Fine Art for the Holidays
By: Gabriel Diego Delgado, Gallery Director, JR Mooney Galleries, Boerne
Fine art is often bought and sold as a blue chip expense; an item reserved for special occasions, events, openings, and auctions. However, Fine art should be considered as a gift for loved ones to share in the artistic experience, a perfect present for any occasion, but more importantly the ever encroaching end-of-the-year festivities and holidays. Art can be a reflection of the buyer paying tribute to the new owner with a personal touch, a purchase that holds a certain integrity that store bought and mass produced items do not offer, such as a classy acquisition that not only supports the local economic climate but adds ever increasing revenue to the Greater San Antonio creative economy – by placing the dollars directly in to the hands of small businesses and artistic entrepreneurs.
San Antonio is rich and alive with artists making work that is both affordable and gift-able in the sense of wall hangings, tabletop sculptures, holiday gifts, to hand- made crafts. From San Antonio’s First Friday, Second Saturdays, Second Fridays and Third Saturdays to art-walks in Tobin Hill to Beacon Hill, Art-crawls in Southtown to Boerne – galleries and studios are open to public by appointment or regular hours granting access to these culturally diverse troves for holiday purchase. Plus, galleries like J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art offer complimentary gift wrapping included with purchase, making the often intimidating gallery experience for any novice a rather appealing one-stop-shop, comparable to big box department stores.
But, with the ever changing climate of where to purchase art through studio or gallery, you must know where to begin. Several new venues have gained a certain highlight in today’s San Antonio Art community, stores and studios that offer a wide variety of gift ideas, fine art selections, and handmade crafts.
Mockingbird Gallery and Studio is located at 1420 South Alamo, Bldg B, Ste 108 in downtown San Antonio offers is a new art venue run and owned by San Antonio Artist, Paula Cox and Craftswoman, Jane Bishop. Mockingbird offers vintage jewelry to screen printed, custom decorated and upholstered furniture to fine art treasures. Collectable handmade and funky pincushions settle in next to wood cuts of Paula Cox’s line drawing animals, while ceramics, recycled tin cuts, and letterpress cards, notes, and envelopes scatter the store shelves like shabby chic accents; all for sale in a location central to the Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum.
Mockingbird’s pincushions filled with sand and lavender and various artistic figures range from $25-$48, while their porcelain ceramics by Dim Sum range from $45 to $65. Look for steals on their vintage jewelry which is available for $40- $65, while custom Fat Cat Jewelry, recycled cut tins, earrings, and bracelets are reasonably priced at $36-$60.
A breath of fresh air can be found at Zollie Glass Studio, a new contemporary fine art glass store and studio located at 1428 S. Presa #1, in the Blue Star complex. Owner, Jake Zollie Harper opened Zollie Glass on the heels of the remodeled arts complex that once housed Stella Haus Gallery, Joan Grona Gallery, Cactus Bra Space, Three Walls and others during his “first” First Friday in August 2013. Since then he has hosted various workshops, guest artists, hands-on demonstrations and the spontaneous pop up events. Look for Zollie Glass Studio to have a special Christmas sale complete with extended holiday hours.
At Zollie Glass, Jake always has a variety of glass artists selling their wares, with a stable roster of 5 to 7 glassblowers making work. Fine Art Glass is the perfect gift for those who might shy away from painting purchases with these precious handmade items completing any gift giving occasion. Prices are a flux of items for twenty dollars to four thousand. Cleverly priced clear tumblers range from $25-$30, while signatory "Ice Cups” are $80. Artistic glass sculptures and the coined “spores” sculptures range in size and price from $250 to $3,000. Ask about the custom-made housewares and lighting cover options, including the cherished glass chandeliers at $3,750.
San Antonio painter Russell Stephenson offers affordable and small scale abstract landscape paintings that capture the pure essence of his signature aesthetic. Gold, earth tones, and deliberate mark-making mix with minimal compositions that are tied to notions of the sublime. Stephenson’s landscapes complement any color palette, room décor or interior design. With approachable imagery and easily digestible color theory, his work is a no worry contemporary art purchase which will no doubt dazzle the beginning collector to the seasoned aficionado. His “Panoramic Texas Series” painting are moderately priced at $600 each, granting access to any buyer a chance to own, collect and cherish this San Antonio painter. Russell Stephenson’s art can be seen at AnArte Gallery in San Antonio as well as J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art, Boerne.
Texas regional minimalist Louis Vega Trevino’s art work has graced the buildings of Main Plaza downtown San Antonio, his strip paintings hung in Terminal B at the San Antonio Airport and he has been creating art for the who’s who of architectural firms and their clients for over 20 years. Trevino’s stripe paintings and geometric post minimal expressions are play on color theory, linear perfections mixed with automatic geometry. Bands of color shimmer shake and vibrate next to complementary hues, making for effective submissions by the viewer to respond to simple color pairing, a shamanistic approach with a minimal aesthetic. Lines, bands, and stripes go vertical, horizontal, or sideways; often overlapping in an effective composition or rhythm that would accent even the most minimal interior. Accentuating hard interior visual cues and ostentatious lines of overpowering window dressings, countertops, furniture and ceilings, Trevino’s work adds a contemporary charm with bold accents of color that play off any inflexible interior motifs and architectural designs. His small paintings available for the holidays range from $250-$300.
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