It was a full house Saturday night when Lester Marks and Dr. Penelope Gonzales opened their art-filled home for a reception honoring Whitney Biennial 2010 artist Marianne Vitale and Artadia honoree Nathaniel Donnett, following their opening exhibitions at Colton & Farb Gallery. Welcoming guests to the gallery were owners Deborah Colton and Carolyn Farb.

While 300 art fans turned out at the North Boulevard Gallery, a mere 70 arrived at the Marks/Gonzales home for the after-party. Among them were Mimi Kilgore, Mady and Ken Kades, Mary and Tyler Moore, Marthann Masterson, Molly Gochman, Judy and Larry Levine, Terence O'Neill, Jay Rusovich and Behrooz Ramesh.

Dining in style

That would be Hilton Americas-Houston's Paul-David Van Atta and Taping for the Blind's Brian Teichman, who were in New York on Monday for the annual Literacy Partners' "An Evening of Readings" at Lincoln Center, chaired by columnist Liz Smith, designer Arnold Scaasi and his pal Parker Ladd.

Not just ordinary guests, this duo was personally invited by global literacy advocate honorees best-selling author Barbara Taylor Bradford and her husband, Bob Bradford. And as a result they were seated with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie. Would love to know if Britain's current political upheaval was open for discussion!

Teichman and Van Atta became fast friends with the Bradfords, when they were in town for a tea benefiting Taping for the Blind, held at the River Oaks home of Mary and Tony Gracely.

Fasten your seat belts

The attire was "travel chic" for the Alley Gala underwriter cocktail reception Thursday night. But rest assured that no one entering the River Oaks home of gala chairs Courtney and Bo Hopson dressed in the traditional flip-flops and T-shirt attire that most travelers seem to favor today. This was a truly chic crowd from Cornelia and Meredith Long to Marcy Taub Wessel.

The black-tie "Jet Setters' Ball" takes place on Saturday in the 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Hobby Airport and will honor Fayez Sarofim. Thus, the "travel chic" cocktail reception. And, unlike yucky airplane food, catering for this event was done by the very tasteful City Kitchen.

Among the high-flying guests were Lindsay and Rand Holstead, Scott McCool, Kristi and John Schiller, Melissa and Michael Mithoff, Patty Porter, Trey Peacock, Rob Reedy and Vicki Adams.

Earning good ink

That would be Becca Cason Thrash, who made the Wall Street Journal on Thursday in Marshall Heyman's "Heard and Scene" column. She was in New York last week for the American Patrons of Tate Gala.

Accompanying a photo of La Becca with YSL lead designer Stefano Pilati, Heyman quoted Cason Thrash as saying, "Texans are ebullient . . . We're comfortable in our skins. We're enthusiastic and not afraid to show it. There's a more blasé attitude in New York. I don't judge it. It is what it is. I think it flabbergasts people sometimes when I say, 'You look divine!' Women are surprised by that."

Heyman just launched his column in the Greater New York section of the ever-evolving WSJ to much fanfare. Gossip and nightlife news along with interbank interest rates. Heyman reported that Cason Thrash was wearing Dior Haute Couture.

Sight 'ems

Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub treating his wife, Laurie, to a birthday dinner Saturday at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse where they were joined by fellow Texans Chris Myers, Eric Winston and Dan Orlovsky and the Houston Rockets' Shane Battier. GM Arthur Mooradian was over the moon with the beefy collection of sports stars . . .

KSEV 700 AM morning show host Sam Malone lunching at Shula's Steak House with Katrina Fotheringham, fulfilling a lunch date that she had won 11 years ago in a contest on 104 KRBE FM, where Malone hosted the morning show for quite some time. The original date had to be cancelled and Fotheringham called Malone recently and demanded that he pay up. And he did . . .

Franci Crane and Sheridan Williams lunching at Haven with chef Randy Evans personally welcoming them.