Keep Austin Weird

    

Sometimes towns in Texas are so Texan that their unique character is masked. Not so Austin! Beneath the modern skyline, this city loves to be unique. Eccentric. Weird, even. And they’ve got a lot to work with!

 

Our temporary town is a multi-ethnic melting pot with 48,000 University of Texas students, museums, fine hospitals, historic sites and neighborhoods, parks, great restaurants, natural food markets and fresh produce stands. It’s also got permanent and mobile food trucks by the hundreds, artists and musicians seemingly numbering thousands (many busy needling tattoos), quirky shops, gas stations converted to restaurants, preserved old store signs, lots of ethnic food, and more thrift shops than we’ve seen in anywhere! The state capital is here, with the excitement of debate and demonstrations. It’s all seasoned  with Texas’s do it my way rebel nature and cultivated impulsive, tough cowboy, go-for-it character. 

 

                     

Though outsiders, we think that the “weird” Austin gumbo had its roots in the 60’s with the music industry - a roux of rock, soul and country music (think Janis, Willie) and 60’s youth culture. Ah, they and we were younger, then!

Here’s this week’s festival!

 

Youth accordion contest at Texas State History Museum. Wild, talented, amazing!

 

The Pecan Street Festival. Music. Artists from the South. Clothes from Asia.

  

Happily, Austin remains both weird, yet classy, and it’s a fine place to stay for awhile. Except during the summer heat with 100-plus degree weather!

But I confess that I’m totally over the University of Texas paraphernalia, which is everywhere!

   

Hookers Don’t Do It Alone

I haven’t hooked a rug yet. Nope! But I have done some fun small stuff and am learning a lot.

For that I must thank two sources. First, I’ve already mentioned the talented hookers I’ve met during hook-ins at quilt/hooking shops in Fredericksburg, Tucson and Phoenix. Watching and questioning experienced artists as they work is just good medicine, inspiring and instructive. Hookers love to talk about and show their work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the annual Round Top antique/crafts sale near Austin, a gracious hooker showed me how she finishes the edges and recommended a couple of books. Somehow, she does beautiful large rugs on a 15” hoop just like mine!

 

 

But because we’re on the road so much, most of my learning takes place through The Welcome Mat, a truly special website presented by Wanda Kerr - artist, guide and voyager into life, art and beauty. The site is fired by hundreds or thousands (honest!) of active hooker participants. The Welcome Mat - http://thewelcomemat.ning.com – is a treasure trove including discussions, how-to’s, challenges, and problem-solving, and laughs. I spend time there daily. Here’s one of Wanda’s pieces, a lovely hooked portrait of her daughter Vanessa and Lucy the cat.

I aspire to do a portrait one day. Who will it be?

Here are my small projects. This 8 x 9.5” piece is first of a set. The second will be finished when I find one or two similar blues to replace the color I ran out of!

 

 

 

 

You can see here how hooking is done into burlap, linen or other materials using a hoop or other frame. These are two name tags and an ATC. Artist trading cards are remembrances exchanged with others. They’re generally about 3.5 x 2.5” though I saw them as postcard size when I worked at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. The ATC is first of what could be a state collection. Guess what  state this is - it’s Chuck’s home state! These will be cut from the burlap (leaving a hem to be turned under) and finished on the edges.

I confess that all this has probably interfered with my own blogging, but I aim to do better. Yeah, I know, we all say that!