Centraltrak Inaugural Exhibition - April 19

Hot White Orange by Anderson and Anderson


Centraltrak: The University of Texas at Dallas Artists Residency opened Saturday night with its inaugural exhibition False Space and Time of the Apartment.

Very cool art and space. We enjoyed the exhibit. Lots of interactive art. Outside the gallery, Anderson and Anderson’s sculptures Lifebean and Hot White Orange were big hits. People entered into or sat on the sculptures. I had to take a photo of Nancy Whitenack, of Conduit Gallery, lounging on Hot White Orange. We visited Florencia Levy’s live-work loft and peeked into a studio. Florencia Levy an artist in residence is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Even the halls had artwork. And the parking lot looked like an abstract painting. Greg Metz graciously posed in Loop, by Stefan Eberstadt.

Florencia Levy’s live-work loft

Greg Metz

Nancy Whitenack

Centraltrak is a multi-purpose arts building that used to be a post office. It has four live-work loft spaces for artists, eight studios for U.T. Dallas MFA students, and a gallery. Charissa Terranova is the energetic Director.

The exhibit continues through June 3, 2008.

Parking lot art

Check out more photos here.

Dallas Arboretum 4-13-08

This was the last day of the Dallas Blooms festival at the Arboretum.  There was a concurrent sculpture exhibit, but unfortunately I think it was taken down slightly early(or I was slightly late), either way here is the link: http://dallasarboretum.org/Events/Texas%20Sculpture%20Association.htm

It was a beautiful day with a good breeze off the lake, and very busy, but once inside the gardens it seemed less so because they are so spread out.  Sixty six acres encompass the Arboretum and botanical gardens.  If you have never been, the Arboretum is a relaxing getaway in the heart of east Dallas, fun for everyone from children to seniors.  With the summer coming up, the Cool Thursdays events are outdoor concerts held on the big lawn overlooking the lake, with a different live band each week.  They happen 7:30-9:30 May 1st- July 31st, as well as a Fall series September 18th- October 30th.      

Pamela Nelson Open Studio - April 6

Pamela Nelson

Pamela Nelson has moved into a new larger studio space on the edge of downtown. The open studio was hosted by Gerald Peters Gallery. The studio is spacious and has cool large glass brick windows. Pamela had her sketchbooks out which are always fun to see. There was also a large collection of her Paper Tiles and framed artwork.

Glass Brick Windows

Paper Tiles by Pamela Nelson

Brenda McKinney MFA Exhibit - April 5

Brenda McKinney

Brenda McKinney and Alisa Banks have their MFA exhibit at the 14th Street Gallery. Both exhibits are great. Brenda’s paintings are so vivid; they seem to jump off the canvas. Artist Books are not exhibited often so it was a nice surprise to see Alisa’s artist books and fiber work. Brenda and Alisa are recent graduates from Texas Women’s University.

Art by Brenda McKinney

clockwork fling (1-26-08) @ studio fling

A couple months old, but this was a theme night at studio fling 3101 commerce st in deep ellum.  The studio hosts a free bi-monthly exhibit put on by Paul Watrous & friends.  On 1-26-08 the exhibit was 60 handcrafted clocks by 30 Dallas artists.  Pretty varied stuff, everything from a human size statue of liberty decked out in a Flavor Flav chain and clock necklace welcoming people outside, to a Hermann Munster clock, to a clock in a tree with shadowed tree limbs.  A nice intimate setting & fun free exhibit every other Saturday.  myspace.com/studio_fling

Gallery Openings – Saturday, March 29

Marty Walker Gallery was the first stop to check out the recent prints from Durham Press. My favorite was a grid by Roland Fischer called Facades on Paper III, 2007. Roland created these abstract compositions by photographing sections of building facades.

Facades on Paper III by Roland Fischer


Roland Fischer



On to Conduit Gallery, to see the recent works of Justin Quinn and Vincent Falsetta. I enjoyed both exhibits. My favorite was one of Justin’s that has the Es cutout, so I took a photo of him in front of it. I cannot even think of how long that had to take. On the other hand, all his work is VERY detailed.



Justin Quinn

My next stop was Holly Johnson Gallery. Casey Williams was showing his latest abstract photography. Years (and years) ago, I took my first photography class from Casey at the Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX. It was interesting to meet up with him so many years later.


Casey Williams

The last stop was Craighead Green Gallery, for a group show of gallery artist. They were also celebrating their third year on Dragon Street. I cannot believe they have already been there for three years. Great artwork and I had a chance to catch up with two of my favs, Heather Gorham and Diane Walker-Gladney.



Heather Gorham

Diane Walker-Gladney

unNatural disaster exhibit at UTD

unNatural disaster, curated by Greg Metz, opened Friday night in the Visual Arts Building at The University of Texas at Dallas. The exhibit runs through April 18, 2008. It is a thought provoking exhibit. My favorite piece is Rita Barnard’s Tribute, see below. In this memorial installation, Rita uses toy soldiers to represent soldiers that have died in the Iraq war. The sheer size is staggering. It really brings home the sacrifices many have made in a way that just hearing the numbers does not.

For information on the exhibit and the artists go here. To see more photos of Rita's artwork, Tribute, go here.

Enrique Fernández Cervantes working on a video of Rita Barnard and her artwork, Tribute.

Detail of Rita Barnard's artwork, Tribute.

Bath House Cultural Center Exhibits

Two great exhibits opened at the Bath House Cultural Center this weekend.

In the large gallery, VERSE AND REVERSE, paired visual artists and writers for an interesting collaboration. The artwork and the writings are moving. More information is available here.

In the back gallery, Julia McLain-Echols and Ann Huey presented their CRACKED! Two Chicks’ Eggsabition. These are two very clever artists. Also, the world premiere of Ann’s first film, “Eggs & Hamlet” was shown. Not to be missed!

Showing in the White Rock Lake Museum, http://www.bathhousecultural.com/museum/index.html, stunning White Rock Lake bird photographs by Dallas art photographer J R Compton.

Tracy Hicks Studio

I was so lucky to be able to visit Tracy Hicks’ studio. It is the coolest place and all about frogs.
He has tanks of amazingly colored frogs that he raises from tadpoles to adults. He has molds of extinct specimen frogs he has made over the years. He developed the techniques and procedures that museums and scientists are currently using to make molds without damaging the specimens. His studio windows are filled with jars that feature frog molds. There are molded jars that have inclusions. So much to look at.

The frogs, global warming and extinction are reoccurring themes in his artwork. Currently Tracy has an installation at the Valley House. In May, he will have an installation at the MAC, McKinney Avenue Contemporary. Many of the jars in his windows will be in the MAC installation. Guaranteed to be great.

Check out his website. Cool photos of his work and short animations he has made of the jars.

See more photos I took at Tracys studio.

Gallery Openings – Saturday, March 8

There were many art venues with openings Saturday night. Unfortunately, I could not make them all but still managed to view lots of art and capture some of it with my trusty cell phone camera.


The first stop was at The MAC (McKinney Avenue Contemporary). I wanted to check out David H. Gibson’s new work, Ephemeral Moments. His landscapes always have such a mystical quality and this new work seems to be a natural outgrowth. David said he had been photographing waterfalls, exploring the aspects of mist and smoke, and ended up doing further explorations in the studio. Very cool!
David Dreyer and David Everett also had great exhibits.


The next stop was Barry Whistler Gallery to check out Andrea Rosenberg’s new work. I always enjoy her artwork and really like her new work.

Onto The Public Trust gallery. I wanted to see the Urban Abstract book and limited edition boxed set by Evan Hecox. Four prints from the set were included in the exhibit, all featuring cameras. An intriguing exhibit and lots of cool art books in the gallery store.


The last stop was 500X Gallery. The art exhibits are always interesting and so worth checking out. Two of the exhibits really caught my eye. David Willburn was doing an interactive/performance piece “The Object of My Affection”. His set was a metal folding chair on a riser topped with faux grass. People were invited onto the set to pose by themselves or with the object of their affection(s). He then took a photo, printed it out and pinned it to the wall. After Saturday night, all that will be left of the performance will be the photos arranged on the wall.

In the Project Room, Natalie Macellaio and Matt Clark collaborated to create “Wannabe.” They placed large ramps on pedestals around the room. Above each ramp a series of hanging objects mimicked the curve in a mesmerizing visual effect of stop-action motion – all stopped and all showing.

Tracy Hicks Artist Talk at Valley House Gallery

I have admired Tracy Hicks’ artwork for years so it was great fun to hear him speak on Saturday March 8 at the Valley House Gallery. He has a great installation in the middle of the gallery comprised of a fascinating assortment of small artworks. It was interesting to hear his thoughts and the process of the various artworks that make up the installation. He also talked about his art in general, life as an artist and his frogs. If you ever get a chance to hear Tracy talk, do not miss it!

Also showing, are Mark Messersmith’s paintings that incorporate carved pediments and mixed media dioramas.

Both exhibits are definitely worth checking out. And, of course, a stroll through the sculpture garden is always a beautiful blend of sculpture and nature.

Late Nights at DMA

Late Nights at the Dallas Museum of Art are always lots of fun. There were people everywhere, and as always, lots of activities to keep everyone busy. We went through the Phil Collins: the world won’t listen exhibit. The exhibit was great and the karaoke videos fascinating. We checked out the other exhibits on the first floor. I particularly enjoyed Reflection of a Man: The Photographs of Stanley Marcus. Then it was on to the kids’ area. The favorite activity was assembling the man sculpture. We ran out of time and did not get to the J. M. W. Turner exhibit.That will definitely be on the agenda next month!

Check out more photos at artdallas on flickr.

DMA late night a go-go (2-15-08)

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