Various Artists
Austin Galleries
ongoing
The plurality of this gallery’s name is fitting; this monolith artspace —
4,000 square feet packed floor-to-ceiling with artwork — is large enough to
house a cluster of small galleries. In fact, this hybridization of
gallery/antique store is larger than many city museums (including our own,
until AMOA’s downtown expansion).
As you might expect with such immense space, there’s simply too much artwork
to absorb in one visit, though the gallery’s classical music and strategically
placed couches invite you to lollygag from one painting-strewn room to the
next. As you make your way down to the basement gallery, you begin to realize
the extent of the collection that gallery owners George and Ann Goodall have
amassed — and (if you’re like me) how limited your budget is. Austin Galleries
is very exclusive, featuring well-known artists and appealing to high-dollar
collectors. So, if you’re looking for a painting to cover up the crayola
drawing your nephew left on the wall, this is probably not the place. But if
you’re seriously into collecting or just viewing fine artwork, this could be
the ticket.
The artist whose work is most sought-after at AG is Catalonia-born
Joaqu�n Torrents Llad�, a world-renowned painter who died four
years ago of a brain aneurysm at age 47. AG is the exclusive U.S. dealer for
Llad�’s work, which can go for $75,000, and which, for many art
aficionados, has become a staple in the study of 20th-century master artwork.
His paintings — often featuring his children or a scene from nature — emit
such delicacy and beauty, it’s easy to see why collectors clamor for his
work.
Tucked away in the back corner of the basement are two works by another artist
who has made his fair share of collectors clamor. There, in their simple,
delightful glory, are two original lithographs by Pablo Picasso. Who knows what
you’ll find on your second visit.
“artful graphics”
Marla Camp
Caf� Dance
through mid-January
 |
after realizing that a career as a painter didn’t promise much stability — or
money. Since then, Camp has meshed her skills as traditional artist and graphic
artist into numerous award-winning designs.
“Making a living creating art, even for commercial applications, keeps me
evolving and growing as an artist,” says Camp, who now has work spanning her
entire career on display at Caf� Dance. “The computer allows me to mix
media easily,” she says, “and allows me infinite ways to achieve a potent
design.”
Indeed, Camp’s technique uses the formula that “grabs” you: vivid and
complementary colors, simple and effective design, bold and lucid images. Using
preliminary sketches she develops in her studio and incorporating them into her
computer drawing programs, Camp crafts designs boasting a computer-enhanced
perfection, but with artistic finesse and expertise. Her realistic images of a
heron, snake, and fish intertwined in one circular group is a good example;
Camp drew and colored the animals on paper, then brought them into Photoshop to
clean up the edges and brighten the colors. The Waterworks logo — a cheery
salamander, dancing through a translucent, dreamy water collage — looks like a
painting, but actually began as slides of actual Barton Creek creatures that
she manipulated and meshed into one aquatic melange of critters.
At the root of all these computer-generated designs are the workings of an
artist who has accomplished an all-too-rare feat: making a living utilizing her
artwork. Perhaps her next show will feature her actual paintings.
— Cari Marshall
This article appears in December 20 • 1996 and December 20 • 1996 (Cover).