How many of you went to college and/or university? How many of you finished (however that looks in your life)? And more importantly, how did that formal education (or lack of it) affect your visual and literary art?
I was raised in a cult that didn’t value a college education (it was full of bad influences and would take one’s attention from God). About a year after high school graduation, I left the cult, losing my support system of family and friends. Enrolling back in school was the LAST thing on my mind. I wanted…no, I NEEDED to explore the world around me, testing assumptions I had been raised with, discovering what and who I could trust in life.
Within the next four years, I discovered the Montrose area of Houston, Patti Smith, Anderson Fair, KPFT, Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Tower Theater and many lovely people who not only recognized my extreme naivety, but became supporters and protectors (I will always be grateful for the three drug dealers who lived next door in my first apartment, who would suss out my dates and chase off the bad ones).
I then moved to Detroit. Yes, that Detroit, the land of dirty factories, of gangs, of gunfire. Yes, that Detroit, the land of pierogis in Hamtramck, Belle Isle on a sunny afternoon, the magical frozen waves of Lake St Clair in the winter and OMFG, my introduction to the power of art when I stood in the Rivera Court at The Detroit Institute of Art, stunned at Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry Murals. Yes, Detroit, the land that I met my BFF. She has written of a bit of our time there together, and entered a piece of that writing in this year’s literary contest that WiVLA, Houston Writers’ Guild and Inklings Press collaborated on earlier this year. Her piece made it into the anthology (I’m not surprised, her writing is excellent).
I came back to Houston with a one-year-old child in tow, escaping a failed marriage. I stayed with a close friend for a year, licking my mental and emotional wounds. I then started venturing out, exploring Montrose again, eventually moving there. When my son was six, I met the love of my life (we’ve now been married 30 years, thank you very much). His mother was a quilter, and taught me the skills of quilting. She took me to the annual International Quilt Festival, and I was again stunned by the power of art when I stood in front of Hollis Chatelain’s “Blue Men”. I now have been studying with her for 12 years during annual week-long retreats.
All of this rambling through my life does have a point, I just have to ramble until I get to one. I don’t regret never enrolling in college when I was younger. The life lessons I learned and the experiences I’ve had have all taught me much. However, I think I’ve missed out on getting that formal education in some ways, especially in developing disciplined critical thinking skills. So, I’ve decided to plan out my own liberal arts education, very freeform. I’ve looked at various course suggestions and syllabus outlines, and am in the process of deciding what, exactly, I want out of this. And yes, I’m doing this in the middle of sorting through house and studio contents to weed out what no longer serves me (and my husband) in preparation for our upcoming move to Arkansas.
So back to my original questions… How many of you went to college and/or university? How many of you finished (however that looks in your life)? And more importantly, how did that formal education (or lack of it) affect your visual and literary art?
I would love to hear from you in an email (gretchen2art@yahoo.com) or over coffee or a drink. Reach out to me if you’d like to discuss those questions or anything else you have on your mind.
Walk in love
- Gretchen -
Book Launch for Journey Into Art Anthology
Friday, October 6, 2023
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Hilton Houston Plaza Medical Center Hotel
6633 Travis Street, Houston TX 77030
Sticky Characters: Making Your Story-People Walk Off the Page with Chris Rogers
Saturday, October 7, 2023
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
ZOOM
Why do certain characters stick in our minds? Some characters live on, whether kind or cruel, powerful or pitiful, handsome or homely, long after the curtain closes. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling, Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, the Golden Girls – let's explore specifically what makes a character live on and on.
Bio: Also known as The Story Painter, Chris Rogers wrote her first story in third grade. “A Girl Named Sam” earned her an A+. Years passed. Married with children, Rogers tackled her first painting – a mural for a living room wall. A simple tree – but a dismal failure – and it was 38 years before she again picked up a brush. Today, after publishing six short-story collections, numerous magazine articles, including Writers Digest, nine novels – a non-fiction book on writing, and winning numerous ribbons for her art, both abstract and representational, Rogers will enjoy her first solo-artist show in June 2023 at Degallery in Bryan, Texas.
This workshop will be recorded. Registered attendees will have access to the recording after the workshop.
Saturday, October 28, 2023
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
3121 San Jacinto Street, Houston TX 77004
For this private tour, we are allowed a maximum of 15 registrants. Registrants who identify as seniors (60+) can get a $3 discount off of the regular price of $17.
Saturday, November 4, 2023
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
819 Highland St, Houston TX 77009
Would you like to make a handmade journal that you can use for sketching? Watercolor? Art journaling? Writing your deepest thoughts? Playing with poetry? Any of those are possible at Cori Austin’s Handmade Journal Workshop.
Grackle & Grackle has graciously offered their studio for this workshop. Get ready to meet with other WiVLA members and have some fun! Participants can bring their own materials (especially paper) and/or purchase materials from Cori before the workshop (see full materials list).
Bio: A book lover since childhood, Cori’s life spiraled joyfully out of control when she learned how to make and fill books. Now she has several sketchbooks and art journals going simultaneously, stacks of paper and book board at the ready to build new books, and collections of small zentangles and watercolors waiting for their own book structure. A member of the Houston Book Arts Guild, she enjoys the challenge of new structures and designs. “I could make a book out of these!” can often be heard when she’s in thrift stores. She has a room full of a million kinds of papers, and likes nothing better than gathering with friends to make books and art.
Every year we request that our Literary members share some of their work with the rest of the WiVLA members. You can submit a short story, poetry, essay. The only limit is that your reading can’t be longer than 5 minutes. We want to encourage as many members to sign up for this. The topic for the November readings is, Doors.
The door symbolizes transition, a metamorphosis. It is an allegory of beginning, opening, an exit that leads from one state of being to the next. The door signifies the commencement of the new while simultaneously embodying the idea of an end.
WiVLA is partnering with the Houston Writers Guild and the Brazos Bookstore to present this event so that our wonderful writers can share their favorite goblins, golems, and gremlins. The timing for this event is November 18th, which means you can write about Halloween, Election Day, El Dia De Los Muertos, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, or any other holiday event that entertains or spooks you. You can read short stories, essays, or poetry as long as the piece can be read within 5 minutes. The readings will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Brazos Bookstore.
We are working with Brazos Bookstore so that authors who have published books can sell them via consignment for that one night at Brazos Bookstore.
Bring a snack to share. Maybe a bottle of wine or other beverage. Let's celebrate the end of another stellar year for WiVLA members at Silver Street Studios. Stay tuned for a link to sign up for refreshments!
Enter the building through the pink door on the east end of the building.
Remember to check the WiVLA Calendar for exciting happenings - fieldtrips, studio visits, workshops, and other fun activities.
A rack card is an easily recognizable vertical marketing card that you typically find in visitor centers, hotels, and museums. With the depleting inventory of our cards and the possibility of a larger-than-normal attendance at our exhibition reception, the board decided to get a more modern design that might appeal to a more diverse audience. A ready supply of cards is available in Melody's studio at Silver Street Studios in studio 320. Your GPS can more easily find her building if you use 2101 Winter Street as the address. A large mural adorns the north side of the Silver Street building. You can find her studio by entering the pink outside door. If you would like to pick up some rack cards, contact me at 713-851-0134.
You most likely saw a large wall sticker with the same design if you attended the reception.
- Melody Locke -
October Monthly Member Meeting
In My Dollhouse There are Many Mansions: Preparing a Place to Explore, Create, Heal and Play
with Norola Morgan
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
via Zoom
Do YOU play with dolls? Mixed media doll artist Norola Morgan does! Playing with, collecting, and making dolls thrill her soul. Come join her on a guided tour of her ADHD infused creative process. She will share her inspirations, favorite materials, preferred methods of working, and recurring themes. Learn how her love of Barbie was a catalyst for her art doll making; the importance of allowing space for chaos and the unexpected in life and art; and the ways that motherhood has impacted her creative process. The art dolls she handcrafts are more than playthings. They are vehicles for making sense of her inner and outer worlds and essential tools for healing and empowerment. And…she often makes art just because she wants the wit, whimsy, and weirdness in her mind to exist in the world in tangible form.
Bio: Norola Morgan was a weird kid who loved to read, draw, write, and ask too many questions. The local library and voracious reading offered her windows to a wider world. Academic prowess allowed her to trade the dust, cows, and football of small-town central Texas for the bright lights and visible air of Houston. After earning a BFA in Painting at the University of Houston, she stayed in Houston for the vibrant arts scene, cultural diversity, authentic weirdness, and (formerly) low cost of living.
Active in the Houston art scene since the late 90s, Norola has served in many capacities, from working as a docent at the Blaffer Gallery, teaching art afterschool through the Community Artists’ Collective and MECA, participating in numerous art exhibitions, and selling her art through local art and craft markets.
Painting fell by the wayside once she discovered working with 3-d materials. She assembles fabric, found objects and paper into unique art dolls that shock and delight. Combining mixed media with storytelling empower her to explore gender, culture, body image, sexuality and spirituality in unexpected ways. Her love of multiple media fuel her expansion into performance, cosplay, and prop fabrication. She's excited to see where these experiments take her.
Watch your Inbox for an email with the Zoom meeting code.
Shirley Beyer
(c) 2023 Shirley Beyer, Chaos Theory
(c) 2023 Shirley Beyer, Mystery Garden
Shirley Beyer is a long-time Houstonian and native Texan. She grew up in Corpus Christi and experienced a lot of freedom to explore the outdoors amid Mesquite trees and at the beach. The creative urge has always been a part of her life force even though she did not begin painting until about ten years ago. Painting is the creative endeavor that fills her soul and she describes herself as an intuitive artist who allows the brush and her soul to tell her what to put on the canvas or panel.
Shirley spent the past twenty-six years working as a psychotherapist - - first as the head of a nonprofit counseling agency and then she maintained her own private practice. She pursued art courses at the Glassell School of Art during some of that time and, also, took numerous classes and workshops from professional artists both in Houston and in other cities. She took workshops in Santa Fe, NM, many times and, also, pursued further training in Port Townsend (WA), Portland (OR), Buda (TX), and even France. Of course, she pursued online courses as well, especially during the pandemic! Shirley is convinced that travel to other states and cities enhances the creative spirit!
She has won numerous awards and has recently been admitted to a juried show sponsored by the Women in the Visual and Literary Arts. Shows and locations where she has participated are the Art League of Houston student show, the Jung Center members’ show, the Houston Art Society shows, the Lone Start Art Guild competition and at the salons of Christoph Brillard and Sean Anthony.
Shirley’s art is among the collections of friends, family members, and businesses. She feels honored that people choose to own her work.
EXPANSION Reception -- a Rousing Success!
There were some nail-biting moments leading up to the reception, but in the end, teamwork won out, and we had a great turnout. Five pieces were sold during the evening, and WiVLA put on a good show. As I visited the venue since the reception, I noticed visitors strolling through the exhibition. The exhibition runs through November 11, at which time we will need to take down the show and repair the walls. We look forward to enjoying a fun-filled patch and painting party shortly thereafter. In addition to the volunteers who signed up to help with the installation and check-in, Marie and I would like to especially thank Deborah Ellington, who helped with the planning and wall preparation before she joined WiVLA.
Weekdays between Monday and Thursday are the best times to visit the exhibition when the first hour of parking is free. On the other days, only the first 20 minutes are free. Watch Facebook and Instagram to see daily posts of the artwork. You can also view a video of the exhibition on our YouTube channel at EXPANSION: WiVLA's 2023 Visual Exhibition
- Melody Locke -
September Member Meeting: Brightening the World with Metal Sculptures
Michelle O'Michael shared her career in large sculture art starting in metal welding classes to massive sculptures in Dallas, Frisco, and Arlington. Her stunning photos emphasized her fascinating journey.
If you missed the zoom meeting, you can watch the recording on the WiVLA YouTube Channel.
Activities outside of WiVLA
Authorpalooza
Friday, October 6 to Sunday, October 8, 2023
Hilton Houston Plaza Medical Center Hotel
6633 Travis Street, Houston TX 77030
Houston Writer's Guild's Authorpalooza Conference will be October 6-8, 2023, at the Hilton Houston Plaza Medical Center hotel. Full details, cost, and registration links are now live on our website, www.houstonwritersguild.org.
The Power of Three...WiVLA Members
Shirley Beyer and Brenda Bowman, acrylic artists, and Susan Salter, encaustic artist, are pleased to announce their upcoming show entitled 3 x 3 by THREE. The show will feature 36" x 36" works plus smaller pieces. The show will be on view at the Houston Club downtown from October 2 through the end of the calendar year. A reception will be held on October 10 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Bayland Park Community Center
6400 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77043
Saturday, October 21 2023, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
WiVLA Member Jamie Frontiera will be displaying carving pieces at Houston Area Wood Carver's fall show. Free for all to come and see.
We'd love to celebrate your good news. If you are interested in sharing, please send your items to newsletter@wivla.org. The deadline for inclusion in the next month's newsletter is the 20th. Thank you.
Remember to check the WiVLA Calendar for exciting happenings - fieldtrips, studio visits, workshops, and other fun activities. 
A rack card is an easily recognizable vertical marketing card that you typically find in visitor centers, hotels, and museums. With the depleting inventory of our cards and the possibility of a larger-than-normal attendance at our exhibition reception, the board decided to get a more modern design that might appeal to a more diverse audience. A ready supply of cards is available in Melody's studio at Silver Street Studios in studio 320. Your GPS can more easily find her building if you use 2101 Winter Street as the address. A large mural adorns the north side of the Silver Street building. You can find her studio by entering the pink outside door. If you would like to pick up some rack cards, contact me at 713-851-0134.
