This year's featured artists at the Bayou City Art Festival springtime event in Memorial Park are the South Carolina "art couple" Signe and Genna Grushovenko — but there are plenty of local artists representing at the outdoor event running this Friday through Sunday, too.
Yan Lee of Big Tree Studio in Spring has been showing at the festival for several years. His work is very popular and rather fitting for the park setting. Lee began his artistic career when he first drew the Century Tree on campus while he was attending Texas A&M University. That led to a lifelong quest to immortalize historic Texas trees in pen and ink.
"I think it helps to show my work at Memorial Park," Lee says. "It's a very good fit for my art!"
Lee's luscious tree prints range from $100 to $800.
This will be the first BCAF for Lori Betz, a popular Houston sculptor who runs Betz Art Gallery and Foundry on Summer Street.
This will be the first BCAF for Lori Betz, a popular Houston sculptor who runs Betz Art Gallery and Foundry on Summer Street where fans and clients often stop by to browse and watch her at work.
"I'm just really excited to be showing this year," she says. "I wanted to do something special so I am unveiling a new bronze sculpture I made specifically for the festival."
Betz often does dance figures and has created one of two Houston Ballet dancers in motion for the festival. She'll have both small and large-scale works for sale ranging from $600 to $10,000.
During a longtime business career, Harold Siefert often visited art galleries and found himself drawn to 3-D metal works. When he was laid off in 2000, he decided to pursue his love of art and studied at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Glassell School of Art. Today he works in wax, clay, wood and other materials and through the use of molds, or burn out (lost wax process), he casts bronze abstract and clothing sculptures.
"I love being in this show for it is well-run," Siefert says. "Very nice experience for the art patron and the artists as well. BCAF takes care of us. A lot of people donate their time by volunteering to help cover for the artist when he or she has to leave for a short break. Many people are walking around asking if we need anything, bringing drinks, etc."
Siefert will be showing pieces from $50 to $5,000 including some adorable tabletop bunny sculptures.
The Bayou City Art Festival's biannual festivals (there's a second one held downtown in the fall) have raised more than $2.7 million for arts and service organizations in Houston. This year all proceeds from the Memorial Park festival will go to 16 local charities including Bering Omega Community Services, SNAP and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The groups provide the volunteers that are instrumental in putting on the festival.
Tickets to the March festival are $15 at the gate or $13 if you buy now online. And members can get two free tickets, with a few other perks (membership is just $150), while kids get in for $3 (children two and under get in for free). And you will want to bring the little ones because there are plenty of interactive arts activities for them.
Bayou City Art Festival will take place from Friday through Sunday at Memorial Park.
Harold Siefert
