Eddie Filer paints a portrait of his son, Jordan, from a photograph in his studio in Texas City. Filer enjoys painting from life more than photographs because he procrastinates when painting from a photo. Photo by Kelsey Walling
Classic portraits in oil paint often depict the wealthy and well-known, but award-winning artist Eddie Filer prefers ordinary subjects. [Read more…]
Taylor McClung uses a straw to blow away loose sand while building a castle on the beach in Galveston. Photo by Stuart Villanueva
His artwork lasts only until the tide comes in or someone stomps on it along the water’s edge. But Taylor McClung is fine with that — there’s always more sand available to create another sand castle, with incredible detail and craftsmanship honed after much practice. [Read more…]
Galveston Arts Center teaching artist Cristal Aldrete helps with a student’s clay project in a classroom at the center. Photo by Stuart Villanueva
Long the hub of visual arts on the island, the Galveston Arts Center is re-emerging as a source of creativity, inspiration, artistic energy and community pride after a decade of significant trials that included structural failures in its downtown building, two hurricanes and the grind of maintaining a steady flow of operating funds. [Read more…]
Frederick B. Richardson Sr. stands in front of some of his paintings in his home in Texas City. Richardson enjoys using acrylics, pencil and pastels for his art. Photo by Kelsey Walling
Each piece of art displayed in the rooms of Frederick B. Richardson Sr.’s Texas City home tells a different story through creations he has painted from thoughts and ideas in his mind. [Read more…]
Friends and co-artists Nikki Olsen and Amy Satterly use sea beans to create jewelry. Photo by Stuart Villanueva
They come from Africa, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. They’re called sea beans, and the many-colored objects that wash up regularly on Galveston beaches are actually seeds and fruit. [Read more…]
Leroy LeFlore is a self-taught artist who lives in Galveston. LeFlore specializes in oil painting, watercolor, pen and ink, wood carving and plank-on-frame ship modeling. Photo by Kelsey Walling
Take a look at one of artist Leroy LeFlore’s paintings and you’ll learn a lot about what Galveston scenes inspire him. His art is a journal of his life — whether it’s a morning on the 10th Street jetty, a walk through an East End alley, a glimpse of the sunset from a West End beach, grazing cows in a field, or a view of the city from his third-floor studio. [Read more…]
Some of Chris Whatley’s creations are displayed outside his East End island home. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds
Chris Whatley thinks he has a solution to Gulf Coast gardening. His flowers don’t die, need water or sunshine. [Read more…]
Artist Mary Farragher opened Beta Gallery in the Hutchings-Sealy Building on The Strand in 2016. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds
From wood shop classes in middle and high school, to his grandfather and uncle who were carpenters by trade, working with wood isn’t new to Norman Bloom III. It wasn’t until last year, though, after the death of his grandmother, that he began building and creating pieces for friends and family. Photo by Jennifer Reynolds
Norman “Snooze” Bloom III has always loved working with his hands and creating things with wood or other materials. [Read more…]
Jennifer Nichole Head stands with some of the art she created from cigar boxes at Havana Alley in Galveston. Head sells her creations online and at Havana Alley. Photo by Kelsey Walling
With Jennifer Nichole Head’s hand-decorated cigar boxes, the smokes aren’t the main attraction. [Read more…]