Art Around the County, Dinosaurs, Holiday Gift Ideas and More!

Dear Friends,

​The wild and wonderful world of art is full of fun and unexpected adventures. Whether near or far, there's always art to be found. I'll cover a variety of art happenings, plus fun places to find art now that the holiday season is in full swing. Stay with me to the end of this post. You won't want to miss any of these scrumptious little artsy tidbits.

We begin with what might seem like a very unlikely place to find fine art: Clute City Hall! 

All of the art in the slideshow below can be found hanging in the main lobby. This collection is by artist Jill Friedman and is currently for sale.

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This eagle is NOT for sale. It belongs to Clute City Hall. I just thought it was kind of cool. ;-)

After leaving Clute, I went to the Dow Diamond Center looking for an art exhibit. What I found instead was a custom mural created exclusively for that building. It is approximately 2 stories high and is the largest Intarsia mural in the United States. It's really spectacular and worth the trip just to enjoy it in person. (See below.)

In my many excursions out and about looking for art, I often stumble upon unexpected delights. Case in point: Imagine strolling into one of the Lake Jackson Branch Library's meeting rooms looking for art and finding a friendly group of knitters! (See below.) The ladies were nice as can be. We had a chat and they told me that the Needlecrafters group meets every Tuesday @ the library from 1 - 3p. So, if you're in the area and you're a knitter, this just might be your tribe.

All of the art in the next slide show can currently be found at the library. These bold works are by local artist Frank Allen Cameron.

Just a short walk from the library is a neighborhood favorite. Wurst Haus has been a family owned business for, gosh, probably 40 years or more. It also currently houses an eclectic collection of fine art. Multiple artists contributing many styles from painting and photography to digital work. Since the artwork is literally all over the restaurant, and out of respect for the patrons, I only shot a small sample of what is available to view. My recommendation? Do yourself a favor and order some delicious German food and maybe a good beer and enjoy the artwork for yourself. (See below.)

There are still more local art venues that I visited recently and would like to share, but before we continue I want to take a break for DINOSAURS!!! Last October 23rd during a Brazosport Fine Arts Council meeting this baby T-Rex statue was revealed. It turns out the the Brazosport Museum of Natural Science has acquired TWO of the little terrors and they will be permanent fixtures outside the museum for kiddos and their families to enjoy. Everyone had fun taking photos with the newest member of The Center for the Arts and Sciences, myself included (see below). Isn't this dinosaur awesome???

A couple of days later, Brazosport Art League Gallery hosted another artists reception. Friends & Family: Art of Relationships features art by Eric Fasking, his dad Don Fasking, Anne Spoon, Lori Ball and Bill & Roxanne Dacy. This is possibly the most diverse show at this level of expertise that I have seen at BAL, so far. The show ends on 11/10 so, in case you see something you like among the thumbnails below and miss seeing the show in person, you can call me and I will share the artists' contact info with you: 832-549-1730.

Venturing over into Angleton, TX a couple of days later, I found art displayed at the Brazoria County East Annex. The paintings are by Dana Moody-Stevens and the photography is by Charles Jesse Miller Jr. (Scroll down to the slideshow below.)

Art in public places is such a joy. City of Richwood is currently hosting lovely watercolor art by Linda Strickland. I've included a few thumbnails below.

Did you know that there are more Satellite Galleries in public places around lower Brazoria County? Most of the artwork on view at these public locations is for sale. Reach out to Charles Jesse Miller Jr. to learn more about hanging your art around the area or purchasing an artwork to take home: [email protected]

Are we finished looking at art? Heck no! There's so much more to share. But, I'd like to take a moment before we continue to thank Phil Partridge for teaching me a technique that is new to me. I was admiring some of his Gelli prints and he invited me to the BAL Art Studio so I could learn how to make them. Isn't that nice? The slides below show my very first one. It's not finished. I'm going to work on it some more. What do you think? So far, so good?

BTW, the Brazosport Art League Art Studio is quite spacious and a great place for artists to create and play together. It is right next door to the gallery. Members and visitors can use the studio Monday and Wednesday mornings as well as Monday evenings. Contact BAL for more details.

One Monday a month, the studio has a potluck to celebrate all the artists who had birthdays in that month. October 30th was one of those days and since it was just before Halloween costumes were encouraged. What fun we had! And, it just happened to turn out that I was the only October baby. What are the odds? I feel like I had TWO birthdays this year and that I am the luckiest girl in the world to know all of these nice folks. The honorary birthday hat was placed on my head and a wish was made. :-) Check out the slideshow below!

Funny side note before we wrap. You may remember a little piece I posted about last time called "Surfacing." Well, I really wanted to show it in the Art Shop, but BAL has a rule about frontal nudity. Artwork showing nipples is not allowed. So, I had a brain storm and made my aquatic person a swim mini out of gold spangly vinyl cling material so she is no longer nude, but the buyer can peel it off after purchase...if they want to. (See below.) Guess what? The artwork was in the gallery less than 5 days and it SOLD! I'm glad the buyer enjoyed my little work of art and I hope it brings her much happiness. :-)

Finally, I'd like to invite you all out to the Brazosport Art League Art Shop to see our new display of artworks. Eleven artists have artwork in all mediums for your viewing and buying pleasure. I worked  for several hours Monday 11/4 arranging each piece, but it was 100% a labor of love. I feel fortunate to be surrounded by such beautiful treasures created by our very talented artisans. These make great one-of-a-kind gifts for your friends and loved ones. They don't last long, so if you can't make it out to the Art Shop in person, reach out to me HERE if you see something that catches your eye in the photos below. As artwork is sold, new artwork goes in it's place so the Art Shop may be a little different day to day. (Click on each thumbnail to enlarge.)

Well, that's all for this time, folks. As always, I've left links throughout this post for your Internet surfing enjoyment. If you'd like to hang out and chat with me while I'm in the Art Shop, you'll find me there from 2 - 5p. on these Sundays: 11/17, 11/24, 12/1, 12/15, 12/22.

As artwork is sold, I post NEW artwork on our Art Shop Pinterest page, so you'll want to check it out frequently: https://www.pinterest.com/balartandevents/art-shop/

You can also connect with me on LinkedIn, Nextdoor, X and fb.

Peace, Love and Happiness to one and all!

​  S.