Discover the Best Things to Do in Austin, Food & Drink deals and more!
Austin street art (Credit: 1138Studios.com)
Guest article by Gino Barasa
It’s five in the morning and I’m somewhere off 51st Street with Austin’s most dangerous street artists.
Well, not exactly. It is really early and I am watching some of Austin’s finest street artists do their thing, but they aren’t actually very dangerous. In fact, they’re really a bunch of easy going guys who happen to be amazingly talented artists. [Read more…]
The front of three-story Casa Neverlandia
After going on the Weird Homes Tour last year, I wanted to take a closer look at some of the odd homes in Austin and the people who live in them. Not far from FlamingO Ranch (my first peek into one of Austin’s unique abodes) lies Casa Neverlandia, the Bouldin Creek home of artist James Edward Talbot.
When I walked up to the door, I noticed there wasn’t a doorbell, but rather xylophones and bells. After dinging a bell, I heard a voice coming from a PVC pipe imbedded in the house asking, “Who is it?” When Talbot greeted me outside, he began to tell me his background and how Casa Neverlandia was born.
What was once a small one-story house built in 1906 is now a three [Read more…]
Old design and log book at Clayworks, a local business dating back 35 years
If there was a book called Cool Things in Austin You Should Know About, Clayworks Studio/Gallery and the Gray Family would be in the first chapter.
The gallery on East Sixth Street displays tables, art work, tiles, architectural ceramics and more that the Grays have created. A working studio sits behind the gallery, where the Grays make and fire products for individual and company contracts.
Austin landmarks such as the Texas State Capitol Building, The Driskill Hotel and The University of Texas at Austin all house their creations.
The story of the Grays is a story, in microcosm, of what has happened in East Austin for the last three decades. [Read more…]
Stefanie Distefano cradles her co-star Maybelline at FlamingO Ranch
In September of this year, I went on the Weird Homes Tour to explore some of the residences that make Austin living so unique.
Nestled between 1st and South Congress in 78704 sits FlamingO Ranch, a home owned and curated by Stefanie Distefano where she teaches art classes and exhibits her talents as a ceramic and mosaic artist.
I felt very drawn into this quintessential reflection of living in Austin and I wanted to know more about this artistic bungalow and the person who is mirrored in it. I revisited FlamingO Ranch on a chilly and rainy afternoon for an interview, but I was warmed by the bright abode and company of Stefanie and her cat, Maybelline. [Read more…]
Statues become mental landmarks of people, animals, fantastic beings from creative minds…and legends.
Observing a statue can be a zen like or aesthetic experience. Or for those who love to do statue art, it’s a convivial fun fest of reactions and poses for statue photos.
Here are 14 famous statues in Austin you should include on your next public statue pilgrimage:
Lady Hare with Dog
Sophie Ryder’s mythical creatures stand throughout the world. Lady Hare With Dog is near the Zach Theatre and it’s a classic Ryder work. The figure of the hare holding the dog is funny, poignant and compelling. [Read more…]
Glass blown ornaments from Blue Moon Glassworks
Tucked neatly into an envelope of leafy boughs in Hyde Park, Blue Moon Glassworks and owner Jim Berry have breathed life into an artistic niche in Austin for more than 14 years.
The store is filled with a colorful and ingenious array of one of a kind glass creations, and today my own unique collection of blown glass ornaments sits among these treasures.
Jim grew up in a home filled with artistic craft projects which he learned to recreate later in life. After retiring, he found himself learning new techniques and even selling pieces, soon setting out with a personal agenda to teach. At that, Blue Moon Glassworks was born. [Read more…]
Umlauf Sculpture Garden, with Ballerina in the foreground (1977, bronze)
“You don’t have to know. It’s just beautiful,” a man said while shrugging, after his friend seemed confused about a piece at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum.
It’s true; visiting the Umlauf can be enjoyable with little or no knowledge about Charles Umlauf (1910-1994) or his artwork. The grounds feature nice gravel paths, lush native plants, a waterfall, two ponds and a museum all nestled in the heart of the city next to Barton Springs and Zilker Park. [Read more…]
Austin artist Sam Hurt at Pease Park
Sam Hurt desired to become one of the best comic strip artists, ever.
He reached that goal. Unfortunately, fame and fortune did not follow.
If you suffer from Stendahl’s Syndrome, take care with Hurt’s work. The bizarre splendor of burned out matches carrying lit candles, of spoons loving forks, of profound, yawning oceans bursting from the canvas will disorient even one with a normal psyche.
The blazing weirdness of Sam Hurt, 56, is not for those wanting to buy art to match their color scheme. Rather, you might consider designing a room around just one of Hurt’s pieces.
Of the thousands of artists in Austin, Hurt has emerged over the last decade as a giant who is known by those artists, but not by the public at large. An uncanny, poignant light burns in Sam Hurt’s paintings and drawings that draws one in like a child who can’t distinguish cartoons from reality. [Read more…]
James Turrell, Interior of The Color Inside, 2013. Photo by Florian Holzherr. Courtesy of Landmarks, the public art program of The University of Texas at Austin.
When a bird flew inches above our oval cutout, some of us gasped and then laughed at our response. Our slowly changing focal point had shifted suddenly and shot us out of a relaxed, contemplative state and back to the reality that we were staring at something ever-changing, yet accessible: the sky.
If you haven’t visited James Turrell’s Skyspace titled The Color Inside, you may not understand the full thrill of the bird sighting. Turrell’s art piece is an incredible permanent space located on the rooftop of the Student Activity Center on UT’s campus. The Color Inside was commissioned by Landmarks, UT’s public art program, and describing the piece isn’t an easy task. [Read more…]
Your author and her man at “Olive You” by SprATX artist Sweet
Art is represented in many ways within a city, from traditional art museums and historical buildings to theater and music. Graffiti, however, hasn’t always been accepted as a viable art form and has often been stigmatized.
But here in Austin where murals are a plenty, graffiti has transformed into street art, and a mural is a must if you are looking to be Austin. And thank goodness for that because art lives in the soul of every city.
Austin’s weird and eccentric vibe is what draws people in, but it’s also most at risk of changing as people continue to move here. At the forefront of keeping this creative energy alive in Austin through street art is a small group of people known as SprATX.
SprATX is unique in that it’s both a collective of artists and a business. The lines are often blurred, but the end results are the same – SprATX makes art [Read more…]