Jim Houser

KINDS OF PLANTS

2014

"An Invasion" is a piece by Qiaira Riley made from acrylic paint and beads on found wood. This piece measures measures 24"h x 24"w unframed. "Inspired by the changing visual landscape of my hometown of Chicago, I created these works to explore how the gentrification of the south-side disrupts intimate, private memories associated with public spaces in the name of urban "renewal," even creating commodifiable opportunities to make community memories public and profitable, yet not sacred. I was attending a suburban private liberal arts college; many classmates often seemed obsessed with fantastical, cheap narratives about my community and the folks in it that deeply contrasted the memories of love and care I had grown up with. These works remember and reclaim these spaces while showing off my favorite public treasures, sights, and delicacies. There are also odes to the sweet parts of my adolescence that I hope urban development will not shift: running around the city with my father, who has worked for the Chicago Park District for over 25 years, my mom getting me a 6 piece from Harold's Chicken whenever I got a good report card, or stopping by Zberry, the city's first black-woman owned froyo shop to get a treat after school. I moved to Philadelphia that same year with just two suitcases, my art supplies storage...

This piece titled "I Give Myself Grace Now" is an original painting by Sarah Detweiler and is made from oil paint, recycled fiber packing material, crochet thread, acrylic mirror til...

This piece titled "The Lovers" is an original artwork made from oil on double vintage portrait paintings on wood by André Schulze. This piece...

This architectural wall-hanging artwork titled "In Isolation Series VII" is an original artwork by Seth Clark made of collage, charcoal, pastel, graphite, and acrylic on wood. This p...

Gold as a background in the Diptych Polka Dots and Fish suggests an icon while undermining the tango dancing couple as they are morphed into paper doll images. This alludes to an in...

Modern Mixed Media Textured Kimono in Neutral Blush, Collagraph Master Plate #2 This one-of-a-kind, highly textured, modern mixed media piece of a kimono in blush, warm neutrals is ...

This work consists of an acrylic painting on canvas laid in a handmade frame of plaster and pine. The imagery of the painting, as implied by the title and crucifix near the center of...

This three-dimensional work incorporates an acrylic painting on canvas laid in a handmade red frame, adorned with scorched wooden planks, a stylized plaster heart, and an ice pick. The painting is a monochromatic depiction of icebergs protruding from the surface of water. While the imagery of the painting speaks to the visible outcome of artistic production, the frame and its adornments implore the viewer to consider the requisite materials necessary for creative actualization. Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was born in 1940 in Texas, grew up the Houston’s historic Fifth Ward and received his formal education from UCLA. Following a career as a successful master chef, Long decided to devote himself entirely to art in the late 1970’s. He began to explore folk art and assemblage to create a unique body of work, attracting the attention of Jim Harithas, then Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and artists John Alexander, Salvatore Scarpitta and James Surls. His life spanned an era of radical change in the American social climate, the influence of which can be seen clearly in his work. Long’s paintings and sculptures incorporate a high level of skill and sophisticated knowledge of art history, along with complex philosophical and social issues.  Long describes the philosophy behind his work as "a quest to help people diagnose their inner self," believing his art to be "the vehicle to help facilitate the process." “As artists we have the obligation to provide the world with art which communicates as truth. I believe that art has the power to heal our souls of their afflictions. I try to create art which helps to diagnose the prevalent conditions within our societies, hopefully providing an insightfulness which will help us all become brothers and sisters united in equality and compassion”                                       - Bert L. Long, Jr. The late Peter Marzio, former Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, said of Bert Long during the major retrospective of Long’s work at the museum: “Bert Long does not avert his gaze from that which is painful, but as [his artworks] testify, he also brings a spirit of joy and redemption to his art. We can all learn from this great artist.” Over Long’s 33-year career as a painter, sculptor, and photographer, he had several solo exhibitions at respected museums and was awarded many significant awards including the National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1987 and the prestigious international Prix de Rome fellowship in 1990. Other notable awards of Long’s include the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts Artist of the Year Award in 2009, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Assistance Grant in 1997, the Houston Art League Texas Artist of the Year in 1990, the NEA Visual Artists Fellowship Grant, 1987 and the Bemis Foundation Residency in 1998. His work can be seen in over 100 private and public collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Bachillerato in Spain. With a recent solo exhibition at the Houston Museum of African American Culture and an exhibition overseas which is pending featuring his work, plus interest from several national museums, Bert L. Long Jr. continues to be recognized as an important African American artist throughout Texas, nationally and internationally. Bert L. Long, Jr. "Passion" 2012 Acrylic Paint, Wood Elements...