Stunning painting by Kehinde Wiley. Yes, the painting is that big!

Hello everyone and Happy Spring! It's been a while since I wrote a blog post, haha. But I’m happy to be back to share my insights with you.

I took a much needed break to reassess my routine, my art practice, how I show up for you, my community, and how I can better serve you. Because at the end of the day, it's my connection to you that makes this whole art thing that much more meaningful.

With that in mind, read on to learn more about my trip to Houston, Texas during Spring Break.

Not only was I able to get a break from my routine and re-evaluate how I run things, I was also able to see some amazing art! Some of which I'm now sharing with you. :)

One of the shows I got to see in Houston is Kehinde Wiley's show titled An Archeology of Silence at the Museum of Fine Art. Nearly all the paintings (and sculptures!) are larger than life-size, taking cues from European historical paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries.

I found the show to be not only impressive, but thought-provoking as well. According to the MFA's website, "The works in An Archaeology of Silence stand as elegies and monuments, underscoring the terms in which Black people are seen and heard."

The large-scale paintings were paired with large-scale sculptures. The most impressive being a giant statue of a horse with a rider lying prone on its back.

This sculpture literally took my breath away when I entered the room. Its monumental size, along with the sensitivity in which the figure was sculpted, strikes you like a gut punch, but in the best way possible.

Along with Wiley's excellent show, there were also many Sargents in view, like the one below:

One of the things that always strikes me about Sargent’s work is how clean and seamless it looks from far away, yet how free and uninhibited the brushwork is when you look closer.

The only way I can describe it is calculated spontaneity. There’s no need to render every single pearl, for instance. Or get the folds of the dress completely sorted out.

Instead, Sargent lets the thickness of the paint do the work for him, painting in an almost sculptural manner. It may look spontaneous and easy, but it’s actually really hard to do! As anyone who’s tried to copy Sargent’s work can tell you, haha.

And now we get to one of my favorite pieces in the museum: The Yellow Scale by Frantisek Kupka.

The thing that really hits you right off the bat is all that yellow! Yellow can be a tricky color to balance, since it’s so bright. But he’s managed to do it with the bits of blue, purple and green that he’s added to the mix.

Plus I love the air of relaxation and devil-may-care attitude that he’s exuding here. This is a self-portrait by Kupka, and you can really get a sense of his personality based not only on the pose and facial expression, but the way he’s used color and brushwork.

I find it very interesting that this piece was painted around the same year as the Sargent above. It goes to show you the differing styles that were emerging at that time. Art was in flux, and that’s reflected in these two pieces.

Overall, I truly enjoyed my visit to the Museum of Fine Art in Houston and the city as a whole. It was a breath of fresh air that I needed. That’s one of the lovely things about travel - it takes you out of your routine and helps you see things from a different perspective.

It won’t be the last time I visit Houston either! I’m looking forward to going back and enjoying a lot more of what this city has to offer.

The lovely view of Houston from my airplane window. :)

Next time, I’ll try to take more pictures of the city itself. I ended up taking pictures of just the art, haha.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I’ll be posting more regularly from now on, so stay tuned for more good stuff coming soon. If you have suggestions on topics you’d like me to cover, feel free to let me know in the comments! It can be anything from my color palette to how I maintain balance in my art practice. The sky’s the limit. :)

And if this is your first time here, welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. If you’d like to get notified when a new blog is posted, or want to follow my artistic journey, sign up to join my email list here.

Thanks again for your support and until next time!

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