Art Stories is the main page of all art stories published on Showable Art. Each art story contains a narrative around the artwork, notes from the artist about the series, and the artist’s bio. Some articles contain links to advertisers.
The Big Ships in the Ship Channel
An hour or two spent watching ship channel operations can be a nice zen-like diversion from your daily activities. An artful eye might appreciate the practiced movements along with the visual contrast between the lumbering commercial vessels and the more agile fishing and service boats. Watching the big ships at Galveston and Port Aransas At…
Architecture In the Strand Historic District of Galveston
A fascinating aspect of Galveston, Texas is the commercial architecture in the Strand Historic District. For much of the 19th century, Galveston was a bustling hub of commerce as a port city on the Gulf of Mexico. The thriving businesses required impressive structures to house their wares and operations, as well as to portray their…
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Exploring vivid colors on the streets of Havana, Cuba
In March 2016, travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens had eased after decades of restrictions. I was fortunate to go on a photography trip arranged by the School of Visual Arts with other photographers – professionals, professors, students, and amateurs. The mix of people was perfect to explore this previously hard-to-see place. As I had been hoping, the colors of Cuba further opened my artistic eyes to using color in my photography.
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A seagull romance: new love with Gulliver and Gullveig
Gulliver is so handsome, posing on the piling. He spies Gullveig and gets her attention, chatting her up with a few caws. Gullveig is not so gullible, though, and plays coy. He persists.
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Refresh your soul with a nature bath
Having a nature bath in a wide empty space refreshes the soul. With all the empty space around you, there’s first a sense of aloneness or nothingness. Drop your modern conveniences and your
The visual rhythms of utilities
Arrays of electric and gas fixtures often provide unique geometric shapes and visual rhythms. In the back alleys and side streets of commercial areas, you will find these creations adorning the walls of the buildings
Kite flying on the Texas coast
The stiff offshore breeze from the Gulf of Mexico makes kite flying a popular pastime along the coast of Texas. The colors first caught my eye, and then the flow of the long tails captured my interest. The continuous rising and falling, twisting and turning made for fun compositions
Pleasure Pier is candy for the eyes
The billboards along Interstate 45 approaching Galveston were intriguing. My imagination was working up some very colorful expectations. Those expectations were not met, of course, as Pleasure Pier is a family amusement pier jutting into the Gulf of Mexico
Frenzied treetops whip violently in the powerful winter wind
When the winter winds come to Texas, the tops of the Live Oak trees whip violently while their decades-old, often centuries-old, trunks remain motionless. Unlike oak trees native to other parts of North America, Live Oaks are evergreen and have twisted, craggy limbs shooting off in all directions. They are sculptural in an abstract sense.
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A Matchbox Car collection becomes art
Until the early 1970s, Janet worked most of her adult life at a corner store in a rural Pennsylvania town. As each new toy reached the store, Janet purchased it for her growing collection. “They might be worth something someday”, she would say.
Water marks in the sand surprise artist with abstract patterns
As water washes over the beach sand, soft patterns are left behind. I’m fascinated with how the tide and surf makes ever-changing patterns in the sand. Some are soft, subtle and flowing. Others are harsh.
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