Houston, August 25, 2013—The Season Ahead at William Reaves Fine Art

September ushers in an exciting eighth season at William Reaves Fine Art, meaning that Houstonians are in store for another blockbuster series of exhibitions which feature the best of Lone Star painters - both past and present.  The distinctive gallery, quietly tucked away in the neighborhoods between the Montrose and River Oaks, has quickly earned a reputation as one of the Bayou City’s most interesting and entertaining art spaces.  Already a mainstay for local patrons of Texas art and Lone Star art history, the gallery’s ambitious plans for the upcoming season are destined to further strengthen its brand in the eyes of Houston’s art faithful. 

Open since 2006, William Reaves Fine Art is Houston’s only venue exclusively devoted to early and mid-century Texas work.  The gallery has become well-known for diverse and sophisticated selections of Texas paintings presented in rapid-fire exhibitions, all smartly mounted in one of the community’s most unique and welcoming art environments.  In its short seven short years, the gallery has hosted 49 exhibitions at its Brun Street locale, featuring over 150 historical and contemporary Texas artists.  Besides specializing in pre-war Texas impressionists such as Julian Onderdonk, Emma Richardson Cherry, Edward Eisenlohr and others, the gallery also emphasizes the work of important Houston artists of the 50s and 60s (The Houston Founders Group), as well as actively showing traditional Texas paintings of modern-day masters of the Lone Star scene (Contemporary Texas Regionalists).

In announcing its fall exhibition series, the upcoming 2013-14 art season at William Reaves Fine Art is as follows.

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September 13-October 5, 2013: Lives Played Out on Canvas: Paintings by Otis Huband, Richard Stout, and Dick Wray

On September 13th, William Reaves Fine Art pulls back the curtain on its milestone 50th exhibition entitled Lives Played Out on Canvas, celebrating the expressionist works of three Houston stalwarts, Richard Stout, Dick Wray and Otis Huband.  The three featured artists were among those who put down roots in Houston as young painters in the late 50s and early 60s and proceeded to blaze creative trails through a burgeoning local art scene.   In the decades that have followed, they, like so many of their Houston contemporaries, have shared inspired lives with all of us through the paintings they have produced.  Working continuously within the city, the three have achieved worthy regional and national reputations, playing out painterly pursuits before us in strong, dynamic bodies of work.  Our own lives (and indeed the entire Houston art scene) are undoubtedly richer due to their presence here.  While our Bayou City still quietly mourns the recent passing of Dick Wray, Stout and Huband still work daily and continue to regale us with sublime canvases emanating from their Houston studios.  Lives Played Out on Canvas has the makings of a hallmark exhibition, and is certain to rank as a “must see” event for Houston art enthusiasts.  The exhibition is filled with show-stopping examples of the artists’ oeuvres, presenting a remarkable collection of grand abstractions and affording poignant insights into the creative lives and visions of three Houston greats.  The show opens on September 13th and runs through October 5th.

Related Special Events:

September 14, 2013, 3-4:30pm: Artists Talk with Otis Huband & Richard Stout

September 14, 2013, 5-8pm: Opening Reception

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October 18-November 16, 2013: Hill Country Love Affair: Interpretations of a Texas Heartland

In Hill Country Love Affair, William Reaves Fine Art offers a stunning exhibition that examines artists’ interpretations of the storied Texas Hill Country.  Long an inspiration for Texas artists, this treasured section at the very heart of the Lone Star State offers visually appealing subject matter around virtually every bend.  With verdant countryside that is at once beautiful and tough, punctuated by clear, rocky rivers flowing through scenic small towns, the Texas Hill Country has called to artists for centuries.  From bluebonnets to cactus, live oaks to red buds, rock walls to caliche roads, these lands have yielded some of the most iconic of Texas imagery.  Hill Country Love Affair offers patrons an incomparable visual journey into these storied lands, presenting classic paintings by over 30 Texas artists at work over the last century.  Given the allure of its subject matter, and walls rife with remarkable Hill Country scenes, the exhibition is destined to be among the most popular of the fall, offering patrons a splendid art experience and visually reinforcing the glories of this prized sanctuary cradled in the Lone Star State.  The exhibition runs from October 18th through November 16th.

Related Special Events:

October 26, 2013, 5-8pm: Opening Reception

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November 22-December 21, 2013: The Texas Watercolor Tradition

The gallery traces the grand legacy of Texas watercolorists in a holiday exhibition entitled The Texas Watercolor Tradition.  Similar to the California Scene painters of post-World War II fame, Texas nurtured its own cadre of accomplished watercolorists who plied the Texas scene with equal skill and fervor.  The Texas Watercolor Tradition brings Houstonians a marvelous four-man exhibition, shining new light on a stunning, yet often under-appreciated medium.  The exhibition features sterling Texas imagery produced by a succession of premier Texas watercolorists, beginning with historical works of the late E.M. (Buck) Schiwetz and Harold Phoenix, and continuing with contemporary Texas watercolors by Erik Sprohge and Hunter George, two modern-day masters of the medium.  The show demonstrates the undeniable strength and versatility of this venerable medium as it has been used to capture the Lone Star scene over the years, and showcases four of the finest artists who influenced (and continue to influence) the rich Texas watercolor tradition!  The Texas Watercolor Tradition runs November 23rd through December 21st.

Related Special Events:

November 23, 2013, 5-8pm: Opening Reception

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December 5-11, 2013: Holidays at the Haley Memorial Library (Midland, Texas)

William Reaves Fine Art teams up with the prestigious Haley Memorial Library to host a holiday celebration bringing Midland art enthusiasts an outstanding exhibition featuring many of the state’s best contemporary artists at the Haley Memorial Library in Midland, Texas. The Houston-based gallery is acknowledged as one of the foremost venues for Texas subject matter in the state, focusing on early, modern, and contemporary art – the gallery has quickly achieved a reputation for presenting exceptional examples of Texas art, reflecting a broad spectrum of periods and media.  The 16 artists represented in the Haley show constitute the gallery’s Contemporary Texas Regionalist group, exhibiting artists from across the Lone Star state. The artists hale from all over the state, many acknowledged as rising stars on the Texas scene and all recognized among the foremost painters working within the state today.  The Contemporary Texas Regionalists include Randy Bacon (Albany), Mary Baxter (Marfa), Margie Crisp (Elgin), Keith Davis (Austin), Jon Flaming (Richardson), Pat Gabriel (Fort Worth), Robert Harrison (San Antonio), Lee Jamison (Huntsville), Robb Kendrick (Austin), Laura Lewis (Mason), William Montgomery (Elgin), Noe Perez (Corpus Christi), Jeri Salter (Round Rock), Debbie Stevens (Cypress), Bob Stuth-Wade (Dublin) and William Young (Palestine). While working in a wide range of styles and variety of medium, each artist conveys traditional Texas subject matter and painterly, regional ethos in their output. Each of them is producing artwork that is capturing the attention of major collectors and finding their way into the permanent collections of Texas museums.  Holidays at the Haley runs from December 5th through December 11th.

Related Special Events:

December 5, 2013, 6-9pm: Opening Reception

December 7, 2013, TBD: Lecture by Dr. Michael Grauer, curator of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum

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Gallery Contact:

Sarah Foltz, director

William Reaves Fine Art

2313 Brun Street

Houston, TX 77019

(713) 521-7500

www.reavesart.com

sarah@reavesart.com