AN INTERVIEW WITH Brad & Joanna Marks, owners of IW Marks Jewelers
What were your biggest challenges of 2020? Our biggest challenge was definitely dealing with the economic shutdowns due to the virus.
<p><strong>How did you adjust and overcome obstacles? How did you reset? </strong>We are expanding our selling to include online through our website and social media platforms. </p><p><strong>What's the secret to rising above obstacles and persevering in tough times? </strong>The secret to staying hopeful and forward-thinking is believing in God, yourself, business and employees. </p><p><strong>What did you learn about yourself, your business or your community that might inspire others? </strong>We can overcome anything with what we have been through this last year. </p><p><strong>What's new for 2021 that you're excited about?</strong> I am very excited about expanding our business to include online sales. </p>
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Natalie Varnum
ARTS PATRONS WILL know that tonight is the Ballet Ball, a glamorous fundraiser for the Houston Ballet, this year to be thrown virtually. What might be lesser known is that one Houston photographer has been using his talents — in collaboration with dancers from the company and other visual artists — to create a bold series of works to also be used as a fundraiser.
<p>When the COVID-19 pandemic reared its ugly head a year ago and torpedoed his previous plans for 2020, Iranian-born, self-taught fine-art photographer Ashkan Roayee was eager to continue to practice his craft while also giving back to the community. He decided to put together a unique series that would help raise money for local artists and Houston Ballet dancers who were struggling financially due to the pandemic.</p><p>For the project, titled <em>Boundless</em>, the photographer invited 13 local artists to reimagine and reinterpret his portraits of 12 dancers from Houston Ballet who also collaborated with him on the project. The 13 large format art pieces that emerged from the collaboration, which involved the artists adding paint, ink and other mediums from their many divergent styles, transforms and places the images of dancers in exciting and colorful new narratives.</p>
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<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="2800" data-rm-shortcode-id="96c271e59308e15723255b0c6a23b865" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://www.houstoncitybook.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTczODI5NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MjIyMzgxMn0.uNOUFkK7SMI3OjdKP4CHfMW0y_eCkZya3LgjOE6OJcY/image.jpg?width=980" data-width="1870" id="3964f" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Estheysis Menendez and Sam Rodriques</small></p><p>What's so great about the pieces is that, while they all started out with similar subject matter — artfully posed Houston Ballet dancers — every one of them ended up as a unique piece due to the artist-specific flourishes.</p><p>One notable piece was crafted by Glassel School of Art-trained mixed media artist and painter Nergis Mustafa. It features Houston Ballet demi soloist Natalie Varnum. In the technicolor piece, priced at $3,800, dancer Varnum, draped in a scarlet red gown, rises, with hands stretched above her head, resembling a bird of paradise engaged in some sort of frenetic dance. </p><p>Another standout in the collection is the piece by abstract painter Riley Caldwell that features Houston Ballet principal Soo Youn Cho. In the dark and moody work, priced at $4,200, dancer Cho is enveloped in a black gown that billows out in soft tendrils around her body, descending like a sea witch into a silvery and serene body of magical water.</p><p>"I liked the styles of these artists a lot, so I approached them, and they all accepted the offer," says Roayaee of why he picked that artists that he did for the collaboration. "And since the dancers were at home, and mostly they were bored, we ended up doing a lot of productions. So, we've been really busy."</p>
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<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="1000" data-rm-shortcode-id="e75ce095b01670c82be1a53b15ba9b2e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://www.houstoncitybook.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTczODI5NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDY2MDEzOX0.dFeqhRMTV8qoftjpWpVWtgU5ccQqNG_TTn_qegUnUss/image.jpg?width=980" data-width="836" id="b20c3" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Harper Watters</small></p><p>The artists involved in the collaborations — including Leslie Gaworecki, Oluseyi Soyege, Pilar Uribe and Marthann Masterson — and the Houston Ballet dancers who posed for the photographs will all receive a percentage of the sales when the pieces are sold. They'll also receive a percentage of the sales of any prints of the pieces that are sold for the duration of that print's lifetime.</p><p>The pieces, which range in price from $895 to $4,200, are currently on display at The Silos at Sawyer Yard, and will be available for viewing at Roayaee's studio at 1502 Sawyer St starting March 20.</p><p>The photo-art project is not associated with tonight's Ballet Ball. The "Home Edition, Having a Ball" gala will include home deliveries of a gourmet dinner and a live-streamed video program. The event was to have happened sooner but was postponed due to the recent winter storm. </p>
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<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="996" data-rm-shortcode-id="d3a88abb18fba69e09f8905ecf67fb73" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://www.houstoncitybook.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTczODI5Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNTk3NzE3OX0.dfUZLnqWyS-vuvK6uH4NCN3RiPuf3nu8-_xitwbvvqk/image.jpg?width=980" data-width="1000" id="67715" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Chun Wai Chan</small></p>
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<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="2800" data-rm-shortcode-id="bbecd415d1ff35a4e64b5ed101177ccb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://www.houstoncitybook.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTczODI5OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MzcxMDc4OX0.ifhkKnDdhUvTTRaWWqLKKQKFwtLusiBmHfFIvutTH8w/image.jpg?width=980" data-width="2800" id="fc27c" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Jacquelyn Long</small></p>
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<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="2095" data-rm-shortcode-id="39a6878e6a02e64f886bb2171c8a6847" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://www.houstoncitybook.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTczODMwMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzEwNTA5OH0.0etSAa9QG3fFUNCgMHj1wwVOPnuaUdkyEp8enYJqnSE/image.jpg?width=980" data-width="2800" id="29212" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Zoe Hayman</small></p>
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Smoked-salmon waffle at Max's Wine Dive
Everyone's favorite weekend meal has gotten an upgrade at some of Houston's hottest restaurants! From Montrose to Memorial, here are the tastiest new brunch offerings around town.
<p><a href="http://libertykitcheneats.com" target="_blank">Liberty Kitchen</a>'s Southern-style brunch, available at its San Felipe and Bunker Hill locations, channels serious Hamptons energy. New plates include lobster benedict, fluffy soufflé pancakes, a take on a charcuterie board with salmon and caviar, and a health-conscious breakfast sausage of turkey and chicken. The patios at both locations have gotten a recent revamp, courtesy of Culinary Khancepts, which acquired the restaurants last year.</p><p>Explore Venezuelan, Spanish, Italian and Mexican flavors at the new tapas-style brunch at <a href="http://mastrantosintheheights.com" target="_blank">Mastrantos</a> in the Heights. (The shareable plates are a little bigger than traditional tapas, though, because #texas.) There's a hearty cheese board with grilled arepa and naan, aji-amarillo jam, baked chickpeas, cheeses and meats and more. And the <em>barbacoa cachapa</em> is an adventurous spread of Venezuelan corn pancakes with barbacoa and white Venezuelan cheese. Keep things light with the shrimp <em>aguachile</em>, made with watermelon rinds — and wash everything down with a carafe of blackberry mimosas for the group! "This is a brunch for people ready to break out of eggs, potatoes, and waffles," explains exec chef Tony Castillo. "It's the chance to go an adventure without hopping on a plane."</p><p>And comfort-food-classic <a href="http://maxswinedive.com" target="_blank">Max's Wine Dive</a> is celebrating International Waffle Day (March 25) all month long, with sweet and savory limited-time menu items. The blueberry-gingersnap version is topped with bourbon caramel and vanilla ice cream, while the smoked-salmon waffle comes with spinach, capers, pickled onions and a hard-boiled egg. Of course, the restaurant's famous chicken-and-waffles (with champagne, of course) is always available, too!</p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="5504" data-rm-shortcode-id="3ae8ab9efcdc8400c17a34c764fe9038" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://www.houstoncitybook.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTc0NDczOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDc0OTY4MH0.8-gWfiTpimhkiiUEtZuVpA6rM92ON4bMIyrPYHv9RX4/image.jpg?width=980" data-width="8256" id="ee6bc" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Brunch cocktails at Mastrantos / Photo by Christa Elyce</small></p>
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