This article appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Texoma Living!.
10 Artists Who Deserve Your Attention
Not so long ago, Denison recognized the undiscovered treasure that was its art community. Accepting the economic efficacy of a thriving arts presence, the community decided to support the arts, back the arts, and promote the arts. Under the leadership of the Denison Arts Council’s Mike Williams and others, the downtown galleries now attract ever increasing numbers of art patrons to the city. Artists have found that Denison is a good place to work and live, and they find a community ready and willing to help them along. Aside from Lake Texoma, art has become the raison d’être for Denison tourism, and Denison has learned that art is more than aesthetic; it is good business too.
Sherman has no shortage of talented artists, either, and some are real headliners. Patricia Nix is one of the art world’s leading practitioners of late 20th century painting and sculpture. The Nix family of Sherman is involved in the art world as the exclusive representatives of their matriarch’s limited editions.
To the west, new galleriesare appearing on the scene. Tina Pustizzi-Meschko’s Fine Art Studio and Gallery on Whitesboro’s Main Street is very active, and artists from the surrounding rural communities have found a home at the small town gallery. And to the east, the Bonham Creative Arts Center provides a home for new and established artists in Fannin County.
Artists live and work all across Texoma. Their creative tools range from fine-haired brushes to welding torches. Their art spans every possible style and medium.
Last year’s first Art Issue featured both new and more established artists. This year, our goal was to discover and introduce a group of new, emerging artists. Texoma Living! chose a panel of local artists and gallery owners who know what is happening in Texoma’s art community. The panel started work in the spring to find the most talented and prolific emerging artists in the area for your consideration.
From the beginning, we made it clear that “new” did not necessarily mean “young.” We wanted the panel to find and choose artists who were doing interesting work and who had great potential for future success. Members of the panel brought a short list of nominees to the table and gave their reasons for selecting each artist. We viewed their art and heard their stories, and the panel shared what they knew about the artists. The list was narrowed to ten, with each name gaining unanimous support.
We hope you will agree that the selections are on target. Choosing only ten of the many excellent artists submitted was difficult, but ten it is, and we believe all selected this year are worthy of your attention.
Texoma Living! Artist Selection Committee
Making selections for this year’s Art Issue was a difficult process. The members of the committee each had their own favorites to champion. They also knew that from the dozens of candidates, only 10 would be in the final list. Each nominee was brought to the meetings with strong reasons why each should be included. At the moment we set a number we instantly knew that many deserving artists would be left out. Consequently, we’ve never thought of this as a “best of” list. This is exactly as advertised: 10 Artists Who Deserve Your Attention. We hope that you will appreciate the difficulty of making this list and thank the committee members for taking on this responsibility.
The Committee:
Steve Black
Chair, Fine Arts Dept., Visual Instructor
Grayson County College
Denison
Mary Karam
Mary Karam Gallery
Denison
Pat Waymon
The Pat Waymon Gallery
Denison
Michael Williams
Old Katy Glassworks
President, Denison Arts Council
Denison
Tina Pustizzi-Meschko
Owner
Pustizzi-Meschko Fine Art Studio & Gallery
Whitesboro
Alternates:
Sue Malnory
President
Sherman Council for the Arts & Humanities
Sherman
Lisa Thornhill
Wildflowers of Texoma
Sherman