Wood, Ribbons, Tacos, Friends, Art--Oh My!

Where else could you have gotten a dose of provocative art, great wares from talented artists, tacos, and great friemds?  I can only speak for Shreveport! This weekend was a wonderful representation of some of the awesome stuff we have to offer here.  I definitely remember a time when weekends left the Port like a ghost town, quiet and quaint as folks hopped in their cars to get to Dallas and New Orleans quick--but the tides are changing, yay!

The creative community in Shreveport is emerging--and emerging strong!  And while I'm not a 'talented' person per say (think Painting with a Twist), I've always been affected by and attuned to art, and been very curious at what informs and inspires folks to create what they do. This weekend did not disappoint!

OBJECT, the latest art exhibition at artspace, was a display of some really cool art by Adam Volker and Joe Bluhm, who are digital artists by day--but decided to take it back to traditional paint and canvas works of everyday objects. So very cool. Two pieces, "Insecurity" and "Inspiration", by Joe Bluhm, really spoke to me (click to enlarge):

There was one piece called "The Price to Create" (not pictured) that was really interesting. There was a male artist, perched at the top of a very high, empty wine bottle, holding a pencil, about to jump in the bottle. Other than a few mysterious scraps of paper at the bottom of the bottle, the bottle looked dark and bleak. Very deep.  If you get the opportunity, check the show out--it runs through January 18th.

This weekend also brought the highly anticipated Texas Avenue Makers Fair--the perfect conglomeration of talent and hipster in one location! Over the past year, I've gotten the chance to expand my friend base and meet some really cool people, many of whom are amazingly talented artists!  This year, the Makers Fair was bigger and better--and I was able to be a shopper and not an honorary vendor, and support these wonderful people. So fun!

We still look the same! :)

And as if the weekend couldn't get any better--it did! SUCH a treat to be able to spend time with my former officemate and favorite person at the Bush School ever--Maggie!  It was so great to catch up on all of the exciting things happening in her life. It's as if we never skipped at beat. And we did some some serious damage to the infamous Don Juanz chips and salsa, too. :)

I keep getting affirmation after affirmation of how blessed I am from the smallest and seemingly insignificant of things.  As I viewed the art on Friday, I found such joy in the piece "Inspiration"--so full of color and life, and buoyant. Now granted, it's my own artistic interpretation, but it was really a relief after viewing the other two--so complex, and dark, and intricate in a burdensome kind of way.  I felt sorry for the man in "Insecurity" who seemed so trapped in his own complicated mind of wood and right angles--of his own making. It became apparent that sometimes, even the most complicated walls and structures that we build inside of ourselves for protection only serve to complicate our lives even further. It's sad to think of all of the things you could be missing out on. Sometimes you have to make the conscious decision just to let go--and turn those wooden frames into colorful ribbons that are free to fly where they may.