Starving Artists in San Antonio

While visiting family in San Antonio my sister suggested we go to the Starving Artist Show at La Villita on the Riverwalk.  I was surprised that that term was still being used. I assumed it was politically incorrect, and not used anymore-that artists would not like to be thought of as "starving."  After looking for any discussion online about the use of the term. I really didn't find anything. 

Wikipedia states:  "A starving artist is an artist who sacrifices material well-being in order to focus on their artwork. They typically live on minimum expenses, either for a lack of business or because all their disposable income goes toward art projects."

(I know a lot of artists who fit that last part)

My only conclusion was the term was still being used as this was the 51st annual Starving Artist Show and they wanted people to know it's still the same show. This moniker also gives you a feeling that you might get a bargain even though the work may not be up to professional standards. This feeling was partially confirmed as we approached the show and saw a man leaving with a painting that was duct taped to the frame.  

I do enjoy going to artshows, particularly in a different part of the country to see what is being done regionally. I really enjoy the Mexican/Spanish influence on much of the art. All in all we had a very enjoyable afternoon and did see some good art. One sister bought a drawing of a white tiger and enjoyed meeting the artist and talking about the piece with her.  Here are a few shots from the show: 

My Fifteen Minutes

 This past week I traveled to NYC for the pART World Bicycle Relief event held on 26th st. in the heart of the Chelsea gallery district. We arrived early and were able to see the Chuck Close show just down the street.

Cedar Lake Theatre

I was very impressed with the lighting and display of the show. 

My friend Rebeca Trevino, who had told me about the show won second place for the collage division! She was not able to attend so of course I had to call her immediately and tell her the good news. 

These bicycle figures were made by a Zambian artist. 

some of the other collages:

Mine on the left.  It was fun getting to mingle with the potential buyers and tell them about my piece.

As international a city as New York is, people seemed quite fascinated that Bill and I were from Idaho.  It was as if we were their first visitors from this faraway land.  The marketing director for SCRAM was in fact so intrigued that he called me up on stage to ask about how I ended up at the show.  It was fun sharing how my passion for biking and art came together for this unique event.  So I guess that was my 15 minutes that Andy Warhol predicted.

First Place collage division. It was very hard to get a good photograph of it.  

This was the grand prize winning piece. The artist won a trip to Africa for 2. 

Cuban Music, cocktails and good food.

When we stepped out in the cool evening the sram car was parked out front.
Interesting to see this in the middle of New York City, I'm glad the bikes were still there!