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"Song of a Desert Spring" by Lucile Wedeking

Deep In The Heart Of Texas: Women Artists Shine At Western Gallery’s New Show


by Therese Powell 9 Oct 2020 6:00 AM
photo of George Irwin, curator and director of Western Gallery

George Irwin, Western Gallery Director and Curator

What is a Texas Woman? That’s the question Western Gallery, a virtual art gallery, wants you to ponder with their new show, Texas Women.

“A lot of people think of Texas Women as big hair and taking no lip, but a strong point of view is also a common trait,” said Western Gallery Director and Curator George Irwin.

Texas Women.  Virtual exhibition at Western Gallery thru Oct. 25. 

“We saw this show as an opportunity to reinterpret the legend of this great state through the eyes of its female citizens, and to recognize them for their work, which is second to none.”

oil painting by Felice House called "Shanielle Dean" that depicts a portrait of a black woman wearing cowboy hat.

‘Shanielle Dean in Giant’ by Felice House, oil on canvas.

The virtual exhibition, which features the work of 19 female artists from across the state of Texas, was actually inspired by the gallery’s spring exhibition New Western Talent, which highlighted up-and-coming 2-D artists. Irwin noticed that of the hundreds of applicants who submitted work to the show, 20% of the people selected by the jury to show their work were women.

Acrylic painting on corrugated board by Landry McMeans. It shows three brown horses in a corral. In the background are tall cactuses.

‘Unbridled” by Landry McMeans, archival corrugated board & acrylic

“I just thought that was a really impressive representation by the state and it just created the idea of doing a show to highlight women artists in Texas. Which just made perfect sense, given the fact that women artists are generally and historically under represented. It just seemed like a good chance for me to something to make a little bit of a difference there.”

Oil painting by Kerri Menchaca done on stainless steel called "Off Trail." It's done in a realistic style and depicts a shallow stream.

‘Off Trail’ by Kerri S. Menchaca, oil on stainless steel,

There are over 80 works in the show representing a diverse and wide range of styles and distinct perspectives of the American West–abstract to photorealistic, classic to contemporary.

Paintings make up most of the work on display, but Irwin notes there are a few artists that do mixed media work on a number of different surfaces such as Kerri Menchaca who works on stainless steel and Landry McMeans who does her work on archival corrugated board. There is also a chain-stitched piece by fiber artist Dana Falconberry in the show.

Texas Women is on display at Western Gallery through Oct. 25.


Got a tip? Email Therese Powell at [email protected]. You can follow her on Twitter @TheresePowell13

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