Rudolph and Antarctica Black (directors and manager of Rudolph Blume Fine Art / ArtScan Gallery), alongside Tommy Gregory (artist and curator of the City of Houston’s Art Collection at the Houston Airport System), look to provide a current survey of the Houston sculpture scene.

While we're on the subject, this coming weekend is a total knock out for Houston's art scene. Just to name a few, you have Texas Contemporary at the George R. Brown Foundation Center, Houston Art Fair at Silver St. and the Fall Biannual opening at Sawyer Yards, so get your culture on this weekend kids!

What are you working on right now?
Currently my public art studio, RE:site, is in the midst of preparing for several installations this year, in multiple locations across the country. Next month we have concurrent installs at the El Paso International Airport and the Hennepin Public Library in Minnesota. As far as personal artwork, I've been short-listed to create a large-scale artwork at one of the entrances to the George R. Brown and my husband Peter and I are developing encaustic prototypes for an upcoming Art League show. In between art projects, I wear my graphic designer hat and am currently developing environmental graphics for the National WWII Museum in NOLA, with a former design firm in DC. .
 
What inspires you to create?
Research. Researching an interest or curiosity gives me endless inspiration. Nature, introspection, everything really – finding meaning or an aesthetic interpretation of the smallest gesture to the most profound experience is like a program constantly running in the background.
 
How did you get to this point in your career?
 Like any creative type, I become heavily involved in my projects - embracing large-scale public art works to museum design, branding for small start-ups, mixed media installations, signage, and everything in between, they all matter. The inexplicable drive to create and problem-solve is not the only reason I am at this point, a lot of it is tenacity. I’m not even sure what this “point” in my career is exactly, I just know that diversity in the type of work I do gives me the greatest satisfaction and reflects my interests and passions. Besides keeping me engaged, diverse work is literally a financial necessity – I can pick up one market when the other stumbles and keep moving forward. I am definitely a risk-taker, but I do want to sustain this lifestyle as long as I can make it work.
 
Public Art as an avenue is kind of mysterious to a lot of artists. How did you get involved and what resources do you use/would recommend for people trying to break into that specific career?
 With about two decades working as an experiential graphic designer for museums and a background in studio arts, public art seemed a logical and fulfilling direction. When I left my full-over-time, yet secure, design job to freelance for a while, I couldn’t find another company in Houston that was a good fit. A former colleague of mine, Norman Lee, had recently been short-listed to design the San Francisco Veteran’s Memorial and invited me to team up. It wasn’t long after that encounter that we realized our interpretive backgrounds- telling stories through design, technology, media, interactives, and experiences laid a strong foundation for site-specific art. In 2012, we founded RE:site to focus on narrative-based artworks and jumped straight into artist call applications.
 Starting out is not a walk in the park - competing against experienced and prolific artists is challenging when you’re lacking built work in public space. It is important not to let a lost commission, impact your enthusiasm. It is a time consuming process but the experience will help your proposal skills, and it is a great way to visualize and explore new ideas. One option might be to collaborate with other artists or professionals that have different backgrounds to contribute necessary depth for specific RFQ/RFP requirements.
 Joining your local public art agency will allow you access to calls to artists, and they are there to offer support if you have any questions. Other useful online sources for finding competitions would include callforentry.org and publicartist.org.
 
How do you find a balance between family life and being a professional artist? What is the most rewarding aspect, and what do you find most challenging?
Balance is always the end goal – I want to be wholly immersed in creating and wholly immersed in my family, but both are demanding yet deeply rewarding and often tread on the other’s territory. I don’t have it completely figured out, but I do try to live by a few rules – Stop working by 6pm (there are exceptions here) and don’t work on the weekends (and exceptions here). I must be very mindful about scheduling business/family interactions throughout the day, if it isn’t on my calendar, then it pretty much doesn’t exist, sorry my brain is full.
As far as the most rewarding aspect, having my son was an awakening that I could have never imagined. I consider him as a catalyst in opening a channel for me to create work from a place that hadn’t been very accessible before. It’s like reliving your childhood in a way, leading you down some dusty old roads from your past. My husband Peter is also a collaborator and we’ve recently begun to work together on personal art projects and installations after a long hiatus. It is fulfilling for us, yet finding the time for both parents to work on art is quite the challenge. I work full-time and Peter is a stay-at-home dad, so anytime after 10pm is our window for personal projects. The impact of this materializes as added pressure to make every move count – we don’t have time to experiment as much as we’d like. However, we still throw ourselves into the fire and stay up working all night on occasion. We do miss out on social engagements and arts around town unfortunately, but we try to go out when we can muster it. 
 
What has been your toughest challenge as an artist in Houston?
The reawakening and redevelopment in Houston, although some of it disagreeable to me, is creating an affable climate for artists. I can’t think of anything that was a tough challenge pertaining to Houston directly. I feel I’ve reached out and been presented with opportunities and a lot of support from various Houston arts organizations and art consultants.
 
Do you feel like your industry (pubic art commissions) is male dominated? 
There is definitely a sizable gender gap in public art, although female artists have made some headway in recent decades. With the exception of most arts administrators, the entire ecosystem of getting large works built is completely male dominated – from city officials to architects, installers, machinists, programmers, and so on. I don’t see it as deterrent however, but rather a motivator.
 
Do you feel that there are some obstacles that are specific to being a female artist/arts administrator?
I don’t feel that I’ve really had the experience of gender obstacles in the arts, except for the occasional squaring off. On the contrary, I feel very supported in the arts, but the design industry on the other hand is another story.
 
What’s something you learned early on in your career that made you a better artist?
 Looking back, I am grateful that computers were not a part of my early development. I was a college senior cutting rubylith, applying letraset and doing everything else by hand, when the computer labs came. At the time, I remember feeling so obsolete. It changed everything, I mean, it was exciting to think of the possibilities! I gravitated towards it, with the crowd. But soon became disillusioned as it seemed to level out individual expression and replace free-thinking. At this point I became influenced by glitch art and the experimental typography of David Carson’s Ray Gun – all of it chaotic, abstract, illegible deconstructions as complex storytelling. So I guess my take away was to embrace new technologies and techniques as valuable tools rather than let them assume control.
 
What advice do you have for young female artists just starting out?
Become immersed in the art culture around you and network. Become immersed in your interests – take a class, take a journey, dig deep into the root of it. Experiment as much as possible. When it falls flat, absorb the lesson and always be resilient.
 
Do you feel like you take ownership of your success?
 I don’t really think in terms of success or failure, I suppose…I just try to keep momentum. The creative industries are volatile and I have experienced the ebb and flow up close - two of the design firms I worked for were thriving one moment, and then laying off half their staff, then thriving again. My public art partnership exploded out of the gate, winning multiple commissions, then immediately flat-lined. Honestly I’m a bit superstitious to speak in such clear-cut terms - I don’t know what’s around the corner, but I know that I will keep doing creative work in some capacity and perhaps that is a success I can own.

Without the invention of portable paint tubes, Monet would never have been able to paint outdoors. Andy Warhol's Factory would not have been much without silkscreen printing.  Just like in everyday life, there are countless ways that technology has infiltrated the art world. It has changed everything - from the way we create art, to the way we consume it.  Just as Pop Art was a reaction to Consumerism in the 1950s, Digital Art is the creative byproduct of our tech-centric age, and it is one of the most all-encompassing genres that art history has seen to date. Defined as "any art that is created with the help of a computer", Digital Art can be anything from an edited photo to a mural created by a paint squirting, wall climbing robot.

Now this does pose a slight problem - editing programs such as Photoshop - easy to use but not to master - not to mention Instagram, Facebook, and I-phone filters have lead to an over saturated and extremely polluted art market...  Suddenly we have Kim Bloody Kardashian making coffee table books of Selfie Art and people like Richard Prince selling other people's pictures of their cats back to them for $90,000, What the hell is going on??  The ease of making things look arty and original has ironically stunted everyones ability to make anything look arty and original.  

So that's the bad news. But is it all negative? While Insta-Art is an unfortunate side effect of the Digital Age, there are, conversely, a whole lot of benefits too, and here they are:

Ok, not totally. But, with the rise of social media, online art stores for emerging artists, and websites that are easy to create and manage (Hi, Weebly!) it's a hell of a lot easier to market, sell, network online and even make work than it was 50 years ago.  Decreased physical marketing, space rental, and advertising costs allow arts organizations and artists to serve their communities more effectively without huge overhead costs.

Every visual artist can benefit from using social media.  Images are king and get shared a lot more frequently and a lot more widely than that status you posted about your cat. Good news for visual artists who are often able to bypass commission rates and middlemen at conventional galleries and agencies.

​Have you ever been to the Sistine Chapel? No? Me either (weirdly). But I bet you could pick its famous fresco ceilings out of a line up. In a survey of Arts Organizations,  The point is there is less need for expensive and time consuming travel in order to experience the art of other countries.  As such, today's art market is truly an international thing of beauty. With both galleries and auction houses operating on a global scale thanks to the internet and advances in transport, the art world gets smaller every day, and it's a great thing!

It's just another development in the way art is created, guys, let's all calm down.  Without the invention of portable paint tubes, Monet would never have been able to paint outdoors. Andy Warhol's Factory would not have been much without silkscreen printing. ​ Without change there can be no progress, and progress is what this business we call art is all about.

​Technology (and especially the internet) facilitates amazing collaborations between art and technology. A good example is The Creators Project - heralded as the future of art and technology - whereby artists and engineers come together to create an "interactive, real-time Instagram installation" called #Creators Live, which debuted at theCreators Project: San Francisco event at Fort Mason.

Outsider Art is a genre so-named by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut ("raw art" or "rough art"). As the name suggests, it has long been overlooked by traditional galleries, museums and collectors. Now we all know that the internet can make anything famous, and a rise in interest in lesser known artists and art forms has led to a huge resurgence in Outsider Art exhibits and literature. Even fashionable Parisians are into it, so it must be a thing.

Just like screen printing and oil painting before it, technology has allowed new avenues of creativity that would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago.  My oldest friend's father Jonathan Keep, for example, has enjoyed a long career as a ceramic artist, but things really kicked off when he discovered the benefits of 3D printing. There are arguably more ways to create (and of course appreciate) art today than there ever have been before and it's only going to get more diverse and wacky with time.

Pew Research Center discovered that a staggering 92% agreed that the internet has increased public engagement with (and knowledge of) the arts,   There are various projects currently underway that help art reach the masses, including the Google Art Project, Artsy.com, Amazon Art, Artsicle, and various phone applications.

Technology has helped to reduce waste in the industry as a whole, and for individual artists. Because of technology and the ability to share and send, traditionally printed media, digitally, less pamphlets and promotional materials are printed, and there is less waste on the part of the individual artist. Yay for a greener art market!

"Nuff Said.

There is just one week to go until the return of WHAM! In celebration of a whole glorious decade of Houston's favorite annual art market, I have been talking to some of the artists who have exhibited at WHAM not once, not twice, but EVERY SINGLE YEAR since its inception. This week I caught up with local artist, potter, and jeweler guru Nicki Berndt for the final part of my Ten Years of WHAM series:

Ok, can we start with you telling me a little about yourself and your work.
I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois in Champaign.  I taught art for a few years before going into corp. sales.  I retired early from Account Manager, and then decided to really go full time into my art.  Pottery and throwing on the wheel is my biggest interest.  I like to make utilitarian pieces that people can enjoy daily.  I also do decorative and Raku items that are enjoyed aesthetically.
A few years ago, I took up metalwork at Lone Star College at the North Harris campus.  We had a wonderful jeweler as our teacher.  I have been taking many courses in metalwork, and enjoy working in sterling silver, precious metal clay, and copper and bronze.

Will we be seeing some of that at WHAM this year?
I will be selling stoneware pottery; bowls, mugs, flower holders, vases, and candleholders and gratitude covered boxes. 
I’ll also be selling one of a kind earrings and necklaces in sterling, and other metals. 

Nice! How did you first get involved in WHAM?
I had exhibited at the Glassell School of Art, which was the 1st week in December.  It was a wonderful show, but when they decided not to have it anymore, Winter Street took over having a holiday sale, and I chose to take a chance and exhibit in that, and I loved it.

That seems to be how a lot of people first got involved. What was WHAM like that first year? 
The first year it was good.  A lot of the people that attended the Glassell Sale came.  It has grown and it's reputation for very good art work has also grown. 

What brings you back year after year? Is the draw financial or is it something else?
Of course the income from the sales is very nice and helps me to continue creating pieces, but the best part of the sale is getting the feedback from the customers.  I have clientele that have been coming for many years and come look for my booth and compliment me on my work, and buy their Christmas gifts from me.  They like the 'one of a kind' creations that I produce.

I can see why! Where can we see you exhibit next?
I will be having a home show and open house on Nov. 11, and I will be selling at the Holiday Sale at Insperity in Kingwood on Nov. 13.  I have also contributed 2 items to Art on the Avenue, which is a charitable organization that builds homes for low incomes in Houston.  I look forward to contributing to their silent auction each year.  That will be held on Nov. 12-14.  The first week of Dec. will be a Student Art Sale at Lone Star College at the North Harris Campus and in the Spring I will be selling at the Market Street Art Fair in the Woodands.  That should keep me very busy!

Thanks for your time Nicki, I’ll see you at WHAM!
​

In the second of this three-part Winter Holiday Art Market series, I met with local ceramic artist Betsy Evans, one of the few original WHAM artists to still be exhibiting with the iconic show 10 years later. Side note: she is very pleasant to drink tea with on a Monday morning!

OK, so to start why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself and your work?
Ok, well I’m a ceramic artist, primarily clay. I was trained as a woodwork artist and furniture maker, and had a metal and woodworking background, but went into ceramics when my daughter was born. So, I went to school at Glassell School of Art and did a little clay there, but ultimately I moved to Winter Street Studios and got my own studio there. I’m mostly self-taught, and then about 8.5 years ago, I formed a craft gallery called 18 Hands Gallery in the Heights with a few other people.
 
Ah OK. So how did you first get involved in WHAM?
The way the show originated was Glassell used to have a holiday show, and so Shane Tidmore who at the time had a studio a Winter Street felt that there was a real loss there, so he initially started it to fill that gap.  I have been at Winter Street since the very beginning. I’m one of – I guess - seventeen original artists.  So being one of the originals, it made doing WHAM logical for me.  I can simply just move my tables outside of my studio!
 
Convenient! What was WHAM like when it first started?
SLOW! I mean, the intentions were good, but I think initially people didn’t know what Winter Street was, and they were really nervous about going there. The neighborhood has changed significantly in the last ten years, but people used to be scared to go there! It’s something I’ve never understood, I guess because I’m a fiercely independent person and I don’t get scared easily – I’d be out there in the middle of the night working! Over the course of time Winter Street and the arts district has developed a phenomenal reputation and become such a major force in Houston. With the force of Fresh Arts behind it, more exposure, and better quality artists, WHAM has just continued to grow too.
 
What brings you back year after year?
Accessibility! But seriously, I also enjoy the camaraderie that develops and you get to see what Houston has to offer for this specific market. These are not people that are being represented by galleries; so it’s a different way to produce in that sense. Looking at it as a crafts person, these types of markets can be tricky, especially for people who are in Fine Crafts.  There are a lot of places that don’t take it seriously; a lot of the mediums are not considered fine arts, they see it as a hobby. But arts and crafts are hard - creativity is hard! It’s my hope that with more exposure at shows like this there will be more education and more understanding.  Texas has no history of craft, and there’s a lot of bad craft out there that confuses the public. So if you can get it out there maybe people will understand that it’s not just silly little ducks with bows on!
 
Do you think WHAM helps to address that issue?
Absolutely, I mean for a city this size there just aren’t a lot of venues for the local artists. It really amazes me that my gallery (which is 90% clay) is the only real craft gallery in the city of Houston, and that’s the fourth largest city in the United States! I think there should be more and more of these events that allow emerging artists to sell their work and be a part of the engine that keeps the city moving.
 
So you’ll be selling ceramic sculpture at WHAM this year?
Well I have some non-functional work and some functional work at various price points.  Just a nice mix of things, I’ve got wall pieces, I’ve got tabletop pieces. I’ve got a tendency to straddle the fence when it comes to functionality! 
 
Is it important for you to sell work at WHAM? Or do you do it for other reasons?
The revenue is not necessary, but it’s nice! Really I just like feeling connected, going out and seeing people and being part of an event is so much more fun! Feeling like my participation is leading to something that makes Houston more interesting is one of the advantages of being an artist in a big city. I think the more we have these art markets and festivals, the bigger the sense of community.
 
I think you’re absolutely right.  So you know a lot of the other artists that exhibit at WHAM regularly?
Yeah, I know quite a few. There are some that have been there consistently year after year. I’m familiar with most of them.  I actually didn’t think I would be accepted again this year, because it’s getting really competitive with all the new artists. But, that competition just makes for a better show; I think that’s one of the great things about WHAM.
 
Well we’re pleased to have you back! Thanks so much for your time, I’ll see you at WHAM!
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