Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/126231
Roses 'r' us: Angela Kallus Because: This Texas painter's MFA sojourn in the glitzy academia that is the University of Nevada at Las Vegas only upped her game upon canvas. The result: lush, 3-D acrylic paintings that dazzle with dark beauty and sculptural impact. The most recent — clusters of densely packed roses — demonstrate Kallus' successful migration from a previous, almost hallucinogenic target series to her succulent new bouquets. Future portents: After her striking Marty Walker debut this spring, Kallus blooms in a three-person drawing show at Gallery 76102 in Fort Worth, curated by Amon Carter Museum's Rebecca Lawton (through May 31). She's also a finalist for the hefty $50,000 Hunting Art Prize (winner to be announced in Houston Saturday, May 4), and appears in a one-night-only happening, "VELVEASL!" at William Campbell Contemporary Art, organized by Christopher Blay (Friday, May 3). This former student of pop cultural art historian Dave Hickey is also frequently on the national fair circuit, thanks to her stalwart Dallas and L.A. dealers. Represented by Marty Walker Gallery, Dallas and Peter Mendenhall Gallery, Los Angeles. Marni floral blouse $710, and floral skirt $740, both at Forty Five Ten, Neiman Marcus. Saint Laurent pumps $895, at Saint Laurent Paris boutique, Forty Five Ten, Gregory's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Tootsies. Kara Ross Wide Maze mother-of-pearl cuff $3,745, at Neiman Marcus, Stanley Korshak, Ylang 23. Sour Grapes to Scope Miami: Carlos Donjuan Because: He balances street art and the mainstream and has attracted the attention — and been acquired by — Latino collector of renown, the ground-breaking Cheech Marin, as well as Texas art forces Ann and Jim Harithas. Armed with an MFA from UTSA, Donjuan currently juggles a teaching gig as adjunct assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington with his role as a leader of Sour Grapes graffitists. He also has a career as a respected painter whose mixed-media works address the immigrant experience with true-life insight (he came to America from his parents' native Mexico as a child of three). A mound of quilts and honoring Big Momma: Sedrick Huckaby Because: While wielding an MFA degree from Yale, Huckaby chose to return home to Texas, where his intensely observed, thickly impastoed canvases record the everyday people who inspire him. His portraits of his grandmother in situ, "Big Momma's House," shown at Valley House in 2008 and at Swarthmore College this January, remain the gold standard for highly personal art-making. 99% and 1913 Wallace Street: His quiltbased 18-by-14-foot oil painting Hidden in Plain Site: The Map to the City of Peace is highlighted (May 13 – November 3) at the Amon Carter during the museum's Romare Bearden's retrospective. On September 28, his latest, "The 99%," debuts at Valley House, encompassing an astounding 99 drawings, 99 paintings and 99 prints (the latter, published by Brandywine Workshop); the ambitious series details Huckaby's family, friends and neighbors. Concurrently, the artist inaugurates 1913 Wallace Street in Fort Worth (unveiling October 6), marking the transformation of his grandmother Hallie Carpenter's home into a space for art and activism. Weeks later, he travels south for a solo at Art League Houston (November 22 – January 3). Represented by Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden, Dallas. Etro paisley sport shirt $430, at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom. Joe's classic straight jeans $124, at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom. Marc Jacobs neon sneakers $465, at Forty Five Ten. Mural-rama: On the horizon, Donjuan undertakes a pair of ambitious public projects, both in Oak Cliff: first, painting a wall next to Shepard Fairey's at the Belmont Hotel; then, most impressively, a $50,000 mural for the Jefferson Street viaduct, commissioned by the City of Dallas. He's also got a slew of white-cube solos planned, including Gravelmouth in San Antonio (through mid May); Iowa's Grand View University in September; and at Deep Ellum denizen Kirk Hopper in December (the latter took him to Scope Miami 2012). Represented by Kirk Hopper Fine Art, Dallas. Carlos' own Sour Grapes sweatshirt. Brunello Cucinelli flatfront trousers $525, at Neiman Marcus, Stanley Korshak.