Waxing Poetic

Retired from a career in oil, an artist and gallery director brings a revitalized perspective to city skylines.

Things Are Looking Up 11
Things Are Looking Up 11

Iowa-born artist Joel Anderson moved to Houston right out of college and took a job with Shell, where he “sat behind the computer for 33 years.” But he spent his weekends making art in a variety of mediums, including stained glass and wood-working. Now retired at the tender age of 60 — with plenty of time for artistic experimentation thanks in part to a generous pension — Anderson is much happier these days following his creative muse. “It makes me spring out of bed in the morning,” he says. “To get on with things, get the day going, and get some art created.”  


In his show Urban Observations, on view through Jan. 30 at Archway Gallery, Anderson hangs new Houston-centric paintings — ones of the city’s skylines, iron fences covered with snapdragons, and one especially menacing-looking gargoyle. Through his encaustic technique, his work appears simultaneously ancient and futuristic: Digital photos are pressed and fused into layers of melted beeswax and resin on large frames of solid wood. His two “H-Town Skyline” paintings are created from images captured by a drone piloted by Anderson, though not without some initial trial and error. “I crashed the damn thing on its third flight,” says Anderson, who made sure to get FAA certification to fly it. “It’s wonderful you don’t have to rent a helicopter to achieve such things.” 

'H-Town Skyline''H-Town Skyline'

The photos, drained of color in Photoshop, are printed to paper and burnished with a spoon onto a base of clear hot wax. Anderson uses pigment powders to add his own colors, and a blowtorch to embed the transformed image into the encaustic. “Being able to carry over my computer background from the corporate world into the art world is what really got me interested in this medium,” says Anderson, who also credits YouTube for inspiring him to explore the technique. 

Freeway LightsFreeway Lights

Inspiration also comes from Archway, an artist-owned and -operated gallery that has shown Houston artists since 1976. Anderson is currently Archway’s director,  though he and the gallery’s 29 other artists share duties equally, be it working the front desk, ordering supplies, or hanging a show. Meanwhile, art festivals in and outside Texas have provided Anderson with helpful feedback on his work, although he admits his haunting series of bare winter trees didn’t go down so well in sunny South Florida. “In the IT world, you do the same thing twice, you get the same results,” says Anderson. “In the art world, it’s not like that at all. It’s an ever changing, ever learning environment.”

AT TOP: 'Things Are Looking Up'

Art+Culture
‘Culture of Service and Accountability’ Supports Mission of Orion EMS

Gerard O’Brien, President/CEO & Founder, and Sumi Patel, Vice President

HOW DID YOU get where you are today? The EMS industry, quite literally, never stops. Our staff and units are called to serve our community every hour of every day; there are no weekends, holidays, or “days off.” Obviously, the demands of EMS are not for the faint of heart, and we have established a culture of service and accountability that is different than nearly every other organization. Our leadership team sets this culture by exhibiting their passion for this industry daily. Their tireless dedication makes a better experience for our staff when they come to work and for our patients and clients when they call on us to transport their loved ones.

Keep ReadingShow less

David Adickes and Bun B

SOME OF THE CITY'S most influential VIPs gathered at Steak 48 in River Oaks District for the annual toast to CityBook’s “Leaders & Legends,” a recurring franchise for the publication whose past honorees have including a Tony and Grammy winner, a Nobel laureate, a member of Congress, an Olympic medalist, multiple billionaire business moguls, TV stars, artists and scientists of every sort, and the city’s most glamorous and generous socialites.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parties

Tay Butler’s Lawndale installation, spring 2023

DESPITE ITS PAIN and pitfalls, there’s no denying that the pandemic inspired artists like never before. This season, one of the most ambitious public-art projects to emerge from the Covid years comes to a close.

Keep ReadingShow less
Art + Entertainment