Feasting on art

In its seventh go-round, East Austin Studio Tour proves quite palatable for both artists and buyers

By Yvonne Georgina Puig
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Thursday, November 20, 2008

Five years ago , Shea Little, Jana Swec, and Joseph Phillips were living and making collaborative art together in a converted beverage distribution warehouse off Bolm Road in East Austin. Though they knew other artists were also living and working in the area, they weren't acquainted with many of their neighbors and hadn't seen much of the work coming out of the area. This led to an idea. "It started by accident I guess," says Phillips, a soft-spoken native Austinite. "We just thought it would be fun to have a day to share work - it started off as just a day - it was basically just us and some friends. And then it sort of snowballed when people started hearing about it. It gives artists a sense of community ? we always imagined it had that potential."

What began as an exchange of art and ideas among a small group of friends and neighbors, is now the East Austin Studio Tour (affectionately dubbed "EAST," a convenient acronym). It's the seventh event; initially they staged two events a year, but that proved too much. Little recalls that initially some longtime East Austinites had reservations. "They just wanted to make sure we were doing something cool," he says. Eventually, they got behind it, and the interest continued to grow.

These days, Little, Shea, and Swec are co-directors of the tour, which they operate out of the same space, now expanded and called Big Medium. This year, approximately 150 galleries are participating in the tour, showing the work of nearly 250 artists. Since its inception, the tour has become a magnet for local collectors as well as casual art purchasers. The tour gives the public the chance to meet artists, which makes for a more personal buying experience, a luxury usually afforded only to high-dollar patrons at galleries and auctions. It's a rarity that potential buyers have the opportunity to watch artists in their spaces, at work.

"The tour definitely started as a networking opportunity," says Little, also, incidentally, a soft-spoken native Austinite. "And people have slowly gotten more and more involved with it. I think people who go on the tour start to see artwork that they really want and it is just an easy choice. The tour-goers buy directly from the artist."

The first time I went on the tour, two years ago, my sister's mother-in-law picked up a painting, and the process was as simple as buying a blouse. If you have questions or you're not sure about a piece or you want to discuss the price, the artist is right there. While some might prefer the gallery experience, buying straight from up-and-coming Austin artists supports local talent and the creative community. Not to mention the fact that the price tags are significantly lower. It might be that the dismal economy is stirring shoppers into buying a different, more thoughtful sort of gift this year, but sales are expected to be better than ever this year. "We're anticipating a lot of traffic," says Debra Broz, an artist and director at Pump Projects. "Last year we sold twice as much as in 2006."

If your walls are bare or you're feeling the urge to support the local art scene, here is a look at three of the studios on the tour. For a list of all the studios on the tour visit www.eastaustinstudiotour.com.

DOMY

913 E. Cesar Chavez St.

512-476-3669; www.domystore.com

Domy opened six months ago as Austin's first and only art bookstore. Situated in a charming old storefront, the space is divided in half, books and zines on one side, and a gallery space in the other. For the studio tour Domy will feature a series of monster-themed drawings, paintings and sculpture by local artists. Think a little girl's rubber doll-head poised atop a collection of Barbie-doll legs. Russell Etchen, the manager and buyer at the store, is happy to answer questions about the art, which ranges in price from $10 to $1,500. A few pieces have already sold, and he expects the rest to go during East. Etchen handpicks the books himself, a job he clearly loves. If you're curious about anything in the store, he has the answer, and an interesting one no less. The books section is like a gallery unto itself. There's everything from handmade zines by local photographers to, one of Etchen's personal favorites, a book titled "The Russian," a collection of images of Russian prison tattoos which inspired the film "Eastern Promises."

If you can't make it on the tour, Domy opens its doors for openings, signings, readings and music on a regular basis. Being new to the neighborhood, Etchen thinks it's a good way to get the word out about the gallery space. "It keeps people coming back," he says. "People are inclined to give support when it's under the umbrella of the growing art scene here ? I think we're ahead of the curve."

BIG MEDIUM

5305 Bolm Road. Bay 9-12

512-385-1670; www.bigmedium.org

This might be the first place to stop on the studio tour. It's where it all began, after all. Since its modest start as Little, Phillips' and Swec's workspace and pad (friends called it Bolm Studios back then), Big Medium has expanded into a studio space with more than a dozen artists renting space and working in a host of mediums, including metalwork and collage. There's a gallery and installation space in the front, but during EAST the entire space will be open for the public to peruse. Little, Phillips and Swec don't live there anymore, but they run the show from an upstairs office. "People think we should be professional but we are just artists trying to do art and make this tour happen," Phillips says. "We do this for the love of it." With prices ranging from $30 to a few thousand, there is something here for every budget in every medium, small or "big."

PUMP PROJECT ART COMPLEX

702 Shady Lane

512-351-8571

Housed beneath a grandiose wood-beam ceiling, Pump Project is not to miss. It's not an exaggeration to call it an art complex. If you've ever wanted to watch how a glass bead is made, glass artist Josh Green will be firing up his impressive torch, strapping on his goggles, and doing demos all weekend. In addition to this bit of entertainment, Pump Project (the name is inspired by the former warehouse's giant sprinkler pump) will feature the work of more than two dozen artists - printmaking, painting, drawing, ceramics, jewelry and more. Like Big Medium, Pump Project rents space to artists, and encourages their artists to get involved and be part of the community, including participating in EAST. "Last year everyone sold a few things," says Debra Broz. "I think initially people thought the tour was more for looking, but people began to ask how things were made and they found they could come here and go on an art shopping spree." Between the sunlight streaming in through the old, dusty windows, the majestic ceiling, and Broz' charm, it's no surprise that Pump Project currently has an informal waiting list for studio space. Be sure to check out the cozy studios upstairs, including Jai Cochran's landscape paintings and, downstairs, the ceramic wall compositions of Jennifer Prichard.

East Austin Studio Tour

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free, many locations. Go to www.eastaustinstudiotour.com for a schedule and to download a map. Maps also available at some locations, Cafe Mundi, East Side Pies and Big Medium, around the city (call to see if they still have some available).