Salado’s ‘Best of the Best’ Fine Art Show was a Night to Remember
August 3, 2008
Salado, TX, August 2, 2008 – The first annual Best of the Best Texas Show was a tremendous success. The room was beautifully lit with wandering pathways of fine art exhibits to delight and surprise visitors. The best art and artists in the state of Texas were on display with many renowned artists and several new faces. Special memories of the evening included popular landscape and western artists. Dalhart Windberg showed a beautiful autumn landscape of gold and vibrant greens and oranges exhibiting his skill with the pallet knife. Lee Herring’s three cowboys chatting at the fence was a favorite of many throughout the night. Roy Lee Ward captivated participants with his historic scenes of Indians in full headdress and cowboys warming near a campfire.
Bascom Heard’s Hill Country landscapes, were a real hit, as was his spectacular Art Fair poster, with the edition almost sold out. Chuck DeHaan’s horses were a sight to behold with extraordinary detail and lifelike qualities. Travis Keese from Kerrville had a remarkable scenic with deer walking through a hill country stream. Raul Gutierrez‘s western scenes exhibited his unique flair for blending backgrounds with an aged quality that was reminiscent of old-world paintings. George Boutewell, a Salado icon, has a consistency in quality and depth in his bluebonnet landscapes, that never fails to delight the crowds. And, Larry Prellop’s latest moonlit seascape, was exceptional with the light streaking through the waves as they begin to crest and break along the beach. There were so many wonderful painters in one room, one was hard pressed to pick a favorite.
Ron Wells’ bronze work was spectacular as you entered the door of the Celebration Center. The scale and patina on his bass bronze definitely had the ‘wow’ factor. Around the corner you could see Edd Hayes’ life-size figurative bronzes depicting early frontier life, where even women were required to pick up a rifle. Another big hit in the 3-D category was the metal botanical work of Charles Allen. His skill with cutting and bending metal into tiny, delicate flowers is simply extraordinary.
Playing background music for the show was Shelly King, an outstanding musician. It’s easy to see why the State of Texas chose her as the 2008 Musician of the Year. And, speaking of state artists of the year…the State of Texas Poet Laureates were well represented by Larry Thomas and Alan Birkelbach. These two extraordinary writers kept the crowds entertained with stories and personalized autographs of their poetry and writings.
Throughout the evening you could see artists meeting for the first time and many rekindling old acquaintenances. The food, cocktails and spirit of the evening were on par with the level of art on display. Texas’s rich heritage in the arts was well represented in this small Village of Salado.
For pictures of the event, click here.
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