THE ARTS MAGAZINE OF THE ART STUDIO, INC.
MAY 2018
SURREAL INSIGHTS
PAGE 8
INSIDE: TASIMJAE, HOPI VISIONS, ROBERTS AND MORE
WANTED
Live models needed for Life Drawing, Tuesdays, 6-8 p.m. Contact Sara Tuell at saratuell@gmail.com
ISSUE Vol. 24, No. 8 Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Art Studio, Inc. Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy Coughlan Copy Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Gallaspy Contributing Writers . . . . . . . . . . Caitlin Duerler, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephan Malick Contributing Photographers . . . . Caitlin Duerler, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephan Malick Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Malick
A View From The Top Greg Busceme, TASI Director WENT TO A WONDERFUL show earlier this month at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas. It was not in the main galleries, where so much amazing work is brought to us in the way only AMSET can do. This was a more intimate exhibition on a Sunday afternoon in the Sue Mann Weisenfelder Gallery. It is an addendum of Café Arts, the lovely eatery within the museum. Digression is my tour de force, and I must employ it now because there is so much to say about all of this. Sue Mann was an excellent art teacher who worked for a time at St. Anne’s school. She always reminded me and others that she was my first art teacher. This was a point of pride to her and an honor to me that she felt so strongly about that fact. An honor to me because I sort of sucked at art, which was offered once a week, late on Fridays. But being the first is something one can never take from us. You cannot be surpassed or out done. It is always there.
The Art Studio, Inc. Board of Directors Corporate President . . . . . . . . . . Greg Busceme Corporate Vice-President . . . . . Angela Scheibel Chair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Winston Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Roberts Members at Large . . . . . . Stephanie Chadwick, . . . . . . . . . Olivia Busceme, John Fulbright, . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephan Malick, Sara Tuell, . . . . . . . . . Jes Prince, Michael M. Meazell, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Rollins Tenant Representative. . . . . . . . . . Kailee Viator Assistant Director . . . . . . . . . Marilyn Tennissen
The Art Studio, Inc. 720 Franklin Beaumont, TX 77701 409-838-5393 www.artstudio.org info@artstudio.org The ISSUE is a monthly publication of The Art Studio, Inc. Its mission is to publicize The Art Studio and its tenants, and to promote the growth of the arts in Southeast Texas. ISSUE is also charged with informing TASI members of projects, progress, achievements and setbacks in TASI’s well-being. Further, ISSUE strives to promote and distribute the writings of local authors in its “Thoughtcrime” feature. ISSUE is provided free of charge to members of TASI and is also available, free of charge, at more than 30 locations in Southeast Texas. Regular features include local artists of note and reputation who are not currently exhibiting at TASI; artists currently or soon to be exhibiting at TASI; Instructional articles for artists; news stories regarding the state of TASI’s organization; and arts news features dealing with general philosophical issues of interest to artists.
Contents TASIMJAE 2018 Recap. . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Hopi Visions at DMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Walthall’s Introspective Surrealism . . . . Page 8 Roberts at AMSET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11 Maypole Festival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12 Alternative Show Call For Entries . . . . Page 13 Around & About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Thoughtcrime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 Cover photo of Travis Walthall by Andy Coughlan
MAY
Secondly she later married the father of Jane Weisenfelder, who was a classmate of a beach neighbor of mine for all of our formative years. I was also her Neches River Escort. Small world, long story! So there I was to see a good friend’s work, Wayne Goodman. Wayne has helped us at The Studio like he helps many people, I assume. I met him years ago as he bought paints and other art supplies from us. Eventually he presented some work during various shows and sales. The Art Museum was savvy enough to offer him an exhibition, seeing the same thing I did, i.e., an acute understanding of narrative painting in a form we tend to call folk art, outsider art or naive art. All of these terms try to point to someone who creates their own approach to the story they are driven to tell, and
See VIEW on page 13
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AT THE ART STUDIO JUNE
Travis Walthall, Winner TASIMJAE 2017 Opening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 5
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4 • ISSUE May 2018
Volume 24, No. 8
Annual show highlights members’ best
TASIMJAE, THE ART STUDIO, INC. Annual Member Jurored Art Exhibition, drew 85 entries from 55 different artists, with 50 works by 30 artists making it onto the walls for exhibition, which opened April 7. “It was very difficult to make selections for this exhibition as well as select works to receive awards,” juror Christopher Troutman, assistant professor of art at Lamar University, said. “The initial round of selection was based on what I interpreted as works I thought would
Story and photos by Andy Coughlan
TASIMJAE 2018 winner Lisa Reinauer, right, poses in front of her winning oil painting, “Vortex.” David Silvernail’s “Leather Jacket,” above, is actually carved out of wood.
make the strongest presentation in the gallery. Further rounds of selection, as well as distributing awards, were largely based on personal taste, influenced by my preference and experience, which would result in a completely different exhibition by another juror. Because there were so many strong works, it would not have been odd for an entirely different group of artwork to be exhibited and awarded prizes.” First place was awarded to Lisa Reinauer’s painting “Vortex.” This is Reinauer’s third time to win the top prize at TASIMJAE, and she will have a solo show at TASI in May
2019. Second place went to Kenneth Baskin’s ceramic “Artifact Series: Coupling.” Third place went to Benjamin Murphy’s painting, “Gold Harbor: No. 3,” and Mark Nesmith earned honorable mention for “Planet Tan.” “Lisa Reinauer’s painting ‘Vortex,’ Kenneth Baskin’s ‘Artifact Series: Coupling’ and Benjamin Murphy’s ‘Gold Harbor No. 3’ stood out to me because I admire their precise use of materials, and resulting content, and because I perceived an unexpected quality in them, from my point of view,” Troutman said. “I
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Volume 24, No. 8
was curious about what inspired those works, and I was curious about the process by which they were made, though I might not want to experience that process firsthand. Other works I found thought provoking or playful, like works by Bryan Castino and Mark Nesmith, respectively, yet prizes could equally go to many other works in the exhibition. “It was difficult to make selections. I think there could have been fewer pieces in the show to give more open wall space, but it was hard to edit things out. Overall, I
think the work in the show and work submitted was strong. It’s encouraging to know there are a lot of good artists interested in showing in Beaumont. I believe the artwork in this show represents breadth of concept and technique and demonstrates the kind of talent attracted by the Art Studio and Beaumont.” The annual show is held in May every year, with entries due at the end of April. For more information, visit www.artstudio.org, or become a member.
Kenneth Baskin’s ceramic “Artifact Series: Coupling,” top, earned second place at TASIMJAE 2018 Kelli Scofield’s acrylic painting “Between the Waves,“ above left, Raven Morse’s 3D printed “Trash Series: The Bear,” above, and Inez Alvidres’ “Tocame Harvey,” left, were among the diverse works on display in the show.
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Volume 24, No. 8
DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART SPOTLIGHTS NATIVE AMERICAN SPIRITUAL JOURNEY SEEING THE MURAL “JOURNEY of the Human Spirit” reminded me of some of my most indelible childhood memories when my brother, sister and I would get shipped off every summer to our Aunt Jeanette’s in Arizona. The six-paneled mural is 5 feet high and 48 feet long and is part of “Hopi Visions: Journey of
Story and photos by Stephan Malick
The 48-feet long mural, above, is the centerpiece of the “Hopi Visions: Journey of the Human Spirit” exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art through Dec. 2.
Ed Kabotie’s drawing “Path to Balance,” right, is a tribute to his father Michael. The drawing depicts nine universal stages of the human experience.
the Human Spirit,” currently on view at the Dallas Museum of Art through Dec. 2. The painting, by Hopi artists Michael Kabotie and Delbridge Honanie, is complemented by ancient and contemporary objects from the DMA’s collection. This showing marks the first time the “Journey of the Human Spirit” mural has been viewed outside of Arizona and the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff.
My aunt collected primarily Southwest U.S. Native American art and has an extensive collection of kachinas and pottery that always fascinated me and continues to do so now. The style and symbolism were unlike anything I had ever seen and, through my aunt, this would be my first formal introduction to art. The attraction and appreciation of indigenous art is motivated by my lifelong desire to understand the temporal and extra-dimensional boundaries of humanity’s thoughts and concepts of space and time. Kabotie (1942-2009) is, perhaps, best known for his work as a jewelry maker and for being the son of renowned Hopi silversmith Fred Kabotie. Michael was quoted in a 2009 CNN interview as saying that, “Jewelry is my job. Art and painting is my journey.” Kabotie, who is also known as Lomawyesa (Walking in Harmony, his Hopi name) and Honanie (b. 1946), also known as Coochsiwukioma (Falling White Snow) and other artists sought to retain Hopi cultural heritage for tribal members, but also to educate and enhance understanding of Hopi culture to the world at-large and to provide a platform for shared ideas and collaboration. The mural attempts to bridge cultural gaps for each viewer and together these artists, along with others, formed the Artists Hopid cooperative to embrace these issues. The mural, completed in 2001, comprises six interconnected but distinct panels that narrate the history of the Hopi people. The mural begins with the mythic emergence of people into the current world, which was already filled with flowers and butterflies. The people emerged through an opening in the underworld sky, “sipapuni,” bringing with them the shadow side, “powaqa.” The nar-
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Volume 24, No. 8 rative progresses from ancient sites and community migrations to the arrival of Europeans and the historic Pueblo Revolt. In the third and fourth panels, cultural rebirth is represented through a Squash Maiden and a female with corn child, as well as through Hopi kachina (katsina) and the middle path, conceived by Kabotie through parallels with Buddhism. Conflict returns in the coal mining of Black Mesa and modern consumption in Hopi society, represented in the fifth panel. Nevertheless, the mural concludes in the sixth panel with the hopeful renewal of Hopi values in the information age and global community from the mythic emergence, through the arrival of Europeans, to the rebirth of Hopi traditions. The contemporary mural was inspired by figural wall paintings created prior to European contact and concludes with hope for greater human connection. In preparation for the mural, Kabotie and Honanie studied ancestral Pueblo wall paintings from the 15th- and 16th-century village sites of Awat’ovi and Kawayka’a on the Hopi Mesas within the Hopi reservation in northern Arizona, as well as from Pottery Mound in New Mexico. In this exhibition, ancient Chaco, Mimbres and Ancestral Pueblo vessels from the DMA and other collections are used to convey the depth and rich heritage explored through the mural narrative and its visual sources. Exhibition displays state that, “The mural is thus set within a community, surrounded by generations of Hopi mural and ceramic arts.” The exhibition also features works by other contemporary Hopi artists, including Ed Kabotie, son of Michael. Ed’s drawing, “Path to Balance,” featured in the exhibition, is a tribute to his father. The drawing depicts nine universal stages of the human experience inspired by his father’s life, teachings, and example and demonstrated by
Traditional pottery is part of the “Hopi Visions: Journey of the Human Spirit” exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art through Dec. 2.
the metaphor of Hopi clowning. In addition to the mural, “Hopi Visions” also includes ancestral “Sikyatki” (another ancestral home site within
Hopi lands) pottery known for its style of polychrome ceramic vessels and modern kachina dolls, such as one of Palhik Mana — the Butterfly Maiden or Water-Sipping Maiden. The kachina is a significant spiritual and communal component of Southwestern Native American culture, practiced not only by the Hopi, but also by Zuni and other Pueblo peoples. The kachinas manifest in three different components — the supernatural beings, the kachina dancers (that can be people possessed by the kachina spirit) and the kachina dolls that are representations of the many different kachinas given to children as toys, but also as mnemonic devices to root spiritual practices and ritual identity into the community. Kachinas are unique because they can represent anything in the temporal world or in any cosmic realm, too. They can be a revered ancestor, an element, a location, a quality, a natural phenomenon or even a concept. And they are understood to have humanlike relationships like brothers and sisters or uncles and grandmothers. They can also marry and have children. The overall theme of the exhibit conveys how the Hopis and, perhaps other Native Americans, view the world. The essence of “being” means being a part of a larger universe where we all must interact to survive and thrive. The DMA is open Tuesday-Sunday, and general admission is free. Visit the DMA on the web at www.dma.org. The Palhik Mana or Water-Sipping Maiden, left, ca. 1920-1930, Arizona, is an unusually large kachina (katsina) doll with a large, distinctive headdress adorned with symbols of clouds and lightning, similar to those in the mural panel. In this representation, Palhik Mana wears a traditional black dress, belt, mantle and calf-high boots.
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Volume 24, No. 8
(Self) Portraits of the
Artist Travis Walthall, winner of TASIMJAE 2017, will present his work in a solo exhibition at TASI in May
TASIMJAE 2017
TRAVIS WALTHALL IS TALL and languid, with an easy demeanor that’s a cross between a lonesome cowboy and “The Dude,” as he waxes lyrical about his art — occasionally tweaking his waxed, Daliesque mustache. A large self-portrait leans against the wall of the Lamar University art studio as he talks — actually, almost all of his paintings are self-portraits in one form or another. The 25-year-old is not married. He said he really doesn’t have the time, but that doesn’t mean he is not in a happy relationship. “(I’m) single and enjoying it, man — just trying to take care of myself, and trying to figure it all out,” he said. “Luckily, I am fortunate to have a relationship with art. I’m using it as a tool to help figure myself out, help figure life out. “That’s a big reason I do a lot of self-portraiture. It gives you time to reflect upon yourself and critique yourself. Over the long duration of spending time in the studio, it’s an open dialogue and helps you figure a lot of things out — not only your situation in the painting you’re working on, but the situation you’re at in life.” Since he graduated from Lamar University in December 2017, with an emphasis in drawing, Walthall says he has been working on a lot of smallscale drawings, which he grew up doing — pencil drawings, ball point pen drawings, which will be featured in his solo show, “Capricious Sustainability: Perusal of My Condition,” which opens May 5, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., at The Art Studio, Inc. “We’re going have this nice variety of large-scale oil paintings with some small and medium-size pen drawings, and maybe a couple of acrylic pieces as well,” he said. The beauty about artwork, Walthall said, is it gives him an outlet, a way to vent. The paintings tell a story. “If you are going through a particular mood at one point, due to life circumstances, you may have a painting that is more or less dark or light or brilliant,” he said. “That’s one of the focuses of this series, hence the title, to have this universal collection where it’s me as the subject matter in each piece (but it) may change due to the lighting, the surface texture, the environment going on. You may be having a conversation with
Story and photos by Andy Coughlan
May 2018 ISSUE • 9
Volume 24, No. 8
Artist as a Young Man WINNER OFFERS
SURREAL INTROSPECTION IN SOLO EXHIBIT
me in every piece, but the conversation is going to be totally different on one side of the wall than on the other. “(I’m) playing with this role of the artist as a multifaceted identity. You may meet me on the street, and it’s going to be a totally different experience than if you meet me at my workplace in my uniform. It’s almost like the several faces of Travis.” In Walthall’s recent work, there us one constant.
“I’m hoping the bonding moment is the mustache,” he said. “I’m hoping that will pinpoint most of the pieces.” Walthall decided to grow his distinctive facial feature about 18 months ago. “I started it as a joke,” he said. “I wanted to see where it went. It kind of grew on me. (It’s) referencing Salvador Dali and the different ways he would wear it — one side up, one side down, one side twisted and then bushy. It
kind of comments on the role, the two different sides of an artist.” Despite the mustache, Walthall said that he doesn’t consider himself to be an extrovert. “Generally, I’m a very introverted person who spent
See WALTHALL on page 10
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Volume 24, No. 8
WALTHALL from page 9 the majority of the time at Lamar in the studio,” he said. “I don’t know that I’m not very, I don’t want to say socially inclined because that makes me sound like a hermit crab, but there are a lot of surreal events and relationships going on in life that, I don’t want to say scare me, that make you think heavily and think deeply. “I guess I have more of a relationship with an art piece than with people who pop in and out of my life. But yeah, the mustache is something that is distinguishable. It’s a combination of bending the rules and rolling with the rules, but trying to keep it as classy as possible.” It is more than a Dali mustache that connects Walthall with the ideals of surrealism. “There are a lot of my pieces where the ground is melting, the form or figure is melting, blurring into the environment or exploding against the environment,” he said. “I am caught up with the idea that nothing is real; it is all what we perceive with our visual optics. It breaks you out of these ties to the physical laws where if you are doing a realistic painting of a cup or a realistic portrait, I feel like there’s a little more leeway if you introduce surrealism.” Walthall said that his father struggled with short-term memory loss and bi-polar disorder, so he saw first-hand the uncertainty of not having a firm idea of how things should be. “I have never given a voice to growing up in a house with bi-polar disorder — where do I fit in with these people who see the world a certain way?” he said. “I like to think that all artists are somewhat outsiders. In order to have the role of rerepresenting something, it puts you in the position (different) than just someone who’s just receiving this information. It’s very much a two-way dialogue. “At the same time you can’t be too far out, you can’t be too crazy. In order to have people relate to you, to relate to your work, you do have to have a sense of conformation so people don’t think you are absolutely nuts.” Like many artists, Walthall said he was always drawing from a young age. “I don’t know where it really came from,” he said. “Looking back, growing up I always had a sketchbook for some reason or other. Most of them are so old that the graphite just starts blending in with
“The Garden of Southeast Texas Earthly Delights” shows artist Travis Walthall’s art history influences.
the page in front of it so it’s hard to tell what (it is). I’ve always been into the figure. I was really into action figures growing up, cartoons I watched when I was little. It’s funny looking back at how ambitious it is, and how wrong, but it’s great because it sparks these different ideas — some kind of superhero or salvation of sorts.” “Every now and then I will pull back some drawings from a journal, and I will want to revisit it in a different medium, to see a new spin on it.” When he is not painting, Walthall works at Rao’s. “I feel that in today’s age I am just hit left and right by imagery,” he said. “There’s something out of place, disconnected. That’s one of the things I like
about Rao’s. I’m lucky to meet a lot of fabulous people in the business — it’s a way for me to get out. When I get off work, I am ready to go back inward and just work on a drawing the rest of the day and zone it all out.” Walthall said he hopes visitors to the show will pick up on the idea of a universal search. A lot of it is introspection of self, but also of one’s environment. Part of that exploration is to look at what has come before, and Walthall emphasizes the influence of his art history studies. In the painting, “The Garden of Earthly Southeast Texas Delights,” Walthall draws on the work of Hieronymous Bosch. “You have a lot of this local cultural imagery going on,” he said. “There’s a fine
balance to searching both internally and externally to find one’s spot in time and space. It’s a pretty broad study, but I do a lot of anatomical study, evolutionary references, to keep people in on where we came from. “In today’s art scene everything’s been done, everything redone and undone, and deconstructed and put together in different ways. I think it’s important to find (artists) you connect closely with. It’s just like life. You find these different people who influence you, and you learn from them — you try to be the best work of art you can, based on other people’s self-portraits that turned out well. Or turned out shitty. Moments to learn — pull these different influences together.” With so many distractions going on between advertisements and technology in the modern world, Walthall said that art has the ability to ask intimate questions. “I hope these fine arts paintings and drawings give people a look at the tradition of looking at a piece of art and actually studying it, seeing where it comes from. In turn, trying to figure where we all are and where we’re going — which, I guess, is the million-dollar question, which I’ve not found any answers to, but I like to think it’s a broad human condition,” he said. “I’m not here to provide any clear answers. These aren’t just pretty paintings. They generally have a pretty dark overtone to them, which I think complements the Surrealism. It doesn’t have a clear narrative. I don’t have all the answers but that’s why I’m here and why I paint.” Walthall said he is enjoying a break from classes, as it is a full-time job less than he has been doing over the past few years, but he is also looking at applying to graduate school so he can teach painting and drawing on the university level. “Halfway through my undergraduate work I realized I’m not just doing this work for school. I genuinely I enjoy it,” he said. “I would willingly teach at the university level.” Walthall returns again and again to the idea of the self. His self-portraits are an attempt to find his place in the universe. “In the big picture, I like to think I’m a collection of all my paintings,” he said. “If you were to roll them up and give it a voice, they’d sound something like me.” The Art Studio is located at 720 Franklin in downtown Beaumont. The show runs through May 25.
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Volume 24, No. 8
Shaun Roberts’ AMSET exhibit merges High Renaissance with Texas flair
ARTIST SHAUN ROBERTS TAKES High Renaissance and Baroque influences and techniques and applies them in his paintings and drawings, transporting the viewer to an East Texas setting that could have been painted by the workshop of Peter Paul Rubens. “Rebels and Renegades,” an exhibition of Roberts’ paintings and drawings, is on view through June 3 at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas. Since graduating with a BFA from Stephen F. Austin University and an MFA in painting and drawing from the University of Washington in 2012, the 30-year-old artist has exhibited his paintings from coast to coast. In the relative short time since completing his studies, his paintings of East Texas scenes and people have shown in Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, Kansas, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Louisiana and Georgia. Such national exposure has brought East Texas color to audiences outside of Nacogdoches, exposing them to the guns, gators and “gals” from the south. Roberts’ East Texas is dazzlingly beautiful in his carefully handled compositions and expressive brushwork, although his choice of subjects — ordinary, lower-class people — would not have been deemed appropriate for the 16th- and 17th-century masters he emulates. Roberts paints and poses friends and family in East Texas bars, roads, yards and woods who are enacting typical scenes of everyday life. “George Lands a Hoss” (2017) captures a decisive moment before a gator meets its fate at the hands of a backwards cap-wearing man — much to the horror of the young woman accompanying him who holds her arms up as if to stop the inevitable beheading. Their clothing is typical of what one wears during unbearably hot weather in the woods. The young woman pairs her denim shorts with cowboy boots while her partner wears a sleeveless T-shirt. The young man’s gaze meets our own, and the machete he wields bears resemblance to Artemisia Gentileschi’s protagonist in “Judith Slaying Holofernes” (1614-20). His paintings position East Texans in poses reminiscent of late 16th- and early 17th-century compositions. An inebriated friend being assisted from his truck in “Entombment” (2018) mirrors Rubens’ “The Descent from the Cross” (1612-1614). Like one would witness in a Baroque painting, the structuring of Roberts’ composition delights the eye in its ability to stimulate the sensation of movement in the zig-zag of varying painted lines and angles. Additionally, Roberts’ technique emulates the masters in his application of oil. He blocks out warm and cool
Story and photos by Caitlin Duerler
A visitor to the Art Museum of Southeast Texas looks at Shaun Roberts’ “Card Sharps,” part of the exhibition “Rebels and Renegades.” tones in the composition, and layer by layer meticulously unveils the subject of his large-scale paintings. A major influence in his paintings is Caravaggio. He first discovered the Italian master during an undergraduate study abroad trip to Italy. Roberts applies the artist’s chiaroscuro technique and adopts the card scene motif — which Caravaggio uses twice — in “Card Sharps” (2015). Roberts and his friends are posed around a table playing poker. One friend portrays the bartender, who we observe through the mirror to have the winning hand tucked in her G-string. The composition employs similar use of perspective as Caravaggio — a man’s hand reaches towards his holster as he connects the dots on the cheating scheme. Besides the models and guns, other local references color his paintings. A koozie with the name of a friend’s tattoo shop, cowboy hats, East Texas fashions and arms illustrated with tattoos are all found in “Card Sharps” but also find their way in other paintings. “Charging Chausseur” (2016) takes its name from the
genre of portraits of nobles on their horses preparing for the hunt. Instead of noble steeds and riding breeches, Roberts’ hunter is mounted on his motorcycle, wearing a leather vest with his motorcycle club affiliation patch and a John 3:16 quote patch. The “chausseur” holds his shotgun while his gaze aggressively confronts the viewer. He is parked behind a blue Ford F-150 with a “Chubby Chaser” bumper sticker. Such characters can be seen in groups with other motorcyclists wearing similar leather and patches traveling the expansive Texas highways. “Come and Take It” (2014) shows a pistol-bearing young man in front of his gun rack, challenging the viewer. The eye contact and smirk of the subject is uncanny in its likeness to Frans Hals “Laughing Cavalier”(1624). Like the cavalier, Roberts’ subject possesses no self-doubt, which is evident in his display of firearms. His clothing, plaid button-up shirt half way unbuttoned,
See ROBERTS on page 12
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ROBERTS from page 11 and a backward baseball cap are staples in Texas fashion. The scale of roberts’ paintings is similar to the sizes of royal portraits and large religious works painted by rubens and Velåsquez. The exhibition includes small preliminary sketches and paintings that show the artist working through questions concerning the arrangement and poses of his subjects, and the kinds of tones he might need to use in the final painting. These sketches echo blockbuster shows for old masters like Michelangelo, Leonardo de Vinci and raphael, in which the preparatory sketches add texture to the exhibition. While the techniques and compositional arrangement roberts uses in his paintings are hundreds of years old, the artist’s paintings very much express a facet of everyday life of east Texans. aMSeT is located at 500 Main St. in downtown Beaumont. For more information, visit www.amset.org.
Volume 24, No. 8
Fourth Annual Maypole Festival set for May 12 The Moon and STarS organization, in conjunction with the Beaumont Council of Garden Clubs, will present the fourth annual Maypole Festival, May 12, at the Tyrrell Park Garden Center, located at 6088 Babe Zaharias drive in Beaumont. “everyone should attend,� Sandra hammerling, Maypole Festival co-founder, said. “The games, performers and vendors are fun for the entire family.� The festival features live music, local performers, area vendors and regional cuisine. Patrons may stroll through the gardens, rest by the koi pond or visit the nation’s first September 11th Memorial. “The Beaumont Botanical Gardens is such a relaxing and beautiful piece of Beaumont,� hammerling said. “We make new friends every year.� The festival opens at 11 a.m., with the wrapping of the maypole at 4:30 p.m. by Bonnie Cokinos School of dance. “We wrap the maypole to bless the crops so our farmers and community do well this season� ham-
merling said. “This festival is also a memorial to a dearly missed friend, Paula ‘Torchy’ Salter. “She left us with the memory of her ‘feel good’ spirit in our community. We, the Moon and Stars, wanted to memorialize Torchy’s spirit with the raising of a maypole, which will benefit our community for years to come. “Torchy touched many of us in so many ways,â€? hammerling said. “For us, we have a memorial for her,â€? hammerling said. “But more importantly, for those who did not know her, this memorial should inspire others to live and give with a loving spirit — just like Torchy’s. “The annual Maypole Festival event brings the community together in love and spirit and leaves us with happy memories, as Torchy did, for all who attend.â€? For information, email torchymaypolemoonandstars@yahoo.com, or message the Beaumont Maypole Festival Facebook page.Â
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May 2018 ISSUE • 13
Volume 24, No. 8
LOOK! IT’S ALMOST TIME TO ENTER…
THE ALTERNATIVE SHOW
TASI’s first-come, first-served art exhibition Submissions accepted in person, noon to 5 p.m., May 29-June 1
NO FEES — NO EXCUSES VIEW from page 3 Wayne has found his niche. Delightful in color and form, he speaks of the African experience in America, telling stories that somehow maintain their humanness in the face of the greatest tragedy in our history. Wayne has always been soft spoken and thoughtful. A cup of coffee with him ultimately provided me with a revelation about life and hope. What I found in his work, and his explanation of his work, revealed something more than that. It revealed his deep understanding of the history of the African experience and the key people who moved his community toward freedom. The works’ innocent beauty belies the depth of the stories they tell about deep courage, gentle resistance and the amazing capability to maintain some form of joy in a difficult world. As Wayne guided us through his work he revealed something else — his vast knowledge of the players in the movement to freedom so beautifully depicted in his work and so concisely explained in his usual gentle voice. To say I was moved is to understate my emotional experience, and at that moment I wished everyone in the world could hear what he said. So, dear Wayne Goodman, let’s find a way to let people hear you tell your story. It makes no difference how it happens. What matters is hearing your gentle, sweet voice telling this story through your art as often and as long as possible. So glad we met. Something wonderful is happening to The Studio! If you haven’t visited in a while
you might be surprised at the transformation that is occurring. Through the renovations from Harvey, we began to address other needs that can make The Studio more efficient, useful and functional like a well-made coffee cup! Over the past month we eliminated my office up front, removed the bars from the front windows, expanded the library by 16 feet, created a resident sales gallery and made a place for our clay supplies. We are developing an archive of historical information about The Studio, and in the next month we can expect general refinements to make our facility more functional and less chaotic. We are still working on improvements on restrooms and the darkroom and are making refinements within the class spaces. We are addressing needs in the 840 space and our accessibility overall. This might be a good time to remind our readers that volunteers and supporters are an integral part of this advancement. If you can make time to be part of this transformation or help fund some part of the improvements, it would go a long way in our long-term plans. After 25 years since our last improvements, it is time to get a little face lift to our home. Sure there are the web joists and brick walls and all the things that make The Studio The Studio, but we are making an attempt to raise our bar and our funding to address issues that are beneficial to the residents and our members. We are at the point that requires us to do some administrative housecleaning. A few of the changes address Board of Directors insurance, a review of our bylaws, a
720 Franklin in downtown Beaumont. strategic planning meeting to set goals for the next 25 years and a new level of transparency so anyone can see our finances, board minutes and activities. These directives will put us on a path to better funding and more board participation. Directors insurance protects our board from personal litigation and has been the standard of the industry for quite some time. Without it, we will have a difficult time recruiting new and influential members to direct our organization. The strategic planning meeting is a serious look at where we are and where we are going. Through a facilitator, we will scrutinize our policies, our bylaws, our goals and purposes, and set a course for the next 25 years. Having consensus among the leadership in a system like this creates confidence that the organization is not drifting in a sea of uncertainty. In fact, the last time we had a planning meeting, some 28 years ago, it brought us to the goal of owning our own facility among other changes! Transparency is another excellent means of letting future donors take a close look at us without having to glean the information from us. Through Guidestar.org our information is open to anyone wishing to see if we fit their goals for funding. Currently we have a platinum level of transparency through Guidestar but we are working to provide all board notes, bylaws and financial information available for their scrutiny. Guidestar is the go-to site for assurance a group is a nonprofit organization, and through them we have a donate button for our organization on their
site. They help fund $6 million a year to various groups. We hope to be one. We are asking graphic designers to offer assistance in developing different logos for the various programs we have or will have in the future, including exhibitions, Band Nites, Poetry Renaissance, studio art basics, essential knowledge for children, clay classes, photography classes, drawing group, summer art programs, studio volunteers, summer spree, Shop-O-Rama and a return to the old Studio logo, originally designed by Tina Novelli and featured on our current T-shirts. We are also looking for instructors to teach various art disciplines to adults and children on a year-round basis. Call me and let’s talk about the possibilities. We also are working to offer classes to children from Girl’s Haven and Buckner Children’s Village this summer and throughout the year. We have a long history with these two special organizations, and I want to reignite our ties with them. I hope our classes can become an addendum to art education in school districts, home schools and institutions. As to the support for children, I think it is imperative that once a child is safe, fed, housed and loved, that we can offer a second wave of support through the creativity of art, raising their thinking skills and offering an outlet for their personal expression. After 35 yeas of struggling to keep The Studio a viable institution with the monikers “Hope Springs Eternal” and “One Day We Are Going to Make It,” it is our hope and dream we can serve this community with our eye on the future and our hearts firmly imbedded in the arts.
14 • ISSUE May 2018
Volume 24, No. 8
Around & About
If you come across any interesting exhibitions, museums or other places on your travels, share them with us. Call 409-838-5393, or contact us through our web site at www.artstudio.org. Be sure to include the location and dates of the subject, as well as any costs. The BEAUMONT ART LEAGUE will host the 3D/ NUDE/PORTRAITURE EXHIBITION, May 12-26. The opening reception will be 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., May 12. Prizes will be announced at the opening reception. Monetary awards will be given to first place, second place and third place winners. Honorable mention ribbons will be awarded as determined by the show judge, Mark Nesmith. BAL is located at 2675 Gulf St. in Beaumont. For more information, call 409-8334179 or email info@beaumontart league.org. ________
The ART MUSEUM OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS will host TREASURE AUCTION: THE ART OF THE ABSTRACT on May 10. Dinner and cocktails will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the live auction following at 7:30 p.m. This year, AMSET will commission local artists to create abstract artwork that will be donated to the live auction. Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit AMSET’s growing permanent collection. Reservations to this event will include dinner, open bar and participation in the live auction. Reservations are $35 a person for AMSET members and $45 per person for nonmembers. Chaired by Albert Nolen, the Art of the Abstract will feature eye-catching artwork by the area’s most talented artists, including Inez Alvidres, Teresa Baker, Linnis Blanton, Kimberly Brown, Colleen Burns, Lynn Castle, Rob Clark, Andy Coughlan, Gina Garcia, Suzanne Garrett, Annie Green, Catherine Holtzclaw, Shawna Hunter, Greg Landry, Amy Morris, Kayleigh Thompson, Jeannette Winfrey and Andre Woodard. The abstract artwork will be on view in AMSET’s West Hall Gallery May 7 through May 10 for viewers to make sealed, silent bids. Each piece in the live auction on May 10 will open with the highest sealed bid
and go to the highest bidder that evening. AMSET’s biannual Treasure Auction began in 1995. At each live auction, Southeast Texas artists have designed fine interior decorative pieces that bidders purchase for their home art collections. Past auction items have included clocks, serving trays, carts, chairs, birdhouses and birdbaths, masks, and much more. “Southeast Texas is a veritable hot bed of very talented local artists,” Lynn Castle, executive director at AMSET, said. “Many have become highly collectible.” For more information or to make a reservation, call 409-832-3432 or visit www.amset.org. AMSET is located at 500 Main St. in downtown Beaumont. ________
Register now for the ART MUSEUM OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS SUMMER ARTVENTURE courses from June 18 through July 27, taught by professional artists. Classes are divided into age groups for half day, week long, intensive art courses. Children ages 5-7 (Young ArtVenturers) sample clay, paint and mixed media in classes augmented with story times and outdoor activities. Children ages 8-11 (Summer ArtVenturers) are offered courses in ceramics, illustration, mixed media and even sculpture. Teens ages 12-14 (TeenVentures in Art) will explore 3D art making practices. Teen campers will be introduced to works by internationally acclaimed artists such as Martin Puryear, Louise Nevelson, Frank Stella and Lee Bontecou. “Summer ArtVentures is a lively experience for children and teens that enjoy making art,” Christle Feagin, curator of education/programs, said. “Young artists are introduced to a variety of materials and techniques geared toward expressing their creativity and honing their artistic skills.” Summer ArtVentures camps are $75 for AMSET members and $135 for non-members. Registration includes the child’s first
class and one-year family membership to AMSET. Scholarships are available. Registration closes Friday, June 8. For course descriptions and registration forms, visit www.amset.org. For more information, email cfeagin@amset.org, or call 409-832-3432.
RECENT ART STUDIO NEW OR RENEWING MEMBERS
John Alexander Barbara Allamon Inez Alvidres Ken Baskin Sunny Breland Jerica Carrier Bryan Castino Susan Chu Jacob Dugas Albert and Amy Faggard Megan Fleming Eliot Hall Heather Ryan Kelley Greg and Gina Landry Michael Mason Melinda McWhite Raven Morse Patrick Needham Jim Oakes Craig Odle Melody Montero-Ortiz Elizabeth Pearson Lisa Reinauer Lynn Reynolds Rhonda Rodman Calley Brook Sledge Betty Smith Andrew Strange K.R. Wallon
Mission Statement Founded in 1983, The Art Studio, Inc. is devoted to: providing opportunities for interaction between the public and the Southeast Texas community of artists; furnishing affordable studio space to originating artists of every medium; promoting cultural growth and diversity of all art forms in Southeast Texas; and providing art educational opportunities to everyone, of every age, regardless of income level, race, national origin, sex or religion. PURPOSE The purpose of The Art Studio, Inc. is to (1) provide educational opportunities between the general public and the community of artists and (2) to offer sustained support for the artist by operating a nonprofit cooperative to provide studio space and exhibition space to working artists and crafts people, and to provide an area for group work sessions for those artists and crafts people to jointly offer their labor, ideas, and enthusiasm to each other. GOALS 1. To present public exhibitions 2. To provide educational opportunities 3. To provide accessible equipment for artists 4. To provide peer feedback through association with other artists and crafts people OBJECTIVES 1. To present nine art exhibitions per year 2. To maintain equipment for artists in a safe working environment 3. To provide better access to artists for the public 4. To offer regularly scheduled adult and children’s classes 5. To develop and maintain public activities with all sectors of the community 6. To develop and maintain equipment to aid artists in their work 7. To provide a display retail outlet for artists 8. To expand programming and activities with increased facility space
Volume 24, No. 8
Thoughtcrime Submission Guidelines and Disclaimer ISSUE solicits and publishes the work of local authors. Poetry, short fiction, scholarly works and opinion pieces may be submitted for review. All works must be typed and may be sent to TASI by email or by messaging the ISSUE Facebook page. The opinions expressed in “Thoughtcrime” do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TASI, its Board of Directors, ISSUE’s editorial staff, or donors to TASI. Send typed works to:
ISSUE 720 Franklin St. Beaumont, TX 77701 or e-mail info@artstudio.org
Authors must submit a daytime telephone number and email along with all submissions. Pen names are acceptable, but authors must supply real names for verification. All printed works are protected by copyright. The author retains rights to any published work. ISSUE does not notify rejection by mail or telephone.
May 2018 ISSUE • 15 I’m Tired Something is wrong with me. I lie in my bed this night restless hoping
that my constitution will allow peace to drift down upon me
and my aching body succumbs to slumber.
It’s not happening. There must be something wrong with me.
Spoils of War
Bardolatry
If by chance or by His grace
Who are we the spoils of war
The mind dwells on the Bard of Avon, Will,
I’ll appreciate the time
We lose war at home —
April 23, in certainty, yet there be conjecture still,
We fight nations with scars — Our natives never to roam! The scars inside never heal
And to think of loss at wheel — I flee enemies long dead —
There is a circus in my head. Plenty of clowns inside me I try to be a better me.
The man I am, others never see Crazy in head, let it be!
For in the late nights and no sleep — The clueless counting sheep. The knife of loss cuts deep, The spoils of war are we. Jack L. Buckner (Disabled Vet)
Who shuffled off this mortal coil, on this day of his death, If on this date in Stratford, as well he first drew breath. Or even if the poet was, Shakespeare only in name,
The quill held by some other hand, when it performed the feat, Essex, Marlowe, Johnson, or some other eschewing fame,
No matter, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Andy Coughlan
my sleep does come He obliges me to
regenerate, replenish, rejuvenate
my mind, my body and my heart. Refresh this withered shell, Lord! but until then, you see I truly believe
There must be something wrong with me. Dorothy Sells Clover
Clouded Thinking Those clouds are unbearably beautiful. Thank God they are moving away with the wind. I couldn’t stand to have them hanging over me for long.
I’d be afraid that I would fall in love, or cry, or accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior, or do something I would seriously regret later in life, or die – if I were to look at them another minute.
Fly away! Please go away. You are all too beautiful today. Leave me alone with an empty sky. Jesse Doiron
720 Franklin, Beaumont, Texas 77701
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RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
INSIDE • TRAVIS WALTHALL • THOUGHTCRIME: MUSINGS FROM AREA POETS • TASIMJAE 2018 RECAP • HOPI VISIONS
When you support The Art Studio with your membership, you receive ISSUE, Southeast Texas’ and Southwest Louisiana’s alternative press, as well as class schedules, invitations to opening receptions and various Studio functions. Volunteers These people are the life blood of our organization. WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU! To volunteer, drop by The Art Studio, Inc., or call 409-838-5393.
Elizabeth Fontenot Bryan Castino Heather & Adam Butler Rhonda Rodman Sue Wright Rhonda McNally John Roberts Beau Dumesnil Karen Dumesnil Sheila Busceme Kailee Viator Stephan Malick Terri Fox Michelle Falgout Stacey Haynes Joe Winston John Fulbright Mark Jacobson Nathaniel Welch Gina Garcia Jack Hays Tyler Hargraves Aslinn Garcia Paisley Polk Zoe Williams Rana Matthews Caroline Badon David Granitz Latasha Hagan James King Madison Rose Stuckey Dawn S. Fischer Madison Bonds Chris Garcia Taylor VanDevender Jaycie Henderson Nathan West Kay O'Neal Olivia Busceme Chad Barrows
JOIN US
FOR ART OPENINGS ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH
THIS MONTH:
TRAVIS WALTHALL “Capricious Sustainability: Perusal of My Condition”
OPENING RECEPTION IS MAY 5, 7-10 P.M.
This project was funded in part by the B.A. & E.W. Steinhagen Benevolent Trust through the Southeast Texas Arts Council.
ISSUE
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