THE ARTS MAGAZINE OF THE ART STUDIO, INC.
INSIDE: GEEKS, BLANTON, WICKED PLANTS, WTEWAEL, AND MORE
DECEMBER 2015
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Weekday lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wedding Receptions • Rehearsal Dinners • Meals to go
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ISSUE Vol. 22, No. 4 Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Art Studio, Inc.
A View From The Top Greg Busceme, TASI Director
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy Coughlan Copy Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephan Malick Contributing Writers . . . . . . . . . . . Caitlin Duerler, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Ivanova, Jeff Dixon Contributing Photographers . . . . . . Caitlin Duerler Distribution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Malick
BUY LOCAL! It is a phrase repeated by local business owners everywhere. A recent article in The Beaumont Enterprise bemoaned the local shrimp industries and the inundation of foreign shrimp from farms in China — and we don’t mean China, Texas. The arts community does not need to fear art from China flooding our market, but Starving Artist Shows with” sofa-sized paintings” can cramp our style and send large bucks out of the area. These are neither starving nor artists, but a sweat shop arrangement where paintings, I won’t call it art, are made assembly-style with the signature of some arbitrary being not involved in the production itself. Luckily there hasn’t been this type of sale in a while. Maybe people caught on to it. Maybe they didn’t like the work. Maybe it didn’t match the sofa. Whatever the reason, goodbye and good riddance to bad rubbish.
The Art Studio, Inc. Board of Directors President Ex-Officio . . . . . . . . . . . . Greg Busceme Vice-President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angela Busceme Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Roberts Members at Large: . . . . . . . . . . . Sheila Busceme, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth French, Andy Ledesma, Stephan Malick, Heather Butler 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 wellbeing. 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 Blanton at AMSET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Stark’s Wicked Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Shop-O-Rama. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7 Geek’s Holiday Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Wtewael at MFAH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10 Garcia at Finder’s Fayre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12 Maypole Art Contest Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13 Around & About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Thoughtcrime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15
Cover photo illustration by Andy Coughlan
On the good side, we have seen an uptick in local art sales over the past few years. Student work to full-blown professionals are seeing their work, I’ll call this art, not necessarily fly off the shelf, but at least move. People in Southeast Texas have locked on to the best secret in town — there are great artists here that have not been discovered yet and there is an inventory of art available at a good price to the public. All you have to do is find them. That is a simpler task than it seems as there are venues, established and alternative, that can offer excellent work for a good price — not cheap but reasonable. Remember this work will live with you for a lifetime and that pleasure increases as one admires the work — WIN! The chances that the artists will continue their art increases with each sale they make and
See VIEW on page 14
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AT THE ART STUDIO DECEMBER
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Holiday Shop-O-Rama Extravaganza Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . December 5
David Granitz III Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . December 5
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4 • ISSUE December 2015
Volume 22, No. 4
Sculpting the Universal CERAMICIST BLANTON TO EXHIBIT RECENT WORK AT AMSET IN DECEMBER LINNIS BLANTON THROWS CLAY in his workshop every day. When he is at Lamar University, he is at the wheel teaching ceramics to students and when class lets out, he continues working with the clay, constructing platters, vases and free-form sculptures to build a large body of work. On Dec. 12, through Feb. 28, the Art Museum of Southeast Texas will feature the artist at the museum for the first time in the exhibition “Journey From Within: Ceramics by Linnis Blanton.” The show will focus on works produced over the past couple of years, of a career which has expanded more than four decades in Southeast Texas. “I keep working because it is my goal in life to get better,” Blanton said. “If I get better every year of my life, I’m going to be able to knock ‘em dead when I’m 90.” The show will feature a dozen or so platters that are hung on the wall like two-dimensional works, and vertical sculptures which wind and curve with organic and corporeal forms. “With platters, I’m working on a round canvas and I’m not sculpting a lot; creating but not really sculpting — the art resembles more like a flat canvas,” Blanton said. “With vertical pieces, it is completely 3D— it has to work all the way around the piece. With the platters, there is a back to the work, because they are only meant to be seen from the front. The vertical pieces have no back— if they do, then I am disappointed with the result. I don’t want one spot to be less than the rest — it has to work visually all the way around.” Blanton produces his works in series resulting in common themes but also a natural progression, as previous pieces serve to test new concepts. “I like to work in a series,” he said. “What I am doing here can influence this and this one can influence this one, and they all keep going and continue to get better.” What is important, when sculpting, is paying attention to one’s thoughts, Blanton said. “What I find really important is to listen to all your silly, little thoughts, because they are so powerful in creating one’s reality,” he said. “As part of my work, it is subconscious that I keep working until every contour edge works and then the final result is magic. Some of my silliest thoughts have become my best works. “As I’m working, I start seeing things. I start seeing the female figure and I go, ‘Ooh— I really want to bring that out.’ I don’t force myself to bring anything out the
Story by Caitlin Duerler
Volume 22, No. 4
December 2015 ISSUE • 5
Linnis Blanton works on one of his platters in the ceramics studio at Lamar University. clay, I have to see it first.” Blanton said the female body is a big motivation. “Seeing curves and thinking, ‘Wow, what a beautiful curve,’” he said. “I like transitions from a bump to a smooth area in female figures, such as the transition from the breast to the ribcage, from the underarm to the breast — that is a really beautiful curve.” The ceramicist’s works aim to tap into the universal — that common thread which ties humanity together. His medium provide a limitless outlet of inspiration, as well as the inspiration he gets from working with stu-
dents at Lamar University. “Just working with the clay gives me ideas,” he said. “It is the sensuousness of the clay that inspires me. It is an activity that has the same temperament as putting a puzzle together, deciding what colors or pieces go together — which is fun for me.” Working with clay allows Blanton to capture his thoughts the moment in which they occur, he said. His pieces are products not only of decades of practice throwing clay, but also mindful works that urge the viewer to contemplate on the present.
ISSUE photo by Caitlin Duerler “I like the quietness of my pieces,” he said. “They don’t jump out at you, but they are strong and that’s the meditative aspect of them. “Meditation brings you to the present moment — which is exactly what I aim for when creating my pieces.” The opening reception for “Journey From Within” is Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. The Art Museum of Southeast Texas is located at 500 Main in downtown Beaumont. For more information, check out www.amset.org.
Botanical Beasts 6 • ISSUE November 2015
Volume 22, No. 4
STARK’S ‘WICKED PLANTS’ NOT THE AVERAGE EXHIBIT ENTERING THE LATEST EXHIBITION at the Stark Museum of Art is like stepping out of the 21st century and into a Victorian curiosity cabinet. Plants such as mandrake, nightshade and hemlock are familiar to fans of Harry Potter, or murder mysteries — “nightshade” is mostly preceded by “deadly” — but instead of being a part of a story, these and other “Wicked Plants” are their own story which is informative and fascinating, but also, most importantly, a lot of fun. The traveling exhibit is based on Amy Stewart’s book “Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and
Review by Andy Coughlan
other Botanical Atrocities.” Visitors enter a series of dingy and forbidding rooms lined with curios and examples of these nasty plants with examples of their detrimonious effects. This show demands some time. There are clues for solving a murder, as well as copious tidbits that are scary, amusing and downright odd. It is part art exhibit, part science lab and part theatrical experience. As a confirmed city boy, I have long been of the opinion that nature’s entire job is to kill you. This show seems hell bent on confirming that hypothesis. The “paintings” on the wall represent the various members of the Nightshade family. The images are cleverly manipulated pieces that refer to well-known works, but with slightly twisted and deformed features. How did Bella die? Well, the clues are there — as well as poor Bella’s corpse — so it is the perfect time to break out the Holmesian deerstalker and solve the crime. Of course, not all the plants are deadly, but a great many of them are toxic to some degree or another, even if it just a simple itch for the allergic. The dining room is decked out for a full meal, but one might be careful exactly what one eats. It is a surprise to learn that mangos can cause and itchy rash similar to poison ivy. And who have thought that tomatoes are part of the nightshade family, and that for many years were dubbed “poisoned apples.” And the bathroom — well, that’s just plain disgusting
ISSUE photo by Andy Coughlan Visitors to the Stark Museum of Art are invited to solve the msytery of “Who killed Bella?” part of the Wicked Plants exhibition on display through Jan. 2.
See WICKED on page 7
Leonhart Fuchs (15011566), author Albrecht Meyer (active c. 1542), artist Heinrich Füllmaurer (active 1526-1546), artist Veit Rudolph Specklin (active 1542, died 1550), printmaker Mandragora mas, p. 530 1542, woodcut on paper, hand-colored In De Historia Stirpium Commentarii Insignes, Latin edition 14 x 9 inches Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas, 11.50.2
Volume 22, No. 4
The entrance to Nightshade Manor, also known as the exhibition “Wicked Plants,” on display at the Stark Museum of Art in Orange through Jan. 2.
ISSUE photo by Andy Coughlan
December 2015 ISSUE • 7
WICKED from page 6 with its foul smelling greenery and mold. In the far hallway, visitors get to see some weapons, including blow darts tipped with plant poison, and a particularly nasty looking instrument called a caltrop, inspired by the aptly named Puncture Vine. It is designed to be stepped on by unsuspecting animals or barefoot humans, and the tips of the spikes were often tipped with poison. The exhibition is highly interactive, and some might find that various buttons and levers confusing, but the old-fashioned contraptions fit the aesthetic, so it is a minor complaint (and probably speaks more to the laziness inherent in a world where one expects to simply swipe a
thumb for instant informational gratification). Accompanying the main show is “Poisonous Pages: Rare Books from the Collections of the Stark Museum of Art.” The museum has a large archive of botanical resources and it is a fascinating complement to the show. The museum’s foyer is also decorated with actual invasive plants supplied by Shangri La Botanical Gardens. “Wicked Plants” is not the typical art exhibit, but it is well worth taking the -time. You’ll never be comfortable in nature again. “Wicked Plants: The Exhibit” is on display through Jan. 4. The Stark Museum is located at 712 Green Ave. in Orange. For more information, visit starkculturalvenues.org/ starkmuseum.
8 • ISSUE December 2015
Volume 22, No. 4
Not a geek was stirring ISSUE’s resident nerd has the IF WE’RE BEING HONEST, and I hope we always are, me and you, I feel a little guilty asking for anything this year. After the season the Astros had, the most fun season of baseball I can remember, I don’t know what I would want besides a time machine headed for Opening Day of next season. But I do know of some cool stuff thats coming out soon that you’ll want to snag for various geeks in your life. So let’s get to it.
Commentary by Jeff Dixon (Jeff Dixon loves movies and comic books in a way that often terrifies him. You can follow his insane ramblings on Twitter @ThatJeffDixon)
EIGHT MEN OUT — We begin with perhaps the best and at the same time worst film about Major League Baseball. Now understand that the film is not bad in the conventional sense. But for folks unfamiliar with the “Black Sox Scandal” of 1919, and the fixing of the World Series, the film will do little to educate them on the intricacies. It is the very definition of “inside baseball.” But for that baseball geek in your life who loathes the winter months, this Blu-ray is a perfect stocking stuffer. Starring John Cusack, Christopher Lloyd, Charlie Sheen, Michael Rooker and John Mahoney, this film is about how important America’s pastime is, and how easily the men who play it can fail us. CHAPLIN’S ESSANAY COMEDIES — In 1914, the Eassanay Film Manufacturing Company lured Charlie Chaplin away from his longtime collaborators Keystone Studios. Chaplin made 15 short comedies for Essanay in 1915, including one of his most beloved films, “The Tramp.” This is one for the old school film geek that has everything, because trust me, he doesn’t have this, at least not yet. Most of these are appearing in high definition for the first time with this collection and they’ve never looked better. Watching all 15 you can see the artistic growth in Chap-
perfect
Volume 22, No. 4
December 2015 ISSUE • 9
just a computer mouse
stocking stuffers for the hard-to-please in your family lin, both in storytelling and performance. The characters become more fleshed out and the stories go in more unpredictable places, unheard of places for comedies of the era. This is a must have for anyone with even a passing interest in silent films. THE GARBAGE PAIL KIDS MOVIE — Now listen, I know it looks like I softened you up with the baseball flick and the Chaplin collection. It was looking real classy for awhile there, wasn’t it? Now you’re sitting here reading about The Garbage Pail Kids and you're thinking, “I’ve been bamboozled.” Well you’re right. That’s exactly what I did. It’s what the Garbage Pail Kids taught me to do. Or maybe that was the Goonies? No... Goonies never say die. Well it doesn’t matter. What matters is “The Garbage Pail Kids Movie” is on Blu-ray and you are bound to know someone whose eyes will light up when this 1980s time capsule is unwrapped. Sure the plot is almost non-existent, and the acting is atrocious. Honestly, we all knew what we wanted to see when this came out. We wanted to see the Garbage Pail Kids to do a bunch of gross stuff that we could laugh at. It’s what we still want. Anyone who says otherwise is a sucker. 21ST CENTURY TANK GIRL — Jamie Hewlett. Alan Martin. Together on Tank Girl for the first time in 20 years. Now if those two names don’t mean anything to you, the number should. For the comics industry this kind of thing, two creators returning to the work that kick started both of their careers after a two decade absence, it was unheard of. But they did it and they made some amazing comics doing it. Tank Girl has al-
ways been a “damn the man” type of character, but in the current climate something about her rang truer than ever and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the comics collected in this hardcover. For your friend who’s into indie comics, or any comics really, this will be a welcome edition to any bookshelf. THE ARAB OF THE FUTURE: A CHILDHOOD IN THE MIDDLE EAST, 1978-1984 — Written and illustrated by Riad Souttuf, this memoir tells the story of his childhood, moving from rural France to Libya, to Syria, with his family as his father chased his dream to find them a better life. Once again, in the current climate, this comic speaks volumes about the world around us, and how our past mirrors our future. For your current-events geeks this will be a fascinating and beautiful read. THE WITCHES: SALEM, 1692 — When Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff writes a book about the Salem Witch Trials, you know your history geek friends are going to want it in their pale little hands. I know I want it in my pale hands. This book has everything — mass hysteria, kangaroo courts, snitches, voodoo, hangings, little girls telling huge, huge lies and, of course, lots of bonnets. Listen, it’s not going to be a funny read and I tend to use humor as a defense mechanism. I’m not perfect. THE WITCH OF LIME STREET: SEANCE, SEDUCTION AND HOUDINI IN THE SPIRIT WORLD — When most of us think about the 1920s, we
conjure up images of flapper girls and Tommy Guns. But in 1924, the wife of a Boston surgeon came to embody the raging national debate over spiritualism. Reporters dubbed her the blond Witch of Lime Street but she was known to most as Margery. One of her biggest supporters was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Her biggest critic, Harry Houdini. This book tells the story of Houdini’s crusade to unmask Margery as a charlatan. That really happened. All that stuff you just read, real. The ’20s were nuts.
See GEEK on page 13
10 • ISSUE December 2015
Volume 22, No. 4
Sensuous Saints and Naughty Gods Erotic Visions of a 17th-Century Dutch Artist Story by Elena Ivanova
Non gloria sed memoria (Not glory but remembrance.) — The motto inscribed on Wtewael’s self-portrait.
THEY GREET US AS we walk into the gallery — the artist, Joachim Wtewael (pronounced “oo-te-val”), and his wife, Christina. They look like a typical Dutch couple one may see in the portraits of Thomas de Keyser or Franz Hals. Dressed in black from head to toe, wearing a fashionable white ruff which gives an impression that the head is resting on a plate, they are sitting in a dark interior enlivened only by a faint glimmer of a few metal items: the studs on the chair frame, the coat of arms over the mantel, the scales on the table, the point of the maulstick. In accordance with the tradition, the sitters are holding or pointing to the objects that represent their social status and/or moral character. Wtewael portrayed himself with the tools of his trade — a palette with brushes and maulstick. At the same time, his attire and the coat of arms speak of his high status in the society which was not typical of an artist in his days. Indeed, he was a prosperous flax merchant, a member of the town council in his native city of Utrecht and a prominent member of the Dutch Reformed Church. Christina Van Halen-Wtewael is portrayed as a model wife of a wealthy Dutchman. A prayer book in her bejeweled left hand indicates piety while the scales on the table symbolize her thriftiness and also her ability to keep a balance between her feelings and reason. However, there are small details that make these portraits unusual. There is a streak of crimson red at the bottom of Christina’s portrait — maybe the lining of her skirt? Whatever it is, it seems out of place in a formal setting. In his self-portrait, the artist is holding a brush which has been dipped in red paint of the same hue as if he has just added this final stroke to his wife’s picture. Red was symbolic of war and also of
THE MARTYRDOM OF SAINT SEBASTIAN. 1600, oil on canvas. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. love. Is there a hidden message about the relationship between the husband and wife? This idea is not as far-fetched as it may seem. A very close observation of the coat of arms in the artist’s self-portrait reveals that it is flanked by two satyrs holding a cor-
nucopia between their legs in a rather suggestive manner. The Van Halen’s coat of arms in Chistina’s portrait is equally flanked by two figures, of a man and a woman, straddling a cornucopia with its point facing outward.
Obviously, these are more than formal portraits of a respectable couple. They are statements of their passionate union and the fruit of their love — their children, whose portraits are displayed in the same gallery. The exhibition “Pleasure and Piety: The Art of Joachim Wtewael” at MFAH brings to the fore one of the undeservedly forgotten Dutch masters of the early 17th century. We are much more familiar with later generations of Dutch artists of “the Golden Age” — Hals, Vermeer, van Ostade, de Hooch, Metsu, van Ruisdael, and, of course, Rembrandt. Painted with painstaking realism, their landscapes, portraits, genre scenes and still-lifes are windows into the way of life in the Netherlands at the time the country moved into the age of independence and prosperity. Wtewael was not interested in the mundane. Born in 1566, he traveled to France and Italy in his early twenties where he embraced the then-prominent style of Mannerism and stayed true to it till the end of his days. Mannerism was characterized by artifice, decorative arrangement of forms, elongated figures and contrived poses, and a sophisticated indulgence in the bizarre. Mannerists preferred classical subjects to contemporary life and populated their canvases with ancient gods, heroes and characters from writers like Ovid and Horace. Walking through the exhibition at MFAH, one cannot stop being surprised by Wtewael’s unbound imagination which united in a strange harmony an unabashed eroticism and a deep religious sentiment. “Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian” is probably the most striking example of his religious paintings. According to the story, Saint Sebastian, a Roman officer who secretly converted to Christianity, was shot full of arrows, as a punishment, by men under his own command. However, instead of the showing the traditional image of a naked young man with arrows sticking out of his body, Wtewael presented the moment before the execution. Saint Sebastian, portrayed life-size, is
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SELF-PORTRAIT. 1601, oil on panel. Centraal Museum, Utrecht. standing in an exaggerated contraposto pose, flaunting his ideal physique with an ease of a male stripper, with no hint of acknowledgment of the terrible fate that awaits him. He is nude except for a thin, half-transparent loin cloth which is sliding off his well-toned hips, just enough to give a glimpse of his reddish pubic hair. Two soldiers are busy tying Saint Sebastian to the tree, but their grinning faces look salacious rather than menacing. Anyway, the young man does not seem to be hurt or even inconvenienced by their actions. His expression is sensuous, even rapturous. One wonders if Wtewael, a staunch Calvin-
ist, was deliberately mocking the Catholic tradition of veneration of saints. It is more likely, however, that the artist was more attracted to the idea of showing a perfect male nude and used the religious subject as an excuse. Not all Wtewael’s religious paintings are so overtly sexual. “The Annunciation to the Shepherds” shows the well-known moment from the Gospel of Saint Luke when an angel appeared to the frightened shepherds to tell them that the Savior was born. In the painting, the strangely contorted figures in the sky and on land create a powerful magnetic field. An androgynous golden-haired
angel appears like a flash of lightning among the dark ominous clouds, surrounded by pudgy putti in a frenzied flight. Wtewael translated into the pictorial language the passage from Saint Luke: “suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God.” The scene in the earthly domain is equally dynamic, although in this instance the artist used his imagination rather than the Scripture. The large canvas (66 ¼ x 53 ½ inches) can hardly accommodate numerous characters: men, women and various animals. The shepherds and shepherdesses are dressed in fancy clothes, some are wearing elegant broad-brimmed hats. For sleeping and awakening people, they seem to have too much energy. Muscular limbs, contrived torsos, outstreched arms, and bent heads create bold diagonals which convey the sense of a powerful movement. The composition foreshadows later Baroque paintings with multiple figures whirling through space like a human tornado. The exhibition features two versions of “The Annunciation to the Shepherds,” one from the collection of MFAH and the other from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. It is not an at easy, although an exciting, pursuit to look for differences between the two paintings. For visitors’ convenience, the Museum provided two monitors on which compositional and color changes are explained in full detail. A separate gallery showcases paintings on classical subjects, many of them from Ovid’s “Metamorphoses,” presented by Wtewael with a lot of joie de vivre, good-natured humor and sexual references. A life-size figure of the ravishing Andromeda, waiting to be rescued by Perseus who is flying across the sky on Pegassus, serves as a female counterpart of the sexy St. Sebastian. Standing in a similar contraposto stance, she is displaying her naked loveliness, the transparent veil over her genitalia leaving almost nothing to the imagination. With her left foot, Andromeda is playfully touching a conch, its pearly pink opening conveying a not-so-difficult-to-interpret metaphor for the vagina. The foreground is filled with sea shells of all shapes and forms, mixed with a few skulls and bones. It provides the artist with an opportunity to demonstrate his skill in painting a highly naturalistic still-life and also sends the message of pleasure and mortality. While large-size canvases showcase Wte-
wael’s extensive knowledge of the human anatomy and are delightful in their compositional complexity, color refinement and attention to detail, it is his small paintings on copper that leaves one awe-stricken. These paintings range from 4 ½ x 3 ½ inches to 15 x 11 inches, and they look like jewels. Painting on copper was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries in Italy and Northern Europe. Working with the smallest brush, the artist would apply oil directly on the smooth metal surface. With no corrosion, the colors remained vivid and the details sharp forever. Such paintings were supposed to be held and admired close up and were typically kept in curiosity cabinets, along with precious objects and rarities of all kind. It is believed that one of Wtewael’s works in the exhibition, “The Golden Age,” was once owned by the Holy Roman Emperor and famous collector, Rudolf II. However, there may be another reason why Wtewael’s copper paintings were safely locked in the cabinet of curiosities. Many of them are quite risqué in their contents and were intended exclusively for the eyes of the owner, typically, a middle-aged man, who may have occasionally shared this special experience with his male friends. In this group of paintings, the story of the divine adulterous lovers, Venus and
See WTEWAEL on page 12
THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS, 1606, oil on canvas. Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Houston.
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Volume 22, No. 4
Finder's Fayre to host Gina Garcia paintings, Dec. 3 BEAUMONT — Finder's Fayre Antiques will host a series of abstract paintings by Gina Marí Garcia, 5-9 p.m., Dec. 5. The art show is part of the Contemporary Local Artists Show Series (C.L.A.S.S.) presented in the antique
store located at 1485 Calder Ave. in Beaumont’s historical Mildred Building. “My idea for C.L.A.S.S. came when I realized that the artists here in Beaumont might really benefit from in-
Gina Garcia, December’s exhibiting artist at Finder’s Fayre, works in her studio.
WTEWAEL from page 11 Mars, was obviously Wtewael’s favorite subject. According to Ovid, Venus and Mars were carrying on an affair which became known to Venus’s husband, Vulcan. He crafted a thin metallic net and trapped the unsuspecting lovers, thus exposing them to the ridicule of all Olympian gods. The exhibition features a number of scenes showing Venus and Mars in a precoital, coital or post-coital situations. The milky-skinned Venus is pressing passionately against the tanned, muscular Mars who typically continues to wear his helmet, even when they are in the middle of love-making. Apparently, the artist preferred to keep the helmet as the attribute of the god of war instead of presenting a more realistic scenario. Venus’s mischevous son Cupid, with his bow and
arrow at ready, is usually present as well, as a constant companion of the goodess of love. While it is fascinating to follow the lines of the intertwined bodies of Venus and Mars depicted by Wtewael with an utmost realism, one cannot help admiring numerous tiny details of the interior. In “Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan,” only 8 x 6 ¼ inches, the eye revels in a variety of textures and shapes of diverse objects, all of the artist’s time, painted with meticulous precision. Here is a richly ornate cornice with a shiny green canopy over the bed; miscellaneous toiletries on the bedstand covered with a gold-trimmed scarlet cloth — a metal ewer on a plate, a comb, a sponge, a pair of scissors — and also Venus’s necklace; on the bed, crumpled bedsheets, with a blue-striped mattress peaking out and a corner of the blue sheet fallen into the chamber pot; and on the floor, Mars’s armor and a partisan, a piercing weapon used
Photo courtesy of John Rollins
creased exposure to an audience they have not been reaching,” said store owner Dexter Augier. “I am excited that I can do this, and that CLASS might provide just one more step in helping an artist share their gift with the world.” The opening reception is part of the First Thursday festivities held at the Mildred. Entry is free and the work will be for sale. “I invited Gina to participate in my C.L.A.S.S. series because I believe she has the consistent creative energy to pursue a career in art. My tastes vary widely, but what I find I am most drawn to is Gina’s talent for handling color and light,” Augier said. Beaumont-native Garcia creates mixed media artwork using assorted paints and paper manipulation typically on organic materials or found objects. “Beaumont is loaded with talent right now. I vibe off all that creative energy,” Garcia said. “I hope people find a connection with the pieces. I feel the emotion and energy transcends and will convey nicely to everyone.” She is influenced by her family and loved ones and inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat. “His work moves me,” Garcia said of Basquiat. “I love the crudeness and sometimes aggressive manner of his pieces. There's always a lot going on.” Garcia received a hands-on art education at The Art Studio, Inc. where she now goes to create most of her artwork. “Since I was 13 I’ve been allowed to create and speak my mind in a wonderful and educational environment. I’ve seen over 25 years of art there and am now a tenant.” For more information, call Finder's Fayre Antiques at 409-833-7000, or visit the Facebook page of Artist Gina Marí Garcia.
for ceremonies in the 17th century. For centuries, the graphic eroticism of Wtewael’s paintings made them objectionable in the eyes of later collectors. For example, a drawing with the same subject as described above was censored, with the sexual act cut out and a new paper added, on which a cloth covering the lovers’ loins was drawn. Even 20th century museum curators felt uneasy about displaying Wtewael’s most explicit works in the galleries. The exhibition at MFAH is the first one to present this exceptional artist to American public. One hopes that now, in the 21st century, we are mature enough to appreciate his multifaceted talent which compelled him to celebrate life and love every time he picked up the brush. The exhibition “Pleasure and Piety: The Art of Joachim Wtewael” is on view at MFAH MARS AND VENUS SURPRISED BY VULCAN. through Jan. 31. 1604–08, oil on copper. For more information visit www.mfah.org. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
Volume 22, No. 4
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GEEK from page 9 25: ADELE - OK, just hold on. I’m not asking you to buy your friend a CD or send them an email with an iTunes code in it, so settle down. I’m asking you to buy them this beautiful album on vinyl, the way it was meant to be heard. I’m asking you to hand them this gift, and a hot cup of tea and maybe a blanket. I’m asking you to let them know that it’s ok to cry your goddamn eyes out at four in the afternoon if you feel like it. It’s your right as an adult and a human being, and no one is going to take that away from you! I’m sorry, it’s just, it’s just really good. It’s a really good record.
Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko panels. It’s OK if you don’t know who they are, it’s fine, really it is. Just rest easy knowing your friends will be resting easy on these works of art drawn by men who are, I’m sorry, national treasures. And that brings us to the end, dear ones. Remember to stay safe out there and stay warm wherever you may be. Grab yourself a hot chocolate, curl up with someone you love and watch “Die Hard,” or the Christmas movie of your choosing. I'll see you all in the new year. Mahalo!
MARVEL BEDDING AT THINKGEEK.COM — For the adult in your life that would be much happier with SpiderMan bedding than whatever these muted colors are supposed to be, this is the perfect gift. They’re black and white, very tasteful, full of
Call for entries for Maypole art contest CALLING ALL ARTISTS & GRAPHIC DESIGNERS! You could be this year’s Featured Festival Artist and have your design appear on the official 2nd annual Beaumont Maypole Festival’s promotional materials in 2016. The contest is open to ALL artists over age 18. Contest Guidelines Entries should emphasize the theme of the festival and must contain the following text: 2ND ANNUAL MAYPOLE FESTIVAL; 2016 and the location BEAUMONT BOTANICAL GARDENS Designs MUST contain a Maypole and cannot exceed six colors, including black. Designs may be created by hand or on computer. Artwork should be no larger than 8.5” by 11”. Entries are accepted inside the Bert & Jack Binks Horticultural Center at the Beaumont Botanical Gardens, Thursday through Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. No entries will be accepted after Jan. 15, 2016. All artwork must be accompanied by a signed contest entry form, available at the Horticultural Center. Entries submitted without proper entry form will be ineligible to win. Winner will be announced at the pre-festival fundraiser “Hot Tropics Night” in the Warren Loose Conservatory Feb. 13, 2016. Winner will receive a limited edition T-shirt, a poster featuring their design, free entry to the 2nd Annual Beaumont Maypole Festival and special recognition as the “Featured Artist” of 2016. For more information, call 409-842-3135 or email: torchymaypolemoonandstars@yahoo.com
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Volume 22, No. 4
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 ART STUDIO will host a live concert on the night of Dec.25. The event is open to people of all ages and admission is $5. The Art Studio usually holds BAND NITE on the last Saturday of each month to showcase upcoming musical artists in the area. But for the past several years, the organization has held a special Christmas Night concert, usually featuring reunions of beloved local bands. Live entertainment for this year’s Xmas Nite will include funky rock trio Cousin Phelpy, loopy two-piece Octopoodle, heartbeaking bluegrass outfit Yella Bellies and a brand new indie jazz group called Tendo. Yella Bellies is an Austin-based acoustic duo featuring musicians originally from Southeast Texas. Though they only perform rarely, their woodsy harmonies and folk tunes captivate audiences every time. Cousin Phelpy was popular in the local music scene, but has been inactive for several years now. They decided to get together for one night only at The Art Studio, where they played their debut performance in 2007. Tendo is a new group in Beaumont that has played Open Mic Night at The LogOn Cafe, but this will be their first time on a bill with other established local groups. They take heavy influence from another disbanded indie pop band from this area called Hello Chief, whose members now make up Octopoodle. For more information call 838-5393 or
VIEW from page 3 the value of the work will increase as well. We mainly buy for pleasure, so if you like what you have, it doesn’t matter if the artist is a one-hit wonder or a life-long practitioner — from New York or Oklahoma or a local plying her trade, you have what you like and will enjoy it forever. WIN! Our job at The Studio is to identify good
visit The Art Studio, Inc. facebook page. __________ Join the Downtown Museum District on the grounds of the ART MUSEUM OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS and TEXAS ENERGY MUSEUM at 500 Main St. in downtown Beaumontfor the annual HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING PARTY from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Dec. 3. Children and their families are invited, once again, to celebrate the holiday season with hands-on activities at this festive celebration complete with a visit from Santa Claus. Admission is free and open to the public. “We look forward to the Holiday Tree Lighting event every year around Christmas time,” said AMSET curator of education/ outreach, Andy Gardner. “It’s a great opportunity for the museums of downtown Beaumont to come together and provide the community with free family fun during the holiday season.” Bring the entire family and light up the season by creating festive ornaments, decorating holiday cookies, and visiting with Santa Claus before mailing a letter to the North Pole. Other activities will be provided by area museums, attractions and businesses. Completing this afternoon of holiday fun is the lighting of the Christmas tree at 6 p.m. by Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames. Children are encouraged to decorate the tree with the ornaments they created, and take one home for their own decoration.
work and display it, and to encourage professionalism among the ranks of artists striving to create their ultimate works of art. We also serve as an agent between buyer and seller to purchase art at The Studio. In this we have been very successful over the past few years. Finally trust your own judgment. Choosing art is a personal endeavor and a unique experience for the buyers. I suggest you go out to a local show and start finding art that you are drawn to. And when you find it, find the courage to buy it. You can’t go wrong.
Presented, in part, by Mobiloil Federal Credit Union and Flint Hills Resources, the annual Holiday Tree Lighting Party is a great holiday celebration where children and their families have the opportunity to explore the excitement that downtown Beaumont museums and arts organizations have to offer and light up the season with free, family-oriented fun. For more information, call 832-3432 or visit www.amset.org.
RECENT ART STUDIO NEW OR RENEWING MEMBERS INDIVIDUAL Linnis Blanton Marni Custer Dennis Kiel Lynne Lokensgard Abigail McLaurin June Peveto Pat Satterwhite Richard Tallent Mary Wellborn Family/Group Melanie Dishman Avril, Michelle & Paul Falgout Mike & Marianna Measells David & Anne Payne Chris & Lana Portner Erma & Chris Richter Sue & Chuck Wright Friend/Business Sarah M. Cannatella Texas Coffee Co. Inc. Sustaining Giglio Distributing Company Patron Scott & Sirena LaBurn
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 non-profit 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 22, No. 4
December 2015 ISSUE • 15
Thoughtcrime 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, Beaumont, TX 77701 or e-mail issue@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 of rejection by mail or telephone.
If I unveil my heart, What will you do? Will you take it in your hands and Strike it against the floor, Shattered, bruised and bloody?
The Opossum
Submission Guidelines and Disclaimer
Chapter 1
She was large, gray, and curious as hell. Snout down to ground, bobbing, swaying. Had I not expected her, I would have been surprised, but she was now a common sight -a kind of sign that God had made the world aright again, overnight , baptizing the garden with his holy dew, anointing with the chrism moon the grass and trees, and transubstantiating the darkest kind of life for life of light. Wherefore she went between these realms of his? Hissing at the cat, she turned away from us, towards the odd growth of the neighbor’s ferns still furled from sleep beneath the still dark sky. The incandescence of my porch felt faint across her path and grew more faint with every step she lightly took between the bobbing and the swaying of her unusualness -then gone into the dawn -- creature of the night and day. She was large, and gray, and curious as hell.
Will you torturously pinch an artery, Making me momentarily gasp? Relieved, I catch my breath, and You cut out my heart. Will you run away, Screaming at the sight of my heart Throbbing each of my desires? Or will you greet it with gentleness and Not touch it until you know it’s okay? And then, Will you move steadly, slowly Until your hands tenderly cradle it and Stregthen each beat? What will you do If I unveil my heart? Cathy Atkinson
Jesse Doiron
WE WANT YOU FOR BAND NITE Listen to original music by local musicians at
takes a hiatus in Januar y. The next publication will be in Februar y. Deadline for ads or submissions is Jan. 5.
For upcoming gigs, visit The Studio’s facebook page
$5
admission
All ages welcome • 21 and up BYOB and have your ID.
Have a safe and happy holiday season.
720 Franklin, Beaumont, Texas 77701
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INSIDE • GEEK’S HOLIDAY GUIDE • THOUGHTCRIME: MUSINGS FROM AREA POETS • BLANTON AT AMSET • WICKED PLANTS REVIEW
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 Cyndi Grimes Rhonda McNally Andy Coughlan John Roberts Beau Dumesnil Karen Dumesnil Sheila Busceme Kailee Viator Caitlin Duerler Gabe Sellers Scott & John Alexander Heather Adams Terri Fox Avril Falgout B.J. Bourg Michelle Falgout Stacey Haynes Joe Winston John Fulbright Mark Jacobson Nathaniel Welch Tracy Danna Jaime Barclay Gina Garcia Hayley Hardin Spencer Holland Tack Somers Jack Hays Tyler Hargraves Aslinn Garcia Chase Kiker Paisley Polk
THIS MONTH:
JOIN US FOR ART OPENINGS ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH
DECEMBER 5-19 GALLERY RECEPTION IS DECEMBER 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.
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