Since I wrote it anyway: Gallery Night 2008

Because of glitches & groans computerwise, the November issue of Good Times of West Texas Magazine did not make it to print. (insert frowny face here) But since Gallery Night is coming up next weekend - here's the article I wrote about it anyway!

Art Walk-ing 2008 in Alpine Texas

The crisp late fall air whispers down Holland Avenue welcoming artists of every shade to Alpine’s 15th Annual Art Walk this November. Expression is in high demand over the two-day experience also known as Gallery Night.

Stores will be open until 10:00 pm Friday November 21st and Saturday November 22nd along with the many galleries that line this main thoroughfare, encouraging folks to step inside to enjoy the warmth and take in all they have to offer. Find Christmas ornaments to decorate your tree or serene designs painted onto plates for serving dinner. Admire and purchase a subdued black and white print of the familiar and evocative West Texas thunderstorm rolling across the mesquite covered mountains. Brightly decorated tabletops will catch your eye with sparkling handmade jewelry displayed next to a rack of cozy scarves or carved walking sticks.

With over twenty official locations for music, live exhibits, videos, food, and art means there will be plenty to satiate all your senses. Pick up a copy of the Alpine Avalanche newspaper on Thursday the 20th for a complete guide to all locales, where the artists will be hobnobbing, and a map to help you find your way from the fajitas to the stage.

This year the festivities welcome Honored Artist Tom Curry who designed this year’s Gallery Night painting and will be showing his works in The Alpine Studio on Murphy Street. Tom and his wife Susan moved to Alpine in 1993 and he’s since developed a varied art career. Along with the bigger, newer paintings Tom calls “Texas Chic with regional flair” will be prints, cards and reworked oils. His portfolio also includes magazine editorials and illustrations for seven children’s books, so don’t be surprised at anything you may see on the gallery walls!

When your tummy starts growling just follow your nose to find the grilling and food stands in the Hecho y Mano open-air art and food market in Arbolitos Park near the Union Pacific train depot. Here you’ll find fajitas, gorditas, burgers, hot chocolate, and many other locally made culinary indulgences. Taking a cue from the diversity of the evening, no two food stands will be offering the same fare, to encourage a wide variety of savory options.

Thank Mark Pollack of Trans-Pecos Guitars for his role as Musical Director in lining up such a distinct and entertaining list of musicians for the performance stage in the Kiowa Plaza parking lot. Beginning at 6:00 pm on Friday this is the place to catch The Doodling Hog Wallops and Matt Skinner, Terra Peters, Crain Coffee and Grupo de la Paz as nightfall sets in. Saturday evening the parking lot will again become a dance floor as Matt Skinner, Terra Peters and The Derailers take to the open-air stage under starry skies.

Kiowa Gallery owner Keri Arzt is quite proud of how Gallery Night has grown, commenting that “it has taken on a life of it’s own. Over the 15 years we’ve watched it grow, and the people come together and the energy is great!” An economic boost for the area because of all the people who come in to ‘find’ new art, the Gallery Night has also developed into a non-profit organization that gives back. There are scholarships to Sul Ross State University and money goes to schools in the tri-county area for art programs.

This is really a great weekend for the entire area to come together in so many ways. Curry admits, “I look forward to seeing friends I haven’t seen in awhile. Everyone comes out, a great time to see everyone at once and catch up, see what’s new.”

Yes, Gallery Night weekend is a wonderful time to see what’s new!

For more information please contact Keri Arzt at Kiowa Gallery at 432.837.3067 or visit www.alpinegallerynight.com for the studios, restaurants, offices and stores participating in this year’s event.

If you find yourself aiming that direction, say hi!

So? I'm snarky.

All the political talk has me agitated just as much as religion talk usually does. But I'm good with what I think & believe. I know where I stand and why. I have my reasons, you have yours.

Allright then.

So this whole 'socialist' movement that Palin keeps pushing about Obama's platform - well... here's what I have to say about that:



I mean, I talk on the phone, a lot, and I text, a lot, and I twitter, some, and I blog, some, and I facebook and myspace a bit... so I'm pretty social, right? I mean, aren't we all?

*Pimpin' over at cafepress - get it on a sticker or a t-shirt. make a tongue in cheek comment of your own.

two weeks later than before

I'm going to try to catch up a bit here, it's been a bit crazy for me these past two weeks, and I realize that if I don't at least attempt to catch up now, it'll probably never happen.

Let's see, after many goodbye kisses and leaving a handful of notes for Rob in the apartment, I left Jacksonville at 9am on Wed, March 26th.


I made decent time across Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana into Texas - down to Galveston to stay with my parents on the beach - altogether a 15 hour drive, about 848 miles. I was tired, but it was sooo nice to see my parents after nearly three months.

I went to lunch with Momma on Thursday, we wandered the square for a little bit, getting ideas and looking at all the pretties. Then I went to a job interview for a marketing position with a rally - I was impressed, I liked the position and was very inspired by even having an interview! He offered me the position, if we could move to Galveston, and let me tell you, after nearly five months of job hunting, that felt nice!


Since Daddy was in town for the TAM meetings, I tagged along to the museum tours that night with them. Texas Seaport Museum - where they handed us bags of popcorn and cups of Shiner! That alone made it nice to be back in Texas! -



Then to the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Museum - seeing the difference in drilling out there in the gulf compared to the drilling out here in the dirt.

Last stop was the Lone Star Flight Museum, after the bus driver took us over the bridge into Houston and back again, you know, the scenic route... A band played, a good number of planes in the hangar, a chocolate fountain with marshmallows (see what sticks in my mind, huh!)

Back to the hotel, sleep and back on the road Friday morning - heading up through San Antonio traffic into Fredericksburg to interview for a couple of massage therapy interviews - both went well, both would be great jobs too - and finally on to stay with Amber & Bobbi in Menard for a couple of nights.

Now, for me, this is a perfect escape. Usually.

I don't have any cell phone signal down there, none at all, which is usually nice and perfect for hanging out and chilling with Amber & Bobbi, and playing with the boys. But I'm quite fond of Rob, and missing him lots, and am putting my texting and phone minutes to good use with him, so limited communication for a couple of days is kinda tough.

So we girls hung out, catching up on everything, and we spent Saturday in Brady shopping.


We wandered a little antiques store where I found a heart-shaped cookie cutter, where we giggled at the animal print purses and the camouflage print bedsheets, where we ogled all the pretty shiny things that caught our eyes.


Then to the store to find things to throw on the grill for dinner that night, things like corn on the cob, mushrooms, bell peppers, sausage, steak, chicken, - oh, almost everything except the roadkill possum, thank goodness! ;) We decided to cut the corn into half-inch slices, but as Bobbi and four different knives can attest, it's not easy! But it's very good when grilled!



Amber made grapefruit margaritas, consumed while making dinner, while watching Austyn playing outside, while giggling and telling stories.





Dinner was wonderful, we chatted into the night, ummm, nearly 3am, right? We discussed life and work, past loves and past regrets, hopes and dreams, wedding dresses and hairstyles, all sorts of things that I'm glad Rob wasn't there for! The hanging out with my two best friends was the best part.

Headed out on Sunday, back to Odessa, back to cell phone coverage.

Let's see - since then I've had several interviews, and have several more lined up in the next week, here in Odessa. We're trying to find Rob work out here, to encourage his moving out here. I'm hoping, but am well aware of his commitment to the Army Guard in Florida, and am dealing. But for this Texas girl, it's nice to be home. I'm feeling better, but still taking medicine in hopes of getting over this mess soon. I've finished my taxes (finally!) and am now focusing on finding a job that will work best for me while here.

Gina and I are going to be looking at Papaw's old building on Andrews Hwy later this week, if by some miracle things work out financially, Lawrence can use the office for his business and we can use the rest for an art gallery and art workspace. At least having the space here to work I can pick up where I left off on the carvings and paintings, especially since there's not a whole lot on tv worth watching!

Allrighty, it's late, and I'm tired. Next post I'll try to have some art stuff up.

back to the art stuff

Since I'm sure that's what you came here for.

This one is an 11x14 pre-stretched canvas, picked up at either Michael's or Hobby Lobby, since those are both relatively easy to find and procure canvas' like these.

It started off as white, really.

I had picked up a remnant of wine and blue colored fabric and some wine and blue colored little woven roses, miniature ones that come in a little bunch for like a buck.

Gina had told me about this magazine, Cloth Paper Scissors, and I was a little inspired to try out this form of mixed media. Sorta. In my own way.

So I have a canvas, some fabric, some roses, and some 12 inch dowels... oh! and some muslin, can't forget the muslin!

Of which I have glued one edge across the back of the fully painted canvas. (Note: when painting the front and back, it is not advisable to be like me and try to accomplish both sides at once, because this ends up with wet paint somewhere- hands, knees, carpet... Best to do one side at a time so something is dry when you lay it down.)

Anyway - I painted the whole thing with black, with squirts of wine and blues to pick up the colors I plan on using. Glued the muslin on one side on the back, in preparation for attaching other stuff to it. I've made a four inch cut in the center - opening it up like doors.

The plan is to roll the "doors" onto the dowels - attach the dowels to the canvas with wire or glue and ribbon, open up the center to show the layout attached to the muslin behind it. Does this make sense? It does in my head. Hopefully it will in reality...