DRAWING INTEREST

With scores of drawings, Michael Williams’ solo show is a contemplative feast.

BY TERRI PROVENCAL

During the busy fall art circuit, you may have missed the voluminous show for Los Angeles–based artist Michael Williams, but there is still time to catch it. Known for his paintings that “reflect modern complexity and contradiction,” in this show, 250 drawings are on view at The Power Station through March 10, illustrating his approach to creative intent and personal observation. It’s the artist’s first show to present works on paper and drawings exclusively.

Drawing encapsulates gesture and thought in a teeming interaction. In each work, Williams shows how to make the potential for wayward thinking compulsory and working as an act of drawing, whether it is calligraphic or choreographic or a result of tedium and failure.

The Power Station is among the best art spaces in town for an artist to be venturesome, and this installation reveals the joy of experimentation. Profound, peculiar and humorous, as in Untitled (Yoga) where the artist suggests PRACTICE YOGA AND MEDITATION TO BECOME A BETTER PAINTER IN JUST SEVEN YEARS, Drawings is a contemplative journey, much like a bookstore where you could find yourself lost for hours. P Drawing is a privilege and painting is an obligation. It’s the difference between thinking and working. Drawing is thinking. –Michael Williams

Above: Michael Williams, Drawings, installation views at The Power Station. Photography by Kevin Todora. Right: Michael Williams, Untitled (Yoga), 2021. colored pencil on paper, 11 x 9 in. Photograph by Patron.

THE HIDDEN ART/ARTISTS OF DALLAS, TEXAS

THESE ARE THREE OF MY FAVORITE!

Did you know that Dallas is home to the largest contiguous arts district in the country? Not only that, but it is home to some of the most famous international artists and art that is weaved and sometimes hidden throughout the city. Art supporters and philanthropists keen on improving Dallas through its impressive works have worked hard to bring collections to the public’s attention. Here are some of the coolest areas of town to explore if you find yourself with an eye for the arts.

THE TIN DISTRICT

Inside large tin warehouses in West Dallas, south of Trinity Groves, 75+ contemporary artists are creating and designing in studios and art spaces that are off the beaten path. Street art and graffiti don the walls and alleyways, so it is easy to find once you know you are in it. The walls change daily, and any artist can come and paint over an existing mural. Here you’ll find magnificent works from everyone from Dan Lam—who recently was featured in Architectural Digest—to Zeke Williams—whose work is in the collections of Toyota Headquarters and UT Southwestern and everyone in between.

EAST QUARTER

The East Quarter is located between the Farmers Market, Deep Ellum and the Central Dallas Business District. It consists of 30 properties, eight city blocks and is all owned by Todd Interests. The company is on a mission to preserve the 100-year-old brick automobile showrooms that line the streets and captivate them. In addition to adding restaurants, retail and housing to the area, art has also become a focus. You can find life sized Richard Orlinski’s, a ‘Kaws’ family, and a new mural by Shepard Fairey to name a few. It is a very exciting new area of town with endless possibility for creativity to bloom.

VALLEY HOUSE GALLERY AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

This hidden gem is the oldest modern art gallery in Dallas and is an amazing find for those wanting art off the beaten path. Feel free to stroll the four-acre sculpture garden created in 1959 by Clarence Roy. It’s filled with Michael O’Keefe and Deborah Ballard among others and its exhibitions change frequently. One can always find something to fall in love with and its open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. It is closed on Sunday.

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