“The Pete Paintings” and Musings will showcase never before exhibited works by well respected, Houston-based artist Perry House. The exhibition can be divided into two themes. “The Pete Paintings” which are the culmination of 10-year-old work, depicting House’s alter ego, “Pete,” and the Musings, paintings that allude to past work by the artist, continuing the abstracted aesthetic which House has become known for.

With this exhibition, House merges together these two ideas into a collection of works that offer a balance of familiarity and anomaly. Both “The Pete Paintings” and the Musings will be displayed in a grid format allowing them to be viewed as a large installation or as individual paintings.

“The Pete Paintings” stem from a lifelong obsession with art and are a testament to House’s commitment to his craft. As a young man the artist remembers going to the bowling alley in his hometown to skip school or pass the time. During these outings, he would take the score cards and draw on the back of them. A figure that he would end up constantly depicting was the head of a man with a mustache, and round spectacles, who was always smoking a cigarette. This figure became an icon for Perry House and over the years he would come back to it and render it time and time again. 

The second half of the exhibition consist of the Musings, which reference back to past works and themes that can be seen throughout the artist’s career. House takes everyday objects such as curtains and vases and abstracts them. Using loose brush strokes, color and carefully placed composition, Perry House gives the viewer a new way to look at the mundane. The group of abstract paintings that make up the Musings also reference a sense of nostalgia and familiarity from the artist’s past. 

Following the opening reception, the exhibit will be on display through February 11.