ARToberFEST

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ARToberFEST is Galveston’s premier juried fine arts festival. This weekend, it was the biggest attraction on the island. Literally, thousands of full- and part-time residents, as well as visitors from Houston and. beyond, made their way downtown to check out the art and associated festivities. All, like me, wanted to meet the featured artists and see their incredible works of art

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Held on Postoffice Street, in the heart of the Galveston Cultural Arts District, the event featured art, food and fun in a beautiful historic setting. Additionally, live music performances and a variety of products from the island’s local Farmers Market were located throughout the festival site.

ARToberFEST, now in its 22nd year, is sponsored annually by the Grand 1894 Opera House.

My visit to ARToberFEST this afternoon was somewhat like a maiden voyage. I knew the destination, but I wasn’t quite sure how well the journey would go. Would the event live up to my expectations? I was eager to find out!

Robin Renee Hix

Robin Renee Hix

This is one of the prints by Robin Renee Hix that currently hangs in The Bungalow. It’s bright and colorful like the rest of the decor in the house, and it’s one of my favorites.

This is one of the prints by Robin Renee Hix that currently hangs in The Bungalow. It’s bright and colorful like the rest of the decor in the house, and it’s one of my favorites.

As it turned out, I was somewhat surprised by the variety of media and the quality of the art I found. There were painters specializing in acrylic, oil and watercolor, jewelry designers, metal artists, photographers, printmakers, sculptors and wood carvers. And, all were creators of fine works of art. I was truly delighted!

There were more than 120 artists participating in the festival this afternoon, each showcased their creations inside sun-protected white tents., It was fun going in and out of those tents, meeting and chatting with some of the artists and spending extra time with the art I was drawn to.

I was especially happy to go into the tent of artist Robin Renee Hix of Wimberley, Texas.

This iRobin Renee Hix print is another favorite of mine. I hope to purchase a copy of it soon. Unfortunately, she did not have one with her today!

This iRobin Renee Hix print is another favorite of mine. I hope to purchase a copy of it soon. Unfortunately, she did not have one with her today!

Robin’s signature style combines two of her loves: photography and painting. Her works are well known for stunning color and dynamic mood. These works offer up a modern twist to the nearly lost art of the hand-colored photograph, a skill which flourished long before color film was invented.

Robin is the artist who created some of the framed art hanging on the walls of The Bungalow. I love the pieces, and II had hoped to meet Robin (someday), so running into her here was a nice surprise! As it turned out, she was very familiar with The Bungalow; she had actually been inside the house several years ago. Coincidentally, she is a good friend of one of the previous owners!
(While I was there, she took a photo of the two of us to send to him!)






















Sea Turtles

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In recent days, I’ve noticed a number of painted turtle statues on display alongside the Galveston streets I frequent most often. Perhaps, they have been there for awhile; I don’t really know. But, today, I am seeing them everywhere I go. So, of course, I had to ask about them. And, I’m happy to report I learned a lot!

First, I found out that Galveston is home to five of seven species of endangered sea turtles.

Secondly, Turtles About Town, is a community art project showcasing the island city and the conservation efforts of the Turtle Island Restoration Network to protect endangered sea turtles on the upper Texas coast, specially the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle.

And, now, thanks to the network’s combined efforts, turtle lovers - of all ages - have the opportunity to see 19 colorful Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle statues all around the island city.

The first sea turtle statue I spotted was located in front of Hey Mikey’s Ice Cream, 2120 Postoffice Street. “Sundae,” as it is called, was created by artist Shay McAnally and sponsored by Mikey’s. It’s adorable, of course!

Nearby, in front of the Galveston Art League, 2117 Postoffice Street, I saw “Sargasso Susan,” a sea turtle statue created by artist Leroy LeFlore. The color of the statue represents the Sargasso Sea and the Flower Gardens Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico.

Walking to the next block, I ran into “Mermaid + Turtle = Mertle,” located at Clay Cup Studios, 2219 Postoffice Street. It is the creation of artist Tracy Van Horn Reed. It was sponsored by Tom’s Galveston Real Estate. Of course, I love anything that gives a friendly nod to the mermaid.

I found out there is another sea turtle statue, called “Alice,” at Kempner Park, so I drove over to 2704 Ave. O to see it. “Alice” was created by artist Derek Anderson.

At the Bryan Museum, I saw “Dorado,” depicting sun reflections and a breath of air. It was created by artist Ray Cosgrove.

Still another statue I saw today is called “Dr. Tommie Tortuga,” located at 712 Texas Ave. at UTMB. “Dr. Tommie Tortuga” was created by artist Sabrina Stachowski. It is a colorful reminder not only of its mission to improve health but also that the Gulf Coast region UTMB Health calls home.

After looking at all these sea turtle statues today, It dawned on me taking “selfies” by any one of them (or all of them) would have been a good idea. Unfortunately, I thought of it after the fact. Oh well, next time!

About Kemp’s Ridley
The Kemp’s Ridley, the Texas State sea turtle, is the smallest and most critically endangered sea turtle species. This turtle nests on the beaches along the Texas and Mexico shoreline and can be found in Gulf of Mexico waters off the Galveston coastline.