Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/956427
I n the third of an ongoing series of icon portraits reflecting the Houston art community (with nods to San Antonio and New York), Houston artist Nestor Topchy creates a profound exhibition at a surprising venue: Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Directors. The one- night-only exhibit, "Eternal Now," includes icons that were painted with the traditional medium of egg tempera and marble dust on panel, measuring approximately six by eight inches each. While the icons begin with drawings and photos taken from life — including the MFAH's Alison Greene, Project Row Houses founder Rick Lowe, and artist Mary Ellen Carroll — a few of the subjects are now deceased, such as the great playwright Edward Albee and The Menil Collection's founding director, Walter Hopps. "I'm not painting from natural light that's observed," Topchy says. "I'm painting an inner spiritual life." Saturday, April 7, 6 to 8 pm at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Directors, 1010 Bering Dr.; gratis, but RSVP requested, rsvp@papercitymag.com, with the subject line "Geo. H. Lewis & Sons." Catherine D. Anspon OBSESSIONS. DECORATION. SALIENT FACTS. 10 A BRACELET TO CALL ONE'S OWN D ecorative Center Houston Spring Market kicks off Thursday, April 26, at 10 am in the Ground Floor Gallery with a keynote with Vern Yip, one of HGTV's most recognizable designers. He has a fabric DECORATIVE CENTER HOUSTON Spring Market T he Red Phone: C o n c e p t u a l Houston talent Ariane Roesch solos at Gallery Sonja Roesch. "VIP" incorporates a red-carpet running track, an audio piece employing a vintage red phone, pastel-on-felt drawings with an Old Master vibe, and multiples for sale: bath mats emblazoned with "I Am a Very Important Person" (through May 26). The Border: Houston Center for Photography, addresses border issues in a layered, conceptual way that surpasses the mono issue of the U.S./Mexican hot button. The artist-run initiative For Freedoms curates. Watch for works by Americans in the art history books (Richard Misrach and Carrie Mae Weems) and global voices including Palestinian artist and filmmaker Emily Jacir (through April 29). Visit the pendant project by For Freedoms: a billboard along Project Row House's campus (through April 22)… At Houston Museum of African American Culture, the issues of racial divide and police brutality are told through a heartbreaking real- world story that took place in Texas. "Sandra Bland" leads us to ask, as cited on the billboard at PRH, "Where do we go from here." Credit museum director John Guess Jr. for raising our consciousness with the museum's brave exhibition about the death of Bland after a Waller County law-enforcement traffic stop (extended through April 28). Catherine D. Anspon ICONS Among Us ART NOTES bracelet. They were in Houston as part of the Artisans in Residence program at the John Hardy River Oaks District boutique. In a new offering from Hardy, customers are able to customize the bracelet via a bejeweled clasp, with 19 raw stones from which to choose — diamonds, blue topaz, ruby, garnet, peridot, and more, each symbolizing an elemental force. Garnet is the victor, encouraging success in competition; turquoise is the sage, carrying the power of cosmic protection and wisdom; mixed gray sapphire is the uplifter and carries the power to positively raise spirits; black sapphire is the amplifier, a powerful talisman for enhancing clarity and insight to enrich bodily energy; champagne diamond is the luminary powered by a sense of balance to encourage nuanced bonds; and mother-of-pearl is the caregiver, relieving stress, enhancing intuition, and harmonizing emotion. How utterly perfect for Mother's Day. From $995, at John Hardy, River Oaks District, johnhardy.com. Shelby Hodge T he nimble fingers of the young artisan from Bali magically weaves the silver cords, bending, twisting and intertwining until a single link in the iconic Classic Chain is complete; it takes a full four hours to complete an inch. As I watch, a master artisan from John Hardy's home base in Ubud, Bali, and an artist from offices in New York shepherd the process from watercolor sketch to completion of the labyrinthine reversible Classic Chain and trim collection through Fabricut, where, following the keynote, he will sign his book Vern Yip's Design Wise: Your Smart Guide to a Beautiful Home. The day continues with design director Alberto Velez at Holly Hunt showroom, and Ken Kehoe Showroom hosts a Jonas Fine Upholstery demonstration. The afternoon keynote is at 1 pm in the Ground Floor Gallery, with Ellie Cullman and Marshall Watson, hosted by Wells Abbott Showroom, as part of Texas Design Week, followed by a book signing at Wells Abbott for TXDW ticket holders. See page 44 for TXDW information. At 2:15 pm, The Shade Store hosts One King's Lane president Debbie Probst, Paloma Contreras and Ben Johnston. For additional events, go to decorativecenter.com. DCH Spring Market is gratis, but RSVP required, dchspringmarket2018.eventbrite.com. Ariane Roesch's Find Your Calling, 2018, at Gallery Sonja Roesch COURTESY THE ARTIST AND GALLERY SONJA ROESCH COURTESY THE ARTIST Nestor Topchy's "Iconic Portrait Corpus" series, at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Directors Vern Yip