Texas Artist

March 12-13

For one weekend only, the Russell Collection Fine Art Gallery in downtown Austin will host three world renowned Spanish artists: Ramon Vilanova, Josep Domenech, and M. D. Rubio.

April 10-30

San Antonio’s Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art will showcase winners of Salon International 2010, the ninth annual juried exhibition sponsored by the International Museum of Contemporary Masters of Fine Art.  The event kicks off with an Open House for artists, collectors and press on April 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A “Meet the Artists” event also will be on April 10, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The exhibit runs from April 10 through April 30.

Confidence—it’s the spirit that radiates from Teresa Elliott’s personality and her artwork. It’s also a trait that manifested itself early in her life. “One day in kindergarten, we were each asked to draw a bird,” she recalls. “My drawing amazed everyone, including me. Even though I was very young, I knew right then, deep down, that I would become an artist.”

Today, that same self-assurance, combined with well-honed talent, is ideally suited to her current subject of choice—the Texas Longhorn. Elliott’s bold interpretations of this rare breed have won applause from collectors and art critics alike, and her paintings hang in corporate offices as well as the homes of celebrities. Baseball legend Nolan Ryan and singer Toni Tennille (of The Captain and Tennille) are among recent collectors of her work. “Men and women seem to love the Longhorns equally,” Elliott says. Her work has also been displayed in prestigious venues, such as the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the Briscoe Western Museum, and the Coors Western Art Exhibit.

The Russell Collection will host a special appearance and art show by the popular artist prodigy Alexandra Nechita at their downtown Austin gallery in January 2010. Nechita, now 24, began drawing at the age of two and by seven was painting with oils and acrylics. Her first exhibit was a one-woman (child) show when she was eight years old.

Janet Eager Krueger can testify to the truth of the saying “art imitates life.” Her paintings and drawings chronicle the daily lives of South Texans in an original style that is distinctive and believable. Whether she is painting a workday on the family ranch, a family holiday gathering or a festive community event, her down-to-earth artistic style is rooted in reality. It is also a calling that began as a dream.

Talk about optimism. Landscape artist Milbie Benge should bottle some of hers and sell it. “I’m looking forward to my 70s,” she says cheerfully. “So many artists do their best work later in life. I’m sure it will be my best decade yet.” This positive outlook, combined with a giving spirit, does much more than describe Benge’s personality.

 “Magical and addictive.” That is how artist Robert Rynearson describes his romance with the ancient art form of glass blowing. Having been under its bewitching spell for more than fifteen years, he explains simply, “It gets into your soul.”   

As unique as a fingerprint, George Sabra’s sculpted creations are one of a kind, each a true original. Seeing limitless possibilities in materials that others would abandon or discard, Sabra artistically recyles. When others would destroy, Sabra creates.

Dennis Eagle Horse had an unusual upbringing. At a time when most young men were fascinated with the race into space, he was fascinated with Native American history.

Ironically, Janet Campbell’s interest in painting architectural masterpieces had a humble beginning.

Spontaneous and free flowing” are descriptives that easily apply to the artistic style of watercolorist Mary Shepard. Her exciting use of a multitude of transparent watercolor hues separates her work from the humdrum, and she delights in using what she refers to as “unexpected color.” She asks, “Who says a prickly pear has to be green?

When Rebecca Weatherford speaks, it is with measured deliberation and a careful parsing of her thoughts and words. Perhaps this characteristic comes with her unique talent. As an artist whose primary medium is fused glass, she has learned the absolute necessity of working slowly and methodically. “Glass fusion is a beautiful art, but it is an art that is unforgiving of mistakes,” she explains.

Few of us would find one self-development workshop life changing. For artist Derenda Keating, however, it was just such an event that altered the course of her life. In 1992, as a field executive for an insurance company, she participated in one where participants were asked to write down three things they would most like to change about themselves.

When it comes to painting plein-aire, most artists either love it or hate it.

Known for softly polished tonal paintings of traditional Texas landscapes and sunsets,

Donna Howell-Sickles may have grown up on a ranch, but living the life of a cowgirl was never one of her goals.

“I must have been the only person in my high school who wore cowboy boots,” recalls sculptor John Bennett.  “I was always really impressed with cowboys and western life.”

Bennett grew up in the 1950s and early ’60s, when the golden era of television brought a steady stream of Hollywood heroes into homes across America: Roy Rogers, Maverick, Cheyenne and The Lone Ranger. The iconic cowboys in these programs sparked Bennett’s early interest in the folklore, heritage and mystique of the west. They also laid the foundation for his future career as a sculptor of western art.  

Graham Toms true gift as an artist lies in applying old-fashioned hard work and exceptional talent to the most modern of mediums: video imaging. As a 3D education specialist for NewTek, a San Antonio-based software company, Toms has contributed his artistic animation skills to the company’s cutting edge visual imaging programs, such as LightWave 3D, Aura and TriCaster.

In love with life, oil painter Ann Hardy is a woman of many interests.  In fact, the word ‘overachiever’ might be an understatement.  Ann herself freely admits that even as late as midlife, she was still asking herself, “What will I become when I grow up?”  Of course by then she had already graduated cum laude from Southwestern University where she had pondered life as a missionary, but afterward married instead, and had four children.  Settling into marriage, motherhood and community life, Hardy was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce, in Colleyville, Texas and even become a real estate broker and land developer.  Purchasing 20 dream acres in the country, she put in a road, fence, and barn – creating an Arabian horse farm where she broke, trained, and showed the animals. It was a passion funded, coincidentally, with money made from painting approximately 20 canvases a week and attending “starving artists” shows where she would sell out.

If an apple a day is good for the body, what will renew an artist’s spirit every day? Artist Virginia Vaughan, known professionally as “V.... Vaughan,” has found an answer that works for her. Each and every day, with rare exceptions, she creates an entirely new work of art. 

The idea of a daily painting came to her several years ago when a farm that had been in her husband’s family for four generation was scheduled to be sold to developers. Says Vaughan, “I had thought that the farm would always be there but I suddenly realized we were going to have to leave. That’s when I decided to take my memories with me, by painting one scene every day, en plein air, during our last year there.” 

Long before his hands touch the clay, sculptor Seth Vandable’s mind is hard at work. “It takes a really well thought out idea to make any work of art stand apart as distinctive,” he explains. Indeed, it is his gift for thoughtful design that has led to his receiving commissions to create some of the largest figurative monuments in the country.

For instance, his tribute to baseball, called “For the Love of the Game,” stands at Whataburger Stadium in Corpus Christi, Texas. The 25-foot-high bronze illustrates Vandable’s ability to hit a home run when it comes to having the winning idea. “To integrate that project into its locale in a historic part of the city, I clothed the player in a vintage baseball era cotton uniform,” he says. What excited the Whataburger executives most, however, was the subtle message Vandable built right into the player’s pose. With the wooden bat resting ever so casually across the player’s rock-solid shoulders, the athelete’s forearms form an unmistakable “W,” which also happens to be the Whataburger logo. 
 

“Animals are like people,” says , “in that no two are alike.” 
He insists, for example, that while two whitetail deer grazing together in a field may appear to be nearly identical, close observation highlights subtle differences— not only in their physical characteristics, but also in their personalities. “One might have a different tilt to its nose, perhaps a longer ear or a different glint in its eye,” he notes. 

Such observations set Grimm’s work as a wildlife artist apart. “I realized early on that if I wanted to paint wildlife, I would need to paint landscapes, because they go hand in hand,” he says. “So I found myself becoming increasingly interested in the animal’s relationship with its environment. What I have learned is that wildlife is the final complement to the landscape.” Grimm’s ability to convey the harmonious relationship between the animals and their environment gives viewers of his work the sense of a real wildlife encounter.
 

Texas Artist Al Barnes captures images of coastal living-from sparkling streams of water to migratory birds hunting for their prey.

This month's Texas artist, Larry Prellop brings his passion for landscapes, seascapes and skyscapes to the canvas.

Inspired by the beauty surrounding her, this month's Texas artist, Sidney Sinclair gives us a look at the world through her eyes.