The second annual Cedar Springs Art Festival is this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. I’m not sure if I’ll make it out this weekend since I might be going to the White Rock Local Market. Either way, I’ll take photos if possible.
Also, if you haven’t checked it out just yet, I’ve updated the “Projects” section to this site. I hope to be picking the brushes back up this weekend. I will also keep you updated on that.
Have a great weekend!
Sadly, I missed the DADA Spring Gallery Walk; however, I did make it to the 8th semi-annual DEEP ArtWalk Saturday night.
There’s just something about Deep Ellum art; It’s raw and gritty, and I like it. It’s something you can’t find on Dragon Street. It’s pure. When you’re there, you’re among the artists. Everyone’s welcoming, and nothing beats the culture and atmosphere.
I started the night at Nomad Arts. This is probably my third or fourth time to attend their events. And let me just tell you: Nomad Arts brings together some of the best local artists, and these art extravaganzas just blow my mind.
Dan Colcer's Erykah Badu. This photo was taken by my phone and does not do the piece any justice. The area around her eye is an illustrated scene of DJs spinning a record (which is her eye).
He even signed my postcard. This is when I first saw his work a few months ago.
The first time I saw Dan Colcer’s work was actually at my first Nomad Arts event — a gallery walk held late last year. I walked into the gallery, spotted his work from about 20 feet away and loved it. Then when I was about two feet away, I couldn’t stop staring. So, naturally, I was drawn to his pieces on Saturday’s ArtWalk. His works are illustrations within illustrations. The works I’ve seen are often of different characters interacting in a fluid, surreal environment. More often than not, these characters and environments are composed of even tinier characters and different formations of line and color — scene within scene. Colcer was also showcased at Kettle Art that night.
Tyson Summer's Magik Charms
This was my first time to see Tyson Summers‘ work, and it sure got my attention. Magic Charms was one of a series of cereal box designs — parodies of existing brands. His works remind me of European street art. Summers work was also showcased at Nomad Arts and Kettle Art, along with Dan Colcer. I hope to be seeing more of his work around.
Larry Carey's Composite Mandala Pt. 1 and 3
Oh, and I even bought his jacket.
I first saw Larry Carey’s work when Nomad Arts hosted his show, In the Light. Never having heard his name before, I went without knowing what to expect. With just the name of the exhibit in mind, I was expecting to see photography. It was not photography; although, I was pleasantly surprised. Carey’s work consists of intricately designed, mosaic-like illustrations. There’s so much to each piece that it takes almost 10 minutes just to look at one. Each ’tile’ is completely original, and no ideas are repeated. Amazing considering he does all this on the fly.
I ended the night at Kettle Art. Among those showcased was Erica Felicella, whose work I first saw when she gave a lecture to my photography class at UTD a few years ago. I’m always amazed at what she can make happen with a camera.
Cathey Miller’s work also caught my attention, but unfortunately, I have no photos to show for it. Pieces entitled Trouble, Betty + Veronica, and The Other Kind portray a playful — as they imitate comics — lesbian curiosity. I also hope to be seeing more of her work as well.
Lots of art events lately! I’m not complaining.
Things to do this weekend:
I’ll be there. You better believe it.
Last weekend’s Oak Cliff Art Crawl was awesome; although, I don’t expect any less from the OC. As I’ve promised, the photos are uploaded. See them here. My small troop (David, me, and our friend Kenneth) went to visit the OC last Saturday.
We started on the corner of Bishop and Davis. The urban street bazaar comprised of more than 100 craft vendors. Items for sale ranged from baby shoes to jewelry made from recycled guitar and bass strings by Eye on the Sparrow Designs.
After stopping for a fruit smoothie, we headed to Tyler Street. The Better Block Project took part in this year’s event. The project hopes to create a better shared space for a more hospitable, community atmosphere. The street was divided into a bike lane, a narrow driveway for cars, and a patio and seating area for the visitors of nearby pop-up coffee shops and galleries.
Art galleries also took part in the festivities. Mighty Fine Arts hosted the opening of Underneath and In-Between, a showcase of Janet Chaffee’s work. Her pieces ask to be touched and felt as they hang playfully from the gallery walls. Some imitate different textures, such as paper sculptures that — at first glance — seem like velvet and lace.
How else to end the Art Crawl than a couple of frozen margaritas from Gloria’s? We sipped while we had pupusas and left for David and Kenneth’s show in uptown. Wonderful day.
As many of you know, the Oak Cliff Art Crawl is this weekend. I’ll be visiting today — later today, as it is almost 2 a.m. now — and will be taking my very significant other David. To see exactly how kick-ass he is, you can go here or find his link on the bottom right of this site under “Art Dilemma’s Friends.”
Anyways, back on track: For the small price of $10, you can get discounts on stuff like beer and art. Awesome.
Included in the list of participating art galleries are Artisans Collective, Daniel Padilla Gallery, The Soda Gallery, Decorazon, and Mighty Fine Arts among others. Live music and poetry are also scheduled. There will also be an outdoor urban street bazaar offering more than 100 vendors. It doesn’t get much better than this. I’ll be there. Photos to come. Hope to see some of you out there too.
