by Soniya Ekici
All natural exquisite henna tattoos painted on skin freehand by myself, a third-generation Henna Artist, it will surely leave you mesmerized. Also, you will see a beautiful display of unique and intricate painting done with Henna and acrylic on canvas, glass, and gourds with vibrant colors. www.hennacompany.com
I create fused glass in my studio; beginning with sheets of glass, I cut, stack, and shape pieces and then fuse them together to create original functional art. Most are sandblasted and fire polished to give a matte finish to add an extra dimension to the art piece.
Natalie P Robinson
Peculiar Sentiments boasts of completely unique, handcrafted leather cuffs, bib necklaces, and a variety of jewelry and accessories made from repurposed and found items. Though some of our jewelry features unique new pieces, our love is for vintage jewelry, antique buttons, repurposed hardware, pocket watch parts, clock pieces or any other re-loved and re-discovered treasures, clustered together for a vintage look. Each piece carries its own delightful story. Every cuff is unique, featuring focal pieces carefully selected and clustered into an exquisite work of wearable art. www.PeculiarSentiments.com instagram.com/peculiarsentiments 936-870-6993
An artisan, photographer and entrepreneur, Natalie has been creating unique designs since she was 13 years old. Repurposing anything and everything from jewelry, furniture, clothing, and even recipes, Natalie’s driving passion is to turn something old and loved into something new and beautiful, while preserving the heart and soul of the original piece.
In October 2012, Natalie launched her business, Peculiar Sentiments. Creatively combining her only available resources: her courage and creativity, a stock of remnant leather, and vintage jewelry from her late grandmother she began creating unique handcrafted cuff bracelets. Encouraged by her family, friends, and customers, Natalie began expanding her repertoire beyond cuff bracelets, to include bib necklaces, earrings, hats, and much more.
Nancy and Tuz Adams at TheTinArmadillo.com
We take the ordinary tin can and elevate it into an unusual and beautiful piece of art with the help of a torch and hand molding. Every item is hand-cut with no patterns creating a patina and shape unique to that particular can. Just like the armadillo….he’s an enjoyable mystery! Lanterns create elegant illuminations…Planter/windchimes sound from lids…Creatures that make you chuckle….and sculpture you simply enjoy either inside or out in the garden. All cans are donated…creating a circle of useful life for Mr.Tin. TheTinArmadillo.com 713-303-5279
Back in the early Seventies, during Earth Day’s inception, I was a young teen experimenting with torches and metal…copper, tin, brass etc. I came upon the idea of working with the cans, and it evolved into creating saleable pieces, for which I traveled to juried shows that eventually paid my way through The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Flash forward nearly forty years. Yikes! We still have far too many cans going into the trash… My husband bought me a torch for Valentine’s day so we could resurrect my tin art and create new and more mature refined pieces for the twenty-first century.
The Fish Sculpture on our website is an original, now literally a timeless antique!
My technique is meticulous, obsessive, chaotic yet organized and is in every way, just like me. I bring excitement with color, a sense of flow with texture and the intention to provide joy and delight for the viewer. I have chosen one rule as a guideline to my technique, to create any color, texture, line…from tiny strokes. It is my version of pointillism with a twist and the added energy of spontaneous abstract forms. This technique is as much a part of me as every cell in my body. http://www.mmelgar.com
I moved to Houston in June of 2009. Prior to that I had lived in San Antonio for about 15 years! The longest I’ve lived anywhere. One thing I’ve loved about Texas is the sunsets. Although I don’t get inspired to imitate nature per se because I mostly paint abstract now, the feelings I get when looking at the beauty in our world does give me the motivation to create something beautiful of my own.
I’ve been doodling since I can remember and now I doodle with paint on a canvas. I come up with a random form/image/design that I first doodle and from those sketches or doodles I pick what I feel will look good as a painting. When I start a painting I have a general idea about colors and an idea from the sketch what it may look like. However with paint, my doodles do all kinds of things that are unexpected and it’s always exciting to see the final result!
~Monica Melgar
David Mercado is an artist who resides in Austin, Texas. In the beginning, his imagery focused on the beauty, strength, and movement of hummingbirds—a series that gained him national recognition by their popularity. As his career progressed, however, an exciting new abstract collection emerged which illustrated not only his range as an artist, but showcased the evolution of depth and complexity within his work.
It is the striking imagery of Mercado’s latest venture, however, which reveals a much more personal side of the artist. His “Virgen de Guadalupe” series gives a profoundly intimate glimpse into the faith and heritage which have inspired him. The series unveils an incredible transformation of traditional, iconic imagery into complex, abstract renderings of the Virgin’s image onto board, paper, and furniture pieces. Mercado’s style flawlessly blends the old and new to produce this new intriguing mix of vivid, soul-jarring, and contemporary pieces. @davidmercadoatx Email David
Austin native John Mercado works primarily in painting and book deconstruction. He often uses found objects and mixed media to create his geometric artwork, which can be viewed as aesthetically minimalist with constructive and collage elements.
John has been a full-time artist for more than fifteen years participating in juried art festivals across the country and has shown in galleries in New York City, New Haven, CT, Houston, TX, San Antonio, TX and Austin, TX. Instagram: @johnmercadoart https://www.jmercadofineart.com/
Lauren Luna was born in Columbus, Ohio. After graduating from Kent State University’s School of Fine Arts with a focus in painting, she moved to New York City. She began teaching Special Education for New York City schools and entered a Masters program at Manhattan College. Upon graduation, she moved back to her hometown of Columbus along with her son and continued teaching. Later enrolling in the Academy of Art University for her second Master’s degree, in Fine Arts.
www.artistaluna.com 832-713-7217
www.artistaluna.com 832-713-7217
In 2011, Luna relocated to Houston, Texas, pursuing her new life as a full time artist and footwear designer.
Lauren Luna was named a Top 50 Entrepreneur by Scion Car Company, participated in Austin and Houston Fashion Week, was featured in British Vogue and Glamour Magazines, and had a shoe design in an exhibit in the Grassi Museum in Germany.She was honored to receive the Margot Siegel Award for Design by the Goldstein Museum of which two pairs of her hand painted shoes are a part of the museum’s permanent collection.
In 2015, after winning Best In Show at a juried art competition, she was commended by the Alvin Independent School District School Board, and was put into Congressional Record by the District’s State Representative.
She is a frequent participant to local art festivals, and also has a mural at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Luna currently is an art professor at Lone Star and San Jacinto Colleges, and is Co-President of the D.R.E.A.M Affect Foundation, a non-profit organization that awards scholarships to minority art students pursuing Fine Arts, and grants for emerging artists to show their work.
by Kristy Allmon
My signature style with Enchanted Photodesign offers a luminous, ethereal view of a widely diverse array of subjects, from personal portraits to hard-edged urban views, from wildflowers to vivid graffiti. Far more than a business name, Enchanted Photodesign describes my approach to photography itself, a highly characteristic expression of my worldview, which creates a unique and immediately recognizable body of work. www.enchantedphotodesign.com 713-320-2713
