More than two dozen artists will have their works displayed this weekend at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH) for the second annual State of the Art Shows art show and competition. The show, whose theme this year is “Every Summer Has a Story,” takes place Saturday, August 13 from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. MATCH is located at 3400 Main Street in midtown Houston.
The art show is free and open to the public, with food and refreshments provided by Deep Eddy Vodka, 11 Below Brewery and Hot Toppings Pizza, and live music entertainment with local rock artist Robin Kirby. Popular radio personality Lou Garino – host of Business Newsmakers Radio on KTEK 1110 AM Wall Street Radio Network, is the guest media judge who will choose the “Media’s Choice Award.” Local art educator Tammi Madera will judge the coveted “Best in Show” prize.
The event is the artistic brainchild of State of the Art Shows co-founders Vena Ashley and Gretchen McDaniel, who created the competition to showcase artists local, regional, national and global. While last year’s show had a host of artists who submitted their works, this year the competition is fierce, with artists hailing from all over – including Mexico and Australia.
Closer to home, the artists include a mother and son duo who individually entered the competition. Debbie Earle has earned a reputation in the Houston area over the past 10 years as a decorative artist specializing in painting art on walls and ceilings. For the competition, she has tried her hand at abstract art on canvas, with flowing designs with pops of colors that complement each other and are open to interpretation. Her son, Austin Earle, has been an artist since he held his first brush as a toddler, though this is his first show. His art is described as organic, free-flowing and uninhibited.
Another artist for the show, Tonya Engel, has spread her Texas roots to establish studios in New York, Paris and Miami, while also maintaining studios in Austin in Houston. Inspired by the folk artists of the Deep South, with additional influence from Marc Chagall, Frieda Kahlo and Romare Beardon, her art features steady amounts of symbolism. “I approach each piece intuitively,” she said. “A bend of an elbow, a hint of an eye or the slope of an organic shape that occurs after turning the canvas another direction can dictate what will happen next.” Engel specialized in oils and mixed media, sometimes including collage or text to convey a message.
These three artists and their artworks are just a fraction of what members of the public can expect to encounter at the show this weekend. Ashley invites people to come in from the record-breaking heat and enjoy the cool indoors as their minds are bathed in the summer sun. “Summer means so much to so many,” she said. “We invited our artists to show their personal visions of summer through their art in a way that is visceral.”
For more information on the show, visit www.StateOfTheArtShows.com.