Day Trip from Dallas: Art in Waxahachie and Corsicana

We find art everywhere, and we are lucky that so much of it is within a day's drive from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex where we live. As a bonus, spring wildflowers have popped up alongside the highways, so we took a nice Sunday drive to explore the art and nature show around us.

Wildflower field in Navarro County, Texas.

Our first stop was Waxahachie, an approximately 30 minute drive down I-35. It's known as the "Gingerbread City" for its distinctive and prevalent Victorian architectural style. While we enjoyed seeing the charming and colorful homes around Downtown Waxahachie, we were there to stop in at the Webb Gallery a primarily folk and outsider art gallery and antique store that had long been on our radar.

An artistic scene at Waxahachie's Webb Gallery.

Up the stairs at Waxahachie's Webb Gallery.

The gallery's current exhibit, "Wayward Walking Songs" featured work by artists Aaron Michalovic of Michalovic Wood Art, Adam Young, and Michael Hall. Downstairs was spacious, and a narrow staircase led to a loft filled with more exhibition pieces alongside a jumble of kitsch and vintage ephemera.

Webb Gallery Waxahachie interior. Lower level.

Work by Michael Hall at Waxahachie's Webb Gallery.

Hall's work was abstract, gouache and acrylic, and provided a nice contrast to the more detailed pieces by Michalovic and Young.

Michalovic's work was impressive to see on both small and large-scale pieces. Deceptively simple, the artist's color choices and textile-inspired craftsmanship drew in the viewer and made for some really engaging, tactile work.

According to the exhibition press release, Michalovic uses an ancient "Mortise and Tenon" wooden architecture style and method.

From Wikipedia: " Woodworkers around the world have used it for thousands of years to join pieces of wood, mainly when the adjoining pieces connect at right angles. In its most basic form, a mortise and tenon joint is both simple and strong."

Wood collage by Aaron Michalovic at Webb Gallery.

Louisiana woodworker Adam Young's work was the most narrative of the group, and each painting seemed to represent its own story in addition to being part of his exhibition selections' larger narrative arc. These are paintings that I wanted to spend time with, not only to analyze the story, meaning and artist's intent, but to catch all the details. Young incorporates words and phrases in nearly every piece, placing them all over the canvas so that the viewer's eye must travel to take it all in.

Young's work also had a Western frontier, homespun theme that I really enjoyed.

Adam Young at Webb Gallery

Wood sculpture by Adam Young at Webb Gallery.

Details in an Adam Young painting.

These artists are on view until April 28. Visit Webb Gallery's upcoming exhibition page to see what's next.

On a Sunday afternoon, our choices were a bit limited in exploring small-town Texas. Luckily, when we arrived in Corsicana, we found many architectural gems and colorful facades to see outdoors. These buildings and a mural caught our eye with their bright colors and details, and we are eager to return on a business day to see more of the town's creative offerings.

Mural in Downtown Corsicana, TX.

Withrow Building, Downtown Corsicana.

State National Bank Building, 1926. Downtown Corsicana.

For this trip, we left Dallas and hit Waxahachie for lunch, then drove back roads to Corsicana, then back home. In total, the trip was around five hours, including lunch and several stops to take photos. It was a fun and educational day that didn't take a lot of planning , time or budget. It's always nice to discover interesting new things so close to home.

2019 Dallas Art Fair Part 2

This year's Dallas Art Fair wrapped up on Sunday, and I was lucky to be able to go twice. There's so much going on and so much to see that two trips really did help to take it all in.

Here were our favorite pieces from the weekend, in no particular order:

Crowd Shot of Jonas Burgert's "Handlers" at Blain | Southern's booth at the Dallas Art Fair.

"Handlers", by Jonas Burgert. Blain | Southern. I mentioned this piece in the Part 1 recap, and keep coming back to it in my mind. I just love it. The best creators are able to build worlds, and Burgert is no exception. I wonder where these figures might live, and what the "Handlers" are handling.

Sedrick Huckaby's "The Family: Letitia," exhibited by Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden at the Dallas Art Fair.

"The Family: Letitia," by Sedrick Huckaby. Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden. This piece by Fort Worth artist Sedrick Huckaby is one that celebrates the artist's family and friends. On his Web site, Huckaby writes, "I hope these paintings not only celebrate the sitter’s facial features but also send the message that ordinary people, who may not be great in society’s eyes, should be of paramount importance to us."

This reverence of both art and family comes through in Huckaby's phenomenal large-scale portrait of "Leticia." We immediately felt a connection. Message received, Mr. Huckaby.

"A Great Piece of Turf" by Mark Dennis at the Dallas Art Fair. Exhibited by Cris Worely Fine Arts.

"A Great Piece of Turf," by Mark Dennis. Cris Worley Fine Arts. This is such a vibrant piece, and on closer look, there is an interesting juxtaposition between the flowers and insects. Instead of an artfully arranged tableau as one would expect to see in a still life, this reminds us of a living garden, complete with the natural bugs and caterpillars that will ultimately contribute to its demise.

Scott Green's "Mountsanto" at the Dallas Art Fair. Exhibited by the Turner Carroll Gallery.

"Mountsanto," by Scott Greene. Turner Carroll Gallery. This absurd piece has a point that's hard to miss, and is a scathing criticism of "corporations like Monsanto's" influence on farmers. At first glance, Greene's artistic abilities and choices of color and composition have created something very beautiful. As we are drawn in, we also recoil at so much natural beauty piled up like so much trash.

"To Hold a String" by Liliana Porter at the Dallas Art Fair. Exhibited by the Carrie Secrist Gallery.

"To Hold a String," by Liliana Porter. Carrie Secrist Gallery. These tiny figurines were so intriguing, and it helped that the gallery staff took time to educate us about Porter and other exhibited artists. This piece is part of a series of surrealist sculptures that were placed in interesting arrangements. The composition, use of white space and placement give deeper meaning to simple objects.

Dorothy Wood collages at the Dallas Art Fair, exhibited by the McClain Gallery.

Collages by Dorothy Hood. McClain Gallery. These Dorothy Hood collages are another early favorite that kept its place over the course of the weekend. They're so simple, but very memorable. Hood was a modernist artist, and one of the first abstract surrealists. These collages are formed from materials including wrapping paper, magazines and stationery among other decorative papers, and were influenced by space and dimensions.

All in all, it was a great experience, and one that I can't wait to repeat next year.

2019 Dallas Art Fair Part 1

"Texas State Fair" by Rosson Crow at the 2019 Dallas Art Fair. Exhibited by The Hole, NYC.

Yesterday was our first look at the 2019 Dallas Art Fair. I went by myself to get an overview of what was there, and today I'm going back with James (aka, our official photographer).

Last year was my first experience with the Dallas Art Fair and it was incredible. It is so amazing to see so many exhibitors from all over the world, and see so many different types of people enjoying the art and having a chance to talk with and ask questions of so many interesting galleries. Few people can travel to see art, and definitely not on this scale, so it's always a treat when more of it comes to us! It's also important in that it exposes people to different types of art. When showrooms are side-by-side under one roof, it's easy to wander in and take a closer look.

I already have many thoughts about this year's fair, and will take a few days to organize and articulate them. But here are some early standouts from Friday. If you want to see more and follow along in real time, connect with us on Instagram. We post photos and have saved a Dallas Art Fair story highlight as well.

Collage pieces by Dorothy Hood at the Dallas Art Fair. Exhibited by the McClain Gallery, Houston.

I suspect I'm about to go down a Dorothy Hood rabbit hole. I love these pieces and want to learn more about the artist. Everything about them works so well together. They fit together perfectly in a gallery grouping, seen here, and each piece is also strong enough to stand alone.

Jonas Burgert's "Handler" at the Dallas Art Fair. Exhibited by Blain | Southern, New York, Berlin, London.

Detail Shot: Jonas Burgert's "Handler."

The colors are what first drew me in to this piece by German artist Jonas Burgert. The style is fairly classical, but the tints they used are unusual, almost otherworldly, just like the figures. Put together, it is familiar but unsettling; beautiful, but not quite "right." Love it.

Eric Zener's "Where I End and You Begin" at the Dallas Art Fair. Exhibited by Gallery Henoch, New York.

This piece is very relaxing to look at. I could have stared at it for hours. It's so smooth and cool - a photo-realistic style that feels very "California," which makes sense because Zener is a West Coast artist. At first I was irritated with myself for the glare at the top of this image. I always wish to display art photos as close to what the artist intended as possible. At the same time, it introduces a new element to the work, and I wonder if once installed in a home or different gallery, the painting would similarly take on more depth and context in different types of light.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon!