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    Tattered Jeans

    A life in colors: Inspired by Big Mama, a father and daughter duo launch anunlikely art career

    Katie Oxford
    Aug 18, 2011 | 1:10 pm
    • "Dewberry Patch"
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • Window at Tejas Antiques in Navasota, with painting "The Cotton Walk" by MollyBee Collins resting on chair
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • Painting over doorway, "Grandma's Hands" by Molly Bee
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • "Mission in New Mexico" by Leon Collins
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • Leon with his "Madame Freeman," the first African-Americn business woman inNavasota, painted on hand-hooked rug made by Pat Shoemake
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • "The Cotton Walk" by Molly Bee Collins
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • Leon's "As I Remember," with subjects Leon's great-great-grandmother (Big Mama)and her sister praying in the back yard
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • "The Cotton Walk," detail
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • Leon and Molly Bee's "Homestead Sunday," with Leon's work table below and BigMama's chair on the right
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • "Poak Salad" by Molly Bee
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • "Another Sweet Song," which Molly Bee and Leon painted together
      Photo by Katie Oxford

    I entered the Tejas Antiques store in Navasota, Texas where, behind a counter filled with homemade fudge, was the owner. Duane Garner greeted me with an open, smiling face. He was welcoming even after realizing that I’d come to view art more than antiques.

    Folk art to be exact — acrylic paintings by Leon Collins and his daughter Molly Bee. The paintings are as rich in color as they are steeped in culture. A culture that Leon and Molly Bee bring to life through vibrant colors, yet the paintings are restful. Soothing. Probably like the person to whom Leon gives all the credit.

    Their art gallery (inside Tejas Antiques) is named The Color of Life. It portrays Leon’s life, Molly Bee’s and one other’s. “The inspiration,” Leon said, his hands opened, brushing lightly across the room, “comes from my great, great grandmother … the will comes from God.”

    “I lost my sight and my speech,” Leon told me. He mentioned this briefly, like a stone skipping over water — brain cancer.

    While the sun continued scorching everything outside to a color of dull beige, Leon and I settled on a sofa surrounded by various shades of greens, blues and reds and talked about his life. As I listened, I noted he spoke easy like and reverently as if his great, great grandmother was sitting right there with us. Sometimes, I teared up.

    Leon was born in Galveston, but when he turned four his parents divorced and he was sent to Baton Rouge to live with relatives. When Leon was eight, he moved out to Beverly Hills to live with his mother. But every summer he was sent to Brazoria to be with his great, great grandmother, “Big Mama.” Leon would go to the store and buy a Big Chief notebook. Then, he would write down all the stories Big Mama told him. There were many.

    I pointed to a painting by the doorway that Leon named As I remember. “That’s her and her sister,” he explained. “Every morning before we’d go out to work, we’d go in the back yard and pray. We did not leave that house before praying — not even to go fishing,” he chuckled.

    In the 1970s, Big Mama died at age 119.

    “I never knew her to have a sick day,” Leon said. “She never had a cold — I never even heard her cough.”

    Her sister (the one praying in the painting with Big Mama) died at age 114. They were tall women, 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-6 as were all the sisters (seven altogether). In another painting, Leon included a rose plant called Seven Sisters. “Each stem grows seven roses,” he explained.

    The day before she died, Leon and Big Mama had killed a 500-pound wild hog. Then, they dragged it four miles to the house. The next day, “she knew,” Leon said. She’d told him she realized that she’d given him a lot of things to do that day but at 3 p.m. she wanted him back at the house — right there in the room with her. He was. At one minute before three, she died. Leon was in his twenties at that time.

    New chapter, new challenge

    When Leon’s mother died, he packed his bags and left California for Navasota, where his mother’s sister lived. From there, he fast-forwarded to 2005.

    “I lost my sight and my speech,” Leon told me. He mentioned this briefly, like a stone skipping over water — brain cancer. For the next two years, his daughter took care of him. Molly Bee began telling her father the same stories that Leon had told her growing up.

    “I used to tell her stories to settle her down,” Leon explained. “You can use this,” he said, pointing to his black leather belt, “Or you can use something else.”

    He started by asking her, “Did you know that my great, great grandmother lived to be 119 years old?” From there, the stories poured forth, one connecting to another and sparking Molly Bee’s interest.

    Now, as Molly Bee repeated these stories to her father, his mind recalled things. He began seeing them like in a movie. He also realized, “If God gives me my sight back, I’m going to start painting again.” (Leon first started painting in the 1970s but quit.)

    “I used to tell her stories to settle her down,” Leon explained. “You can use this,” he said, pointing to his black leather belt, “Or you can use something else.”

    Two years later (2007) Leon got his sight and his speech back. “I’ve been painting ever since,” he said. Sometimes on hand hooked rugs made by his friend Pat Shoemake.

    So how did his paintings get into Tejas Antiques?

    Leon used to be a “treasure hunter” he called it, looking for items for the shop. One morning, Duane picked him up and spied something on his front porch.

    “Who painted that?” Duane asked pointing to the painting. “That little girl right over there,” answered Leon, also pointing. That little girl was Molly Bee, artist, now age 21.

    The following morning, they took some of her paintings to the shop. By 10:30 a.m., one had sold, the other two quickly thereafter. The next day, they took three more. Molly Bee turned to her father then and asked him if he was ready to start painting again. The rest is history.

    Today, theirs is indeed a life of color. Some of their paintings now hang in New York City. In the fall, they’ll have an exhibit at Rice University. Duane Garner had told me earlier, “It doesn’t matter which way the wind’s blowin’ — economically or politically — we sell 25 to 30 of these paintings a month.”

    Still, Leon’s easy like and reverent. "Ninety percent of my work comes from God and Big Mama,” he said. “She’s right here in this room. She’s sitting right there in that chair.” He pointed behind me. “Don’t you see her?”

    I didn’t, but I’m certain she was there. Restful like, in vibrant colors.

    unspecifiedseries568664000
    news/travel
    series/state-of-the-arts-2011

    tourism news

    Houston rises on new list of best summer travel destinations

    Amber Heckler
    May 14, 2025 | 4:00 pm
    Houston skyline downtown at night
    IdeasLaboratory.com
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    Not even triple-digit heat will deter tourists from visiting Space City this summer: The Houston metro has climbed into the No. 35 spot on WalletHub's list of the "Best Summer Travel Destinations" in 2025.

    The report annually ranks 100 U.S metros based on attractions, safety, activities, weather, local costs, and travel costs and hassles. Factors that determine each city's ranking include flight costs, the number of affordable restaurants with high ratings, crime rates, and more.

    The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area in Florida is the No. 1 most sought after summer travel destination this year.

    Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land moved up 10 spots from its 2024 rank, and it previously ranked 38th in 2023.

    Here's how WalletHub broke down Houston's ranking in each of the six main categories:

    • No. 7 – Attractions rank
    • No. 16 – Local costs rank
    • No. 26 – Activities rank
    • No. 50 – Weather rank
    • No. 88 – Safety rank
    • No. 89 – Travel costs and hassles rank

    Houston ranked the highest in the attractions and local costs categories, proving that the city's affordability is a major benefit for visitors as well as locals. There's surely no shortage of things to do in the city, from dining at a new steakhouse, to checking out a local bookstore, or enjoying a summer concert series at Meow Wolf.

    But there's so much more that goes into choosing the right place for a memorable summer trip, says WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. Creating and sticking to a vacation budget that considers all costs of a trip, such as meals and local transportation costs, is a good place to start.

    "[C]hoosing a destination that’s not only entertaining but also affordable is important when travel, dining, and activity costs have surged so much in recent years," Lupo says. "It can also allow you to have a longer, more relaxing trip."

    The study's scope isn't just limited to just Houston proper, which also means tourists may flock to suburbs like The Woodlands to explore its inviting new restaurants. It also includes Conroe, where tourists can relax with a drink in hand at the popular Margaritaville resort.

    Other top Texas summer travel destinations
    Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown (No. 5) and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington were the only two Texas metros to earn spots in the top 10 summer travel destinations.

    Surprisingly, El Paso (No. 31) ranked four spots ahead of Houston. The final two Texas metros that earned spots in the study are Corpus Christi (No. 80) and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission (No. 97).

    The top 10 best summer travel destinations in 2025 are:

    • No. 1 – Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida
    • No. 2 – Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, Georgia
    • No. 3 – Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia
    • No. 4 – Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
    • No. 5 – Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
    • No. 6 – Cincinnati, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana
    • No. 7 – Salt Lake City, Utah
    • No. 8 – Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland
    • No. 9 – Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida
    • No. 10 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
    wallethubrankingssummer vacationtravelsan antonio
    news/travel
    series/state-of-the-arts-2011
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