Gyotaku

As you may know, Nantucket is one of my favorite places on the planet. I'm always inspired by the work of local artists, and recently had the pleasure of meeting Pete Van Dingsteen in his studio on Old South Wharf.  Pete makes fish prints in the traditional Japanese style called Gyotaku, which is creating prints of fish on rice paper.

This is one of Pete's prints. I love the way he printed on the dark blue paper. Another Gyotaku artist on the island is Chris Bonelli, whose work below has a much different feel from Pete's.

I decided that as soon as I returned home, I had to try my hand at fish printing. Well, the results were a bit disappointing, but we learned a lot and are anxious to try more prints, both on paper and fabric. Here is the first attempt.

I wish Pete were here to offer some guidance, but I guess like most things, it takes practice, practice.

Foodie Find

Where else can you have brunch, dinner, learn how to butcher a hog, grab some handcrafted chocolate and take home some steaks from local Texas ranches?
Salt and Time, a butcher shop and salumeria on East 7th, is among the top ten best charcuteries according to Bon Appetit. This is not your grandmother's butcher shop.

Ben Runckle and his partner Bryan sold their products at the local farmer's market before opening their brick and mortar store. It's a carnivore's heaven, but believe it or not, there are some items on the menu for vegetarians.

 The bar is a perfect spot to enjoy happy hour with a board of charcuterie and cheese.

The Cubano sandwich is a popular choice for lunch, or try their Coffee Lomo, a Spanish-style pork loin rubbed with wood-roasted coffee and chile that is cured for four months-yummy. Do you need any other reasons to try this place?

One Fish, Two Fish

We've had so much fun experimenting with dyes and paint on fabric. It's been a learning process with a lot of trial and error. I have some more designs in my head that I want try, but for now at least there are two finished pillows. 

After many attempts, here is one of the final pillows.

The possibilities seem endless, and I'm anxious to try another design. Painting on fabric is not as easy as it might look, but I think the results are worth it.

Hometown

It felt like time to get out of town for awhile and have a change of scenery. A day trip to my hometown  seemed like a good idea-back to my roots. Perhaps a visit to Houston is not on your list of places to go this summer, but the vibrant Museum District makes a great weekend experience. There are at least twenty museums and cultural institutions,surrounding art galleries and shopping in this tree-lined cultural oasis south of downtown.

I had forgotten how beautiful Hermann Park is with its statue of Sam Houston overlooking the reflecting pool, jogging trails and the Museum of Natural Science. It's an urban gem, and easy walking distance from the Museum District. 
The Houston Museum of Fine Arts is a good place to start and can easily take an entire day.

I was anxious to see the Soto exhibit, a kinetic installation of 24,000 hand-painted tubes suspended from two stories. This work by Venezuelan artist Jesus Rafael Soto, invites visitors to not only touch, but walk through and interact with his art.

I just wanted to include a few pictures from the museum's permanent collection and current exhibits.

It's an eclectic offering of ancient Islamic, Egyptian and African art. The Glassell School of Art which is part of the HMFA has a fascinating exhibit of African gold from Ghana.

Of course there are plenty of Old Masters paintings, but I am drawn to the contemporary abstracts.

 Next stop was the Museum of Natural Science. As you might imagine, dinosaurs and lots of fossils rule here.  Enough of art and culture, I was ready to head for one of my favorite Houston lunches-a James Coney Island hot dog!