In living color
Art pilgrims: An out-of-stater explains the Houston lure of the Bayou City ArtFestival
- Oscar Matos Linares, "Water Pond Lillies"
- Oscar Matos Linares, "Blue Vision"
- Oscar Matos Linares, "Chicago Board of Trade"
- Oscar Matos Linares, "Door Handle"
To art lovers, this weekend's Bayou City Art Festival downtown is the opportunity to stroll through a showcase of creative delights.
From clay to metal, glass to oil painting, the Houston aesthete's palate can be fully satisfied by the assorted palette of imaginative prowess BCAF has to offer.
It's easy to understand what BCAF means to the interested onlooker. But what about the passionate participant?
Chicago-based slide film photographer Oscar Matos Linares told CultureMap that our hometown art festival is a labor of love for him.
"A friend of mine told me about BCAF," Matos Linares said. "The festival seems to be running well, and has nice exposure. So I thought I'd expand my market a little."
Matos Linares already commands a "nice little audience in Houston," but this will be his first appearance at BCAF.
"I'll travel anywhere within 18 hours of Chicago for a festival," Matos Linares said. In fact, he has featured his colorful brand of photographic expression at festivals in Ann Arbor, Mich., Minneapolis, Minn., and Indianapolis, Ind., and is looking forward to packing up his cargo van and adding the Bayou City to his national repertoire.
So why slide film, anyway?
"I have nothing against digital, but I prefer slide film," Matos Linares admitted. "It allows me to concentrate on color and lighting. You have to shoot the subject just right, and you have to be perfect every time — there's no room for mistakes."
We can get on board with colorful. And we're hoping Matos Linares will bring the hue to Houston and snap a few shots while he's in town this weekend, too.
Editor's note: When you're downtown at the Bayou City Art Festival, you can keep track of everything you need to know on your phone with CultureMap's mobile guide to the BCAF. The guide has information on everything from where to park to the schedule of live performances to descriptions of the artists and their work.
A new feature this year finds a Quick Response Code (think grocery store bar code) on the front of every artist's booth, allowing you to scan the code with your smartphone and instantly call up information on that particular artist's work and background. If you're unfamiliar with QRCs, just download a free app like NeoReader to read the QRC in seconds.
To get started with the mobile guide, you only have to type www.culturemap.com/bcaf into any phone with a Web browser.