Good Evening One and All,
This is my attempt to cover all pertinent happenings art-wise since my last blog, so let's jump on in...but FIRST I need to report that...I moved! I have been looking for a new place for awhile since the rental agreement on our apartment was ending this summer. I cast my house hunting net far and wide and came up with several promising properties. About 3 weeks into June we found the cutest little cottage community in Brazoria County. After visiting several properties in the area, my son (who lives with me due to a TBI) and I decided we liked the cottage we viewed in Oyster Creek, TX the best. At the end of that house hunting day, we all went to Surfside Beach with our doggies and had a great time (see photo below).
This is my attempt to cover all pertinent happenings art-wise since my last blog, so let's jump on in...but FIRST I need to report that...I moved! I have been looking for a new place for awhile since the rental agreement on our apartment was ending this summer. I cast my house hunting net far and wide and came up with several promising properties. About 3 weeks into June we found the cutest little cottage community in Brazoria County. After visiting several properties in the area, my son (who lives with me due to a TBI) and I decided we liked the cottage we viewed in Oyster Creek, TX the best. At the end of that house hunting day, we all went to Surfside Beach with our doggies and had a great time (see photo below).
Because I have lived in The Woodlands for over 8 years and have made a lot of friends, it was hard to say good-bye. But, change is good and it felt right to be moving back to my home port, so to speak.
We did not find out we were approved for the cottage until Monday, July 1st. So, with our move-out date (and a holiday) fast approaching, I reserved a U-Haul and packed all of our things. The plan was to move most of our things that Wednesday and come back to The Woodlands and stay until the end of Friday night (literally the very last minute). That way I could relax a bit before hosting Artists in Action - Sip N Shop, enjoy the event at MFAG and then come home, gather our things and say one last good-bye to our lovely apartment in The Woodlands before making the long drive down to the coast with our pets.
In case you missed the last Artists in Action, I posted a few photos below. These photos were taken within a few minutes of set up. Once it got busy, we started making sales and I didn't have time for more photos...not even of myself!
We did not find out we were approved for the cottage until Monday, July 1st. So, with our move-out date (and a holiday) fast approaching, I reserved a U-Haul and packed all of our things. The plan was to move most of our things that Wednesday and come back to The Woodlands and stay until the end of Friday night (literally the very last minute). That way I could relax a bit before hosting Artists in Action - Sip N Shop, enjoy the event at MFAG and then come home, gather our things and say one last good-bye to our lovely apartment in The Woodlands before making the long drive down to the coast with our pets.
In case you missed the last Artists in Action, I posted a few photos below. These photos were taken within a few minutes of set up. Once it got busy, we started making sales and I didn't have time for more photos...not even of myself!
Myself, my son and our little fur-family had a fun filled weekend eating at new-to-us family owned restaurants (check out Burnt Biscuit in Brazoria, Maria's Kitchen in Freeport and CHIPS Family Restaurant in Lake Jackson), visiting old haunts and unfamiliar venues including a new church: Unity of Brazosport. Being aware that in the wee hours of Monday 7/8 Beryl would be hitting Surfside Beach, I had to make a decision. Should I try to outrun the storm or ride it out? Knowing that our cottage community is on the NORTH side of the levee, that we were NOT in a flood plain, and that my insurance would cover my Jeep (just in case the storm surge did breach the levee), I decided we would ride it out. I've seen a lot of hurricanes and made the best decision. Getting caught on the road would have been a nightmare.
When we finally emerged from our abode around noon on 8/8, after the winds had died down a bit, I found our little cottage had suffered no damage whatsoever! Unfortunately, I learned that Surfside Beach, our sister city to the SOUTH of the levee was a complete disaster. And, many of our friends as far north as The Woodlands and Conroe suffered terrible damage to their homes due to falling trees, wind and rain. It would be almost 2 weeks before we had both power and Internet service again. I spent the daylight hours unpacking in the heat and caught up on my reading by flashlight at night. Sorry to say, I was too sweaty to think about drawing. The artwork would have been ruined before it was completed.
To say July 2024 has been eventful would be an understatement. If you are reading this from sunny/soggy Southeast Texas, I hope your power has been restored and that you and your loved ones did not suffer any damage from our "little" hurricane that came in and wrecked the place. My heart goes out to those that lost their homes.
But, every dark cloud has a silver lining, as they say, and I was feeling strangely free and optimistic in our new home despite the aftermath of Beryl. My mind was swirling with mermaids, oceans and all kinds of sea life. Once we were up and running again, artwork began pouring out of me. (See a couple of current works-in-progress, below.)
When we finally emerged from our abode around noon on 8/8, after the winds had died down a bit, I found our little cottage had suffered no damage whatsoever! Unfortunately, I learned that Surfside Beach, our sister city to the SOUTH of the levee was a complete disaster. And, many of our friends as far north as The Woodlands and Conroe suffered terrible damage to their homes due to falling trees, wind and rain. It would be almost 2 weeks before we had both power and Internet service again. I spent the daylight hours unpacking in the heat and caught up on my reading by flashlight at night. Sorry to say, I was too sweaty to think about drawing. The artwork would have been ruined before it was completed.
To say July 2024 has been eventful would be an understatement. If you are reading this from sunny/soggy Southeast Texas, I hope your power has been restored and that you and your loved ones did not suffer any damage from our "little" hurricane that came in and wrecked the place. My heart goes out to those that lost their homes.
But, every dark cloud has a silver lining, as they say, and I was feeling strangely free and optimistic in our new home despite the aftermath of Beryl. My mind was swirling with mermaids, oceans and all kinds of sea life. Once we were up and running again, artwork began pouring out of me. (See a couple of current works-in-progress, below.)
There's another old saying that also applies here: The Show Must Go On! After suffering damage to their roof and some flooding, the Freeport LNG Theatre (located inside The Center for the Arts and Sciences in Clute, TX) moved forward with their performances of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I am so happy that we went! The show exceeded our expectations. The performances were wonderful and funny. And, the house was PACKED. Afterward, we were so fortunate to meet the actors (still in costume) across the hall at the Brazosport Art League Gallery for the play's opening night reception. The goodies flowed and when they ran out of cake, drinks and other tasty treats, more were served! It was pretty much standing room only, so I fired off as many photos as I could while carrying on conversations and munching sweets. (See below.)
What I saw of the art show hanging in the BAL Gallery during that reception was intriguing, so I decided to go back to The Center the next weekend to enjoy the BASF Planetarium with my son and get a better look at the artwork, too. The exhibit titled Post Modern Retrospective did not disappoint. It featured the work of two artists: Ken Ness & Kenneth Halvorsen. I must say that I had more "WOW!" moments viewing that show that I have had in a very long time. I took a ton of photos, but due to this blog running longer then most, I'll feature a couple of my favorites by each artist along with their artists' statements. (See below.) If you get a chance to see this show in person before it leaves on 8/11, please do so. You'll be glad that you did.
If you can't make it down to Brazosport to view art, no worries. I'll be making the 100 mile trip back up to the The Madeley Fine Art Gallery in Conroe to host another Artists in Action - Sip N Shop this coming Friday, August 2nd from 5 - 7p. We have a great line up of accomplished artists drawing, painting (and maybe even BUILDING) artwork LIVE as well as FREE refreshments. Check out the thumbnails below. They each have a sample of the artists' work as well as links to their contact info. Naturally, I'll bring a collection of my own artwork to view and purchase, as always. I hope to see you all there! (Scroll to the bottom for the full flier.)
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