Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/106149
In the almost monastic bedroom, the bed is an in-house design from Portico, New York. To the right, Margaret Meehan's branch wrapped in hand-stitched leather salvaged from vintage ladies' gloves. Chest to right is from Crate & Barrel. number of important conversations with Betty Moody, Kerry Inman and Julie Kinzelman, all of whom were instrumental in the process. Serendipitously, things pretty much just came together a year later. First art acquisition. My first contemporary art piece acquired after moving back to Texas was a small, gold-plated sculpture by San Antonio artist Daniel Saldana. The second was a monumental Western belt buckle that an artist, Michelle Valdez, found in her grandfather's pickup truck, onto which she simply engraved: "I Love Beuys." These are two of my favorite works. Collecting advice. Go with what you like, but challenge yourself a bit. I don't believe that you need a "place" for a specific work of art that you like. That will happen on its own. Blogs you read every day. I read The New York Times print edition every morning. Home decor: Personal style. I could describe it as I wish it to be, which is quite minimal, but the reality is more eclectic. House music. A messed-up playlist that often includes Mercury Rev, Nina Simone, M. Ward, Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem, Elvis Costello, Sarah Vaughan, K.D. Lang and Louis Armstrong. And I love John Cage. Night table. The Ultimate Food Lover's Guide to Houston and When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris. I have seen him twice, and his books are best when he reads them. Films. I still need to see Lincoln. I love period pieces and depressing drama. Restaurant after an opening. Double Trouble, but it's a bar. Power lunch. I enjoy Max & Julie on Montrose, especially this time of year. Plus, it's close by. My other favorite is Provisions, which is calmer during the day. Libation. Red wine. My current sensation is Neal Zinfandel from Rutherford Dust Vineyards in Napa. Tweet, Facebook, Instagram and or blog. I use Facebook a bit, but try to live in the actual world for the most part. Guilty pleasure. The cookies and brownies at Pondicheri. Absolutely the best. Wardrobe staple. Boots. I love boots. Usually brown, often suede. Upcoming for DSG. This spring, solo exhibitions with Cruz Ortiz, who had a oneperson exhibit at the CAMH two years ago, and Vincent Valdez, both of which are very exciting and quite divergent. For the fall, we are working on exhibitions for James Smolleck and Margaret Meehan, as well as a couple of interesting new additions for 2013. Stay tuned. For more art dish with David Shelton, peruse papercitymag.com. FEBRUARY | PAGE 28 | 2013 FROM LEFT: David Shelton in his bedroom with San Antonio-based mega-watt Vincent Valdez's V-Day, 2012, an exquisitely detailed ink on paper. The gallerist's big sale of Valdez's suite of works on paper (reportedly six figures) at the 2011 Texas Contemporary Fair affirmed his decision to move to Houston. The ornate stairway into the living room, cutaway window and curvaceous wrought-iron railing — all original architectural details — show off the flourishes of the Spanish Colonial Revival. Above a cabinet by Molteni & C from Format in NYC is Kelly O'Connor's vibrant collage Launch Pad, 2011; (O'Connor, one of the rising stars of Shelton's talent pool, will next be seen at Women & Their Work in Austin next month.) Orange vase from Found shop. Cassina Nest Collection sofa designed by Pierro Lissoni from Limn in San Francisco, upholstered in Cassina wool fabric. On the wall, works on paper by Sara Frantz of San Antonio and Austin-based former MFAH Glassell Core Fellow Jessica Halonen. In the intimate 10-by-15-foot kitchen/dining nook on the lower level of the apartment, Alejandro Diaz's sculptures Plastered in Mexico, 2007, and MexiCans, 2010, reference the artist's oversized can sculptures commissioned by the Public Art Fund, NY, and the City of San Antonio for the San Antonio International Airport. The chrome-and-Lucite dining table is vintage 1970s from Reeves Antiques in Houston, paired with chairs from Troy, NYC. Chain pull for a ceiling fan. Original wooden windows open onto the common patio, the site of decades of parties and much revelry.