This past Saturday night was the opening of a three-person show at the Linda Watson Gallery in Conroe, TX. The invitation, featuring my watercolor "Fragile Planet", is shown at left. Of course it's too small to see much detail but you could always go to my etsy page for better viewing!The show featured the works of Paula McCullough, Jo Farmer, and myself. All of our works fit the "go green" theme, although in different ways. Paula works mostly with found objects and materials, thus repurposing and keeping metal and plastic (and puzzle pieces!) out of the landfill. She has a series of 100 clocks made with railroad tie plates (they hold the rail to the tie) and assorted other cool found stuff. She also had some fairly large mixed media pieces, several combined with her photographs. To see her work, including the pieces in this show, click on her name to check out her great website!
Jo Farmer is a painter who combines other materials to create some interesting mixed media pieces. She had several black and white paintings, two of which were landscapes with trees, and she had collaged on twigs she collected after Hurricane Ike which really gave the pieces dimension, not to mention a conversational starting point! She had a colorful group of paintings as well, some of which featured flowers she had fashioned out of colorful used saris and then attached to painted canvas or wood. They were bright and beautiful and certainly a creative repurposing of discarded clothing!
My own work was watercolors featuring mostly trees, which fit the theme by celebrating our native landscapes, as well as by the extensive use of the color green. My "Fragile Planet" piece (prints available! ;-D) is more directly related to the state of our planet, and is meant as a plea to value nature enough to purposefully take steps to preserve it. This piece has been used to advertise the upcoming Earth Day 2010 celebration in The Woodlands, Texas, and will be featured on tee shirts to be worn by volunteers, as well as sold to the public.
Although Paula, Jo and I were the featured artists for the show, there were other pieces in the show; paintings and three-dimensional art as well, most notably the turned wood pieces by the master of the lathe, Lonnie Gannon. This artist uses all types of wood to make his incredible creations, some of which feature inlaid turquoise and other materials. They are stunning!
It was a wonderful evening with a great turnout! Gallery owners Joe and Jean Fleshner provided wine, green punch, and a variety of green food for a fun and festive refreshment table, as well as serving as the consummate host and hostess. If you saw a work of art that you just can't get out of your mind, go back over to the Linda Watson Gallery and let Joe or Jean help you make it your own!
It was a great night to visit with old friends, such as celebrity Dan Phillips of The Phoenix Commotion, and the irrepressible Dru Southworth, sister of wood-turner Lonnie Gannon. You all missed a fun time! 
