Works in Progress

So much to tell and seemingly little time to tell it. However, all the artists are now underway with their work for the Houston Permitting Center. I'll be posting more. At least, that is the hope. Here are a few photos of some of the artists at work. Everyone is heading for an April 15 deadline, which is when the AIA will have its annual gala in the lobby space of the building. I suspect that guests will have access to the entire building that evening, so the work needs to be done in time for this first public viewing.

Visited Dean Ruck's big red barn studio today and photographed Dean and Dan's latest finds from their foray to Spectrum Metal Recycling. Folks dispose of the most beautiful, wonderful stuff. Sure looks like treasure.

Here's a first look at where the two are headed with this giant wall piece that will be installed at the top of the ramp entrance into the Green Building Resource Center in the main lobby area of the building.

Interesting to see how they work. I guess artists just work this way. Stuff goes up on the wall, assembled bit by bit and you begin to get a feel for the piece, the direction it is taking and what may be important, or on reflection, not important to the work at all. Off it comes, up goes more. Takes time to think about it, then return to the piece. I probably won't recognize the piece in a couple of weeks when I go back to take more photos of this work in progress. However, I can see already that this is sure going to be a 'piece of work'.

Visited Jesse Sifuentes in his studio at Texas Southern University days ago. He's got his canvases stretched and began to paint on the larger of the two. Jesse is using the iconic images he's used in murals before. Magnolia trees, house roofs, downtown Houston skyline. He'll paint four magnolia trees in this new work, a reminder of that early community known as Magnolia Park, first settled in 1890 near the Houston ship channel by John T. Brady. It is reported that the original Magnolia Park had 3500 magnolia trees and was a magnet for picnics and bayou boating.

Magnolia Park is now a largely Mexican American neighborhood in Houston's East End. I doubt, in these busy times, that anyone has counted its magnolia trees recently. But it's nice to know that Jesse is painting a mural that represents an early slice of Houston's history. Jesse was a student of John Biggers and I think you will see a bit of Bigger's influence as the mural develops.

More photos of works in progress soon.