Art Connections Gallery: Showcasing Bastrop Creativity
When a visitor arrives in Bastrop, they can’t help but notice the art. From the beautiful fire fighter sculpture in front of the fire station to the incredible hand-painted electrical boxes all over downtown, one thing is for sure; Bastrop embraces creativity. And we have dozens of shops and galleries downtown where that creativity is available to take home and brighten your life.
No place embraces the Bastrop arts quite like Art Connections Gallery, located at 908 Main Street in downtown Bastrop, TX. Walking into the place is like experiencing a symphony of colors, textures and techniques. Photographs, watercolors, sculpture and glass glow from the shelves and pour into your senses. Many are distinctly Bastrop, but some of the pieces come from a place only your dreams could tell you about.
We got the chance to hear from Deborah Johnson, the owner and founder of Art Connections Gallery.
Q: Why did you choose Bastrop to open a gallery?
A: I live here? Actually, I had been in a group gallery/studio in Austin for several years and wanted to have a more public space to work and market my art after moving to Bastrop County. And I thought that downtown Bastrop was so charming and I wanted to be there. So I started Paintings by Deborah Johnson in a small space in one of the historic buildings. While on vacation in Nashville area one year, I was inspired by a retail store in historic Franklin called Philanthropy: Where Fashion meets Compassion. They explained their name by giving 10% of every sale to charity. I had a “lightbulb” moment that I wanted to do that with art. I came back and started looking for a larger space and Art Connections Gallery: Where Art Becomes Heart was born.
Pastel painting by Enid Wood
Q: What is it about Art Connections Gallery that sets you apart from other galleries and showrooms?
A: I did not want to have a traditional gallery where a handful of artists are featured and their work moves in and out between shows. When you walk in our doors, you will see a gallery hung “salon” style as is often done in Europe with art literally from floor to ceiling. You will see quality art made by professional artists in almost every medium imaginable.. With close to 100 artists, we have traditional oil paintings and bronzes, steampunk bird sculptures and jewelry, abstract art and art made from mixed media, wearable art in the form of both clothing and jewelry, and functional pieces in glass, clay and wood. I think that we carry something for every taste and every budget. One of my artists recently brought in friends from Great Britain who were traveling across the US after a trip to Australia and New Zealand. She related that they told her that they had been in many art galleries in England as well as on their trip, including galleries in Sedona and Santa Fe, and that our gallery was the best they had ever been in. I take that as a pretty good endorsement.
Steampunk bird sculpture
There is one final component to Art Connections Gallery that sets it apart and that is the “connections” aspect. I started the gallery with artists who were family and friends, expanded to include friends of family and family of those friends. I frequent art shows and look for artists whose work I personally “connect” with. With a start of 6 artists, we are now close to 100 artists with about 60% being from central Texas and the rest from all over the US and even Canada. But the “connection” that is most unique is the one where we give 10% of every sale to a charity. The artist designates the charity and, in 2014, we sent checks ranging from $1.50 to over $1000 to over forty different charities from local to international. It makes the sometimes crass world of retail much more personal and meaningful and is one of the reasons that I love going to work each day.
Wood table by Mark and Patricia Redulic
Q: What is your favorite thing about Bastrop?
A: I love the combination of history, architectural charm and the proximity of the river to downtown. And I love that the people are from everywhere—those who grew up in Bastrop give us a sense of history, identity, and stability, and those who either left and came back or got here as soon as they could, bring their experiences from elsewhere to expand the visions of what Bastrop can become. I think that we have a very dynamic combination of people in Bastrop. Also, the fact that Bastrop is becoming more and more a tourist destination makes it a good location to build a retail business.
Oil painting by Deborah Johnson
Q: Are you doing anything special for Yesterfest?
A: Well, as chairman of Yesterfest, I have been spending more time on the event itself and not as much as I would like on putting together special event s for that day at the gallery, but we will be doing some special things. First of all, Art Connections Gallery is the stage sponsor for the Texas Legends and Tales Storytelling Tent at S. Main and Pine. The author of the Hank the Cowdog series, John Erickson, will be one of our storytellers and we will be selling “Hank” stuff in front of the gallery. One of our own authors whose books regularly sell at the gallery, Myra Hargraves McIlvain, will be one of the story tellers and will be signing her books afterwards. Author Herschel Hill will also be signing books. We will also have artists Elizabeth Sullivan and Jo Castillo demonstrating and Kendra Kinsey doing sidewalk portraits. And if you come in and tell the staff that you read this blog and tell them the year Bastrop was settled (1832), you will receive a gift certificate to the gallery for $18.32 to be used by May 31, 2015.
Special events this month:
Saturday, April 26th, as part of Yesterfest weekend, we will be having a Valery Guignon trunk show from noon until 4pm. Valery designs wonderful wearable art in hand dyed and hand painted silks and will be bringing in her line of spring clothing.
Thursday, April 30th, Gallery Talk by Marie Blazek on the goddesses featured in her clay art. We have a Gallery Talk series that happens several times during the year and adds an educational dimension to the gallery experience. Marie is a local artist who left for several years and has recently come back home. Her ceramic studio was on Main Street for years and she is a much-loved artist and person here in Bastrop.
Friday, May 1st, First Friday Art Walk. This month we will feature the award winning art dolls of Sally Stevenson and the incredible glass art of Leslie Friedman. The event is from 5-9pm and will feature music by Faire to Middlin’ and wonderful food by our own resident artist and staff, Renate Kasper.
For more information about Art Connections Gallery, you can check out their website here: http://www.artconnectionsgallerybastrop.com and ‘like’ them on Facebook here.
