Art – Page 7 – rust2.com

DWNTWN ARTMRKT

by John Rust November 21, 2011

This past Saturday we headed to the Union Plaza area in downtown El Paso to check out the DWNTWN ARTMRKT:

DWNTWN ARTMRKT

The market is a chance for local artists to showcase their wares and runs every Saturday on Anthony Street. The first time I went a couple of weeks ago the winds were terrible and made it quite unpleasant. This weekend the wind was gone, the temps were higher so we had a chance to really walk around checking things out. There was a booth setup for free ornament making for the kids so our boys had blast making a little art of their own. Thanks to Katie and her friend for helping our hooligans out with their ornaments!

The city blocks off the street so the vendors can set up booths and have plenty of room for people to walk and browse. There was a nice selection of arts and crafts, from jewelry to paintings as well as a few food vendors.

Vendor row

Union Plaza has gone through a revitalization of sorts with improved sidewalks and parking. There are a lot more restaurants in the area though they didn’t look open at the time we were there. The real highlight of the area is the old industrial buildings that now house may of the clubs and restaurants. They have retained their character and clues to there past can still be found on the faded brick facades.

Western Coffee Company

Moore

Post no Bills

After walking around a bit and checking out the train station the kids were getting a bit unruly so we headed out to get some lunch. I can see this growing and being real popular in the springtime, hopefully more of the restaurants will make an effort to be open for lunch as more people come. More shots of the buildings in the area can be found here:

El Paso Downtown Artmarket

Art, Photography

Chalk the Block ’11

by John Rust October 17, 2011

This weekend downtown El Paso held the 4th annual Chalk the Block event. The organizers bring together artists, artist teams and other performers for a free event that turns the sidewalks around the plaza and museum into temporary art installations. With the recent removal of the fences around San Jacinto Plaza the downtown park makes for a great place for artists to create chalk and pastel works on the concrete.

: Big Red Heart

We arrived early Saturday morning so many of the artists were still working on their pieces. There was still a bunch of other things to see as we wandered around. Poetic Kinetics was on hand displaying one of their Holding Flame sculptures:

: Holding Flame

Jack was mesmerized by it but Shaun was a little afraid. The flame visuals created by the burner at the top really can hypnotize you. The heat kicked by the flames keeps you mindful of the danger overhead but the distance keeps you safe. Fiat of El Paso was also using this a showcase event for their just launched 500, with artists creating works around and on the spry little hatch.

Fiat 500 Art Car

There was a large selection of food trucks on hand hawking all sorts of nacho-churro-relleno-on-a-stick concoctions. We opted for a stop at Kipps Cheesesteaks for their awesome hot sandwiches.

: Eat at Kipps!

I guess no outdoor event is complete without some sort of protests. The Occupy Wallstreet protests that are currently sweeping the globe have even spawned a local group who were standing out in front of the Cortez Building. They had wanted the center of the Plaza but were supplanted by the arts this weekend. Go Arts!

Occupy Mesa Street?

Main street had been turned into an informal gallery space with several booths set up and artists displaying their wares. Local El Paso artists David “Grave” Herrera and Mitsu Overstreet of “Border Youth” were on hand laying down some paint on a Sun Metro bus:

: Grave’s Border Youth

The kids were about done at this point and we had seen everything that was worth checking out. This years event was well organized and looks to be something that will continue and only get better. My full Flickr set can be viewed here: Chalk the Block

Art

Alexandre Farto aka Vhils

by John Rust May 25, 2011

I saw Alexandre Farto’s work on Gizmodo today. For some of his works he uses a subtractive process, removing material to create his imagery on walls and billboards:

These works add an interesting wrinkle to the graffiti art debate. “Normal” graffiti art done with paint or markers is removable, this is a bit more destructive. Judging by the care and detail I’m sure permission has been granted to do these but what of copycats who might try to emulate his art in a more clandestine fashion somewhere else? Cool stuff nonetheless and worth a visit to his site:

http://alexandrefarto.com/