Herman Hugg Show  -  The Events Committee

We have the routine down to pretty simple.  Once a selected artist agrees to a date, they show up with their work on the appointed day.  We hang it on Thursday or Friday before our always 2^nd Saturday show.  Shirley Fischer publicizes the event 3-4 weeks ahead of time, the rotating food group coalesces and we have an event!  Sometimes a Foundation member hosts an out of town artist overnight.  Basically it is pretty routine stuff with a little flexibility.  We get the fun of selection and joy of arranging art as our reward.  

For any rule, there are of course exceptions.  When 87 year-old Herman Hugg became available, it was obvious we would be responsible for not only the art but also the artist.  It started months ago, photographing of his remarkable place.  Next Margo visits and gets enthused with the possibilities.  We adapt a “Gett’r Done” attitude, knowing this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience.  Tuesday May 6^th, a day ahead of schedule, we start hauling his wonderful life’s work down to the Bolivar Gallery for a unique experience. 

It was only on Wednesday’s "big stuff lift" that Albert Faggard realizes he met Herman in his youth during a visit with his mother! 

But I jump ahead.  Tuesday I fill up and reset the odometer, then we picked up the bulk of the work in two SUVs and a Ford Sedan.  The Sedan was driven by Clint Dearborn, an old friend back from Art Studio Inc. beginnings, in town after his New Mexico art experience.  Months ago we re-connected and after expressing interest in being involved with local arts asked what he could do. “We have this big Herman Hugg Show the 2^nd Saturday in May, you could help move it.”  He did.  We started by wrestled pieces from a 25 year rest.  Then bundled them in protective packing, loaded them into our vehicles and started rolling to the coast.  There were 22 pieces. 

Lunch at the Burrito Express in Winnie added to normal hour and twenty minute travel time but soon we’re at Margo’s unloading.  All the unframed metal enamel pieces get the lawn, dishwashing detergent and garden hose restoration.  The framed pieces get the wet rag treatment.  Clint was good at spotting accidental house paint splatters and a pocketknife slid them off the slick glass like surfaces, renewing them to their original show condition.  Clint Dearborn goes home logging 150 miles round trip. 

Wednesday Margo & I take the larger Dodge & meet Albert Faggart at Herman’s to haul another load.  We grab two big wood totems and the largest of his paintings and a few other items.  Back to beach (Albert wouldn’t arrive with his load until Thursday).  With neighbor David Pickett we moved the Tuesday refreshed items to Gallery only to face more cleaning and refreshing from the latest batch.  Gett’r Done. 

Thursday AM I leave from Beaumont and Albert would arrive a couple hours later with his load.  He and Margo tend to the paintings and then clean up and oil the wood pieces with a jug of Old English Lemon oil. 

Albert said:  “"With an acre of incredible art, how do you choose?" To see a lifetime of greatness is not only stunning but overwhelming to say the least. So select, dust, and polish, was the best we could do. I hope I didn't elbow-grease off any of the memories. 

Friday 9AM I pick up Herman in Beaumont to install the show.  I wrap up his last wood totem, a pretty piece of Hurricane Rita cedar finished only a day before, and an important bronze casting of hands. 

After another interesting conversational 1.3 hour roll to beach, we gathered Margo and we start laying out the show.  Eighty pounds of frame and steel offer amateur galleries like us a challenge but we made it happen. Lunch at the Outrigger.  Back again and Margo also having Crab Fest obligations leaving later in the day.  Don Cherry and Herman were having deep seated conversations while I tidied the place.  We once had a caretaker that used to do this stuff but he left without notice & the donation jar.  So I chased Herman out and vacuumed the floor.  Damn, isn’t art glamorous! 

The Gallery opens at 11AM on Saturday.  Margo was an hour early still people were banging on the door.  “We’ve been coming by for months and you’re never open.”  She let them in and soon they came back from the ATM with $350 for a cash purchase.  Herman & I soon arrived & finished labels & pricing and left for Margo’s house for a sandwich and a rest break.  Soon the phone rang with Herman’s old friends from Austin (who would later steal him for Coba's lunch hour).  Back to the gallery.  Herman was constantly surrounded by admirers, listening to his obvious BS tales and personal anecdotes. 

President Barbara Prenger said, “What a great day!  Good exposure for the Foundation at Crab Festival... Herman's show was the most awesome of all!  What a fine and great artistic man!” 

Sunday, Herman & I go to our homes in Beaumont. As I leave his house, he thanks me for the show and I simply said, “It’s my honor.”  This show ranks as one my best art experiences. It’s not often you get to rub elbows with such a long-lived master artist.  

I’m going to sleep for a week after seeing the odometer was 449.2 miles since Tuesday.  The Events Committee “Gott’r Done”, probably logged about 800 miles of round trips on this the most unique of shows.  We will once again expect the artists to just show up on time. This is a special show for a special artist who has happens to have one his high school students, John Alexander on display at one of those rinky-dinky Houston museums this month. 

Saturday June 14^th the Foundation brings internationally known artist Charles M. Stagg from Vidor.  It is going to be another great show with his latest work shown at The Bolivar Peninsula Foundation Art Gallery.  

DJ Kava, Secretary and Events Committee

Elaine Le Blanc, best known for her contemporary landscapes and coastal scenes, is a long time resident of Port Arthur, Texas. Born and raised in Shreveport Louisiana, Elaine developed her love of nature as a child, exploring the woodlands and bayous of Louisiana with her father.  

When she began painting in the ‘70s, it was only natural that her passion for the timeless beauty and local color be incorporated into her paintings. Influenced by the impressionists, Elaine uses thin transparent glazes as well as heavy applications of paint. The results of these techniques capture the essence of any scene in an expressive, inviting fashion.  

Classes with many artists; Katherine Durso, Clarence Holloway, Larry Leach,
Jerry Newman, Frank Gerretts, Vie Dunn -Harr and most recent Bill Jameson, have influenced her interpretation and depiction of the subject matter. Careful not to copy anyone's style, Elaine has developed a style of her own. She is a member of several art leagues, and has won numerous awards. 

“As I continue my creative journey I strive to give the viewer a glimpse of the beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis. The ever changing sky, the shifting sand or the sunlight dancing through the trees, all these are my inspiration. With brush in hand I will enthusiastically pursue all the possibilities before me

Patricia Hagstrom  was born in the mountains of Pennsylvania but early on felt the call of the sea and is now a permanent resident of Crystal Beach.  She is an accomplished diver and has explored the depts with Michael Cousteau, son of the famed, Jacques Cousteau.  It's easy to see this influence in her work. She as a Master's of Fine Arts Degree from U. of H. and studied on a two year scholarship from the University of Gonzaga in Florence, Italy.  Her pictures are hanging in international galleries from Cozumel to the Cayman Islands and in private collections in coastal towns from California to Florida.  The artist's work can be seen on her website www.hagstromcollection.com.

Margo Holst an avid birder and artist is a lifelong resident of the Bolivar Peninsula.  Her bird paintings are presented on plates while the watercolor wildlife are framed.  She is well known by the birders and brings the love of wildlife alive in her paintings.

D. J. Kava lives in Beaumont, Texas and has been an artist for 25 years.  He is a collector of "Found Object" material.  Many of his pieces depict ladders which embrace the following essential ideas:  ascension, gradation, and communication between different vertical levels.

Paul Young resides in Crystal Beach with his wife Jeanette. Paul is a primitive artist and has never had any formal training. His work , currently on display, displays great attention to detail with accuracy and often humor. Subject matter includes scenes from around the world as well as locally inspired scenes and historical buildings of Galveston. His grouping of three large depictions of "9/11 - Before, During and After" are both heart rendering and accurately depicted. Born in Galveston in 1931, his interest of Historical architecture is evident in his depiction of "The Galveston Beach Hotel" which was built in 1893 and burned in 1898 . The hotel was located on the beach at 23 rd Street.