art

‘Birds, Bugs and Flowers in the Oven!’ Foltz Presents Playful Work by Gardner, Other Texas Artists

‘Birds, Bugs and Flowers in the Oven!’ Foltz Presents Playful Work by Gardner, Other Texas Artists

Rachel Gardner with her flower necklaces and, at left, Calla Lilly necklace

ON SATURDAY JULY 27, Foltz Gallery presents Endless Summer, a lively, playful exhibit of works by a multi-generational group of 28 emerging and established Texas-based artists. Taking its name from the 1974 Beach Boys double-album, which compiled the group’s early 1960s hit singles, the show is a visual “mixtape” of colorful paintings, prints, photographs, wall-based installations, ceramics and sculptures, installed lovingly throughout Foltz’s spacious and sunlit galleries. Among the works in Endless Summer are several examples of handmade “sculptural jewelry” by artist Rachel Gardner — a series of wearable wildflowers and fruits, including olives and strawberries.

Gardner appeared in our 2019 photo essay A Day in the Life of the Arts. The image of Gardner, pregnant and hard at work late at night in her garage studio, surrounded by ghostly papier-mâché sculptures of forest animals and antlered children, encapsulated the subject matter Gardner explores in her art and the real-life demands of maintaining a practice while holding down a teaching job and raising a family.

Gardner began mounting her sculptures to a “wall of life” in her home studio in 2022, including small sculptures of bugs, birds and wildflowers shaped out of polymer clay, baked in the kitchen oven, and then painted and coated with resin. One day, Gardner created a tulip, her favorite flower, and decided she’d like to wear it out in public as a necklace. People were intrigued and asked her about the piece.

“This is only a glimpse of what I’ve got going on in my studio,” says Gardner of that first tulip. “I’ve got hundreds of wildflowers on the wall.” The resulting wearable pieces are organic, painterly, surprisingly sturdy, and a welcome alternative to store-bought manufactured jewelry.

“I’m really enjoying pooling from this wall of life,” says Gardner of what has become a creative wellspring. “My kids have gotten used to seeing birds, bugs and flowers in the oven!”

Gardner and members of Foltz’s staff will be wearing some of her sculptures at this Saturday’s opening. Wisitors will have to opportunity to try them on as well.

Endless Summer runs July 27-Aug 25 and includes works by Mallory Agerton, Saran Alderson, Erika Alonso, Tom Bandage, Lotus Bermudez, Colleen Blackard, DUAL, E. Dan Klepper, Ibsen Espada, J. Antonio Farfan, Brendan Flores, Rachel Gardner, Garrett Griffins, Peter Healy, Otis Huband, Sarah Fisher, Jonathan Paul Jackson, Sirena LaBurn, Melinda Laszczynski, Ambrosia Max, Jacob Melgren, Matt Messinger, Susu Meyer, Kate Mulholland, Charlotte Seifert, Ben Sklar, Robin Utterback and Doug Welsh.


Gardner was featured in CityBook’s “A Day in the Life of the Arts” photo essay in 2019. (photo by Jhane Hoang)

Gardner’s wearable art will be featured in new art show.

Art + Entertainment
music

With New Concept Album, Jacob Hilton Processes Mental-Health Struggles

Dakota Garrett

Jacob Hilton, a.k.a. Travid Halton, at home in his kitchen, where he enjoys cooking as a form of therapy.

PINK FLOYD'S THE Wall. Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours. Beyonce’s Lemonade. Three divergent examples of the album as a cathartic, psychological, conceptual work, meant to be experienced in a single sitting. Houston singer-songwriter Jacob Hilton, 37, who records as Travid Halton, a portmanteau of his mother and father’s names, might balk at being mentioned in such company. (This is a thoroughly unpretentious man, who describes himself as an “archaeologist turned singer-songwriter.”)

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment
promoted

Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

Al Torres

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

Keep Reading Show less