Yes, we’re on the road again. This time we’re taking a selection of our great art to Colleyville, our neighboring community to the south-east for a weekend “Taste and See” event. We’re showcasing works — mostly smaller pieces — by Trish Biddle, Chad Beene, Ann Hardy, Aditi Samarth, James Johnson, Scott Young, Michael Longhofer, Fil Booth, Marnie Vollenhals, Donna Antosh and yours truly.

We’re not just looking at this two day event as a way to generate sales, but to promote art251 to the wider community. After all, we’re the only commercial art gallery in the area, and we believe it’s important for all our neighbors to know.

If you’re near Colleyville, we’d love to see you. The event is at: Good Shepherd Parish Hall, 1000 Tinker Road, Colleyville and runs on Saturday, November 15, 4-9pm and Sunday, November 16, 10am-2pm.

The first of our monthly art251 art seminars is set for later today, November 11. The Heritage Homeowners Association (HOA) in Keller has graciously opened the doors of its clubhouse to your friendly art251 owners for some serious debunking.

This evening’s topic is entitled “Mythbusters — Art Buying 101″, where we’ll be tackling some common myths and misconceptions about art and buying art, such as “Art is expensive”, and “Buying Requires a Vast Knowledge of Art”.

I haven’t done much research to learn whether many other art galleries do this type of community outreach. I suspect a few do and many don’t. So, while we’re not necessarily blazing a new trail, we’re doing our small part to bring art in all its glory to (more of) the suburbs.

Our seminar series spans five presentations, each one hour long. We’re not high on formality, and we do like audience participation. So this should be fun. Oh, and did I mention we bring lots of great art with us and we do it for free! So, if you’re not part of the Heritage HOA, and would like us to venture to your community give us a call at 817.898.1444 or contact us online by clicking here.

What better time than Election Day, a time that signifies change, renewal, optimism and hope, to release our bright new art251 website. And, in honor of this historic event (meaning the election) we’re showcasing two sophisticated ladies sipping their martinis at the art251 Martini Bar — both looking gorgeous, one in red, one in blue. The work is by Trish Biddle, one of art251’s signature artists.

My new Nikon and I love living (I couldn’t call it “working”) in art251. Here’s one of the reasons — Freedom, Trish Biddle.

The art251 blog celebrates its one year anniversary today. So, I’d like to thank the academy, my fellow directors… No, wait a second, that’s the wrong speech. Let’s start again. I’d like to thank all of our loyal customers and readers and of course family, friends and neighbors, and I’d like to thank the Wordpress community, without both of which my rantings would have no audience and no voice.

I’d also like to thank Google for helping push the art251 blog up the blogosphere arts rankings and my fellow gallerists and arts bloggers. Finally, I’d like thank readers in the following nations: Estonia, Bolivia, Syrian Arab Republic, Slovakia, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Aruba and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Collectively you represent 0.08 percent of our growing readership.

Now, our top blog readership spot goes to art251’s home town of Keller, so I’m greatly encouraged (however, I haven’t been able to find an official flag. Your suggestions are welcome).

Actually, Jonathon Kimbrell, one of our great new artists delivered John, Paul, George and Ringo to art251 this afternoon. His “Los Beatles” is a set of 4 mixed media pieces each 24 by 24 inches. I liked the works so much I couldn’t wait to hang them. And, while placing George Harrison’s portrait on the wall, came “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” playing completely at random from my continuous background music selection. I almost fell off my ladder! Welcome to Keller Fab Four, in spirit and in art.

Phew! We’ve been open a mere 8 weeks, which in dog weeks is something like a couple of years and during election years feels like, well, at least 800 decades. In “art weeks” this means it’s time to refresh our art and reorganize our space. So, we now have 10 new artists and lots of gorgeous new art and original objects on our walls and display spaces.

We’ve also been taking quality photographs of every item in the space for our soon to be released new website — thank you Nikon D80, my new best digital friend. But, let me give thanks to my 10 foot ladder, my old best friend and workout buddy — who needs one of those fancy elliptical machines when you have 14 foot ceilings and 100 or so pieces of art to move around, carefully I might add.

In the exercise care category, some of my favorite new works include beautiful handformed glass vases by master glass-blower David Gappa. One of his vases below, aptly named Celestial Vase. More on David and our other artists soon.

I finally have my new digital camera; a great replacement for the one that imploded not too long ago. So, now I can concentrate my attention and my lens on the exceptional artworks within our beautiful blue space.

art251 has been open for around 6 weeks. In that short time we’ve had lots of customers comment on our whimsical flying machines. They’re made by Jay Garrison. He constructs all of his works from recycled household objects. What better way to make use of all that spare “stuff” that clogs your attic or basement. In fact, Jay will take commissions and make a personal craft just for you, from your very own household extras.

We have 3 of these delightful winged contraptions dangling from our ceiling. They’d look great in a family, play or children’s room or your friendly pediatrician’s office.

You have to give credit to Tate Modern in the United Kingdom. Since it opened in 2000, in the shell of a former disused power station Tate Modern has put contemporary art back on the map and revitalized the South Bank of the River Thames in London. Its vast display spaces, particularly the Turbine Hall, have housed some superb collections of some of the best contemporary art in the world. Its ground-breaking exhibitions of surrealism, abstract expressionism, conceptual and pop art have been both hailed and derided by many Londoners and millions of tourists.

So, continuing in the tradition of jarring our sensibilities Tate Modern is unveiling a new exhibit that presents a vision of a post-apocalyptic world 50 years into the future. The works come from French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster. She has filled the enormous space with recreations of sculptures by Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Bruce Nauman, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, blowing them up by 25 percent and placed them around a collection of metal bunk beds without mattresses, and complete with reading material. Apparently, in 2058 it rains incessantly in London — it’s been raining non-stop for years, people take refuge inside and the constant rain makes monumental sculptures grow. Well, the work is certainly thought provoking. But, I’m unsure whether Tate Modern is the right venue for a post-apocalyptic worldview compared with say, the British Museum or the Cowgirl Hall of Fame or the Centre Pompidou. You decide.

Had enough of Wall Street’s gyrations over the last couple of weeks? Are you having nightmares over the toxic financial soup about to devour our children’s economic futures? Wondering what to tell your Congressional representative about what to do with those opaque default credit swaps? Worried about where the $700 billion is coming from? I am.

However, sometimes we just have to take a break from the chaotic world that we’ve helped create. And, what better way than to take in some original art. I’m surrounded by the collective works of around 30 local artists. Their art soothes and inspires and gives me hope that creative expression can help smooth the hard edges off these troubled times. Art historians generally agree that really great art usually springs from times of immense change and turmoil — so artists get to work, now is your time!

Some artists never miss a beat. Just take a look at this familiar work by artist Laura Gilbert. Laura specializes in painting and printmaking. She has an upcoming exhibition at the Grady Alexis Gallery in New York, opening on October 24, and includes her (worthless) “Zero Dollar” prints. The show is aptly titled, ”Money, Men, and Mischief.” Ironically, Laura’s works may soon fetch a higher face value than the originals!

(ps. I think the Federal Reserve is printing some money too. But is it art?)

Your friendly art251 hosts have been working hard over the last month or so to spread the word about art251 — our cool blue space, our exceptional artists and our great art. We’ve had 3 reporters in art251 recently, and even a magazine photographer who insisted on taking shots of us as aged rock stars might pose for the cover of their latest iTunes download. (While Kim is the photogenic type, I think I may have blown it.)

First, we got a good mention in a September 19 article in the Keller Citizen about Young Artists of Texas (YAT). We’re aiming to start featuring selected works from a different YAT artist each month, starting in October.

Second, came a syndicated September 26 article “Thank you for not smoking” about our art-o-mat machine by Jef Tingley for the Gay List Daily. We’re expecting a longer version of this to show up in THE Magazine’s November edition. By the way, THE Magazine is a great new monthly magazine for the arts in the DFW area.

Third, we’re delighted to see that we made the cover of our local paper on October 3. We’re featured in a lengthy article by Sarah Junek entitled, “Vendor sparks art concepts”.  The focus of Sarah’s story was our beautiful blue art-o-mat art vending machine, and it’s patron saint, Clark Whittington. In addition, some our artists got an honorable mention as well — Lori Love, Seppo Aarnos and Trish Biddle.

Over the coming months we’ll be focusing on publicizing our shows and artists. So, we’re hoping to get some more detailed coverage for all or some of our exceptional artists.

I’m lucky to be surrounded by great art, every day — it comes with the job! I think all the art inside art251 is beautiful to look at; sometimes the beauty is in the subject, or the composition, or the colors, or the narrative. Some of our art makes me feel and even think, and of course it may or may not make someone else feel completely different or even nothing at all.

On September 24, I attended the opening reception for Rita Barnard’s solo show at North Lake College in Irving. Entitled “Ball of Confusion”, Rita’s show contains select pieces of her thought-provoking mixed media. Rita is one of the few local artists who we’ve seen whose work shows concern for some of this country’s recent tragedies: the Iraq war, hurricane Katrina, the Enron financial scandal. Her art can’t help but make you think and feel.

Perhaps her greatest work is the immense “Tribute to the Fallen”. It is 44 feet long, and is made up of 22 panels, each 2 feet wide by 4 feet high. Each panel holds 209 toy soldiers. Each little plastic figure, carefully placed on a panel, represents one of the lives lost in the Iraq war. Each is an individual — we can read his or her name and place of birth and learn how each lost his or her life.

Regardless of which side of the debate you are on, I would urge you to go and view this work for yourself — you cannot help but be moved. This and other works by Rita Barnard are on display in the Gallery at North Lake College in Irving until October 15. For directions, click here.