Captivated by stories told by her great grandmother about an exotic era before telephones, televisions and automobiles, Lisa Bussett grew up fascinated with the wisdom of elders. Inspired by aged faces that hint at lives fully lived; Lisa paints vivid portraits that celebrate the lines of experience etched on a face – crows’ feet of happiness, crevices of sorrow, creases that tell of good and hard times. The eyes in each portrait, often oversized, also reveal the subject’s story; capturing that flash of experience, humor or melancholy which can be shared in a single glance. “Life can be disguised,” says Lisa, “but the eyes reveal what dwells within the heart.

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Most everyone that visits this site knows what a collage is, but Katy Hirschfeld is taking the concept to another level.  Katy chose collaging as the best medium for her, because the act of collage requires the artist to engage the physical artifacts of his or her message in a truly visceral form; the collage artist becomes a coordinator of endless imagery and gains the ability to reinvent the meaning of the images used and that power of transformation excites me to my core.

Take a look, leave a comment and visti the Collage Garage at collage-garage.com

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If you’re looking for a unique gift, treat yourself to a short drive west of Austin and you’ll find one heck of a stained glass and metal artist.  It’s David Yancey, and he tells his story below:

“From Woodworking to Graphic Design to Metal Sculpture to Drawing to Photography, throughout my life I have pursued some sort of artistic endeavor.

Then, little over 11 years ago I discovered Stained Glass on accident when a neighbor showed me a box full of an old broken leaded window. She said no one wanted to tackle rebuilding it at any reasonable price so of course I said, “I can.” Needless to say I had no idea how I could but new anything was possible.

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You have got to see this 5 time Tony® nominated musical that is rockin’ its way across the US!  In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, just a small-town girl living in a lonely world met a big-city dreamer. In L.A.’s most legendary rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the ‘80’s.   This is ROCK OF AGES, a hilarious, feel-good love story told through the hit songs of iconic rockers Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake, and many more. Don’t miss this awesomely good time about dreaming big, playing loud and partying on!

Rock of Ages is playing at the Long Center from September 25-30, 2012; Tue-Fri 8 pm, Sat 2 & 8 pm, Sun 1 & 7 pm.

Tickets start at $25. For tickets, visit www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com/Austin or call 474-LONG (5664). Tickets also available at the 3M Box Office at the Long Center. Groups of 10+ call 877-275-3804. May not be appropriate for children under the age of 14.

And you thought bleach was only good for messing up your blue jeans!  Check out what Wiley Ross does with it.  He uses nothing but bleach and water to create one-of-a-kind shirts you will find nowhere else. … More

Kathleen makes her second appearance on Austin-Artists.com after being interviewed by the Austin American-Statesman.  Kathleen is gaining notoriety for her water color art, with her “longhorn” being especially popular with all of the University of Texas alumni.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Pablo Picasso could not have known Kate Barton when he uttered those words. Yet they capture the whimsey inherent in the colors and motion of Kate’s art. With no formal training, save adolescent wonder at her mother’s colorful paintings, Kate has written amusing stories not with words but with color and detail. Her deft brush strokes underscore a seriousness, not of an amateur. but of a seasoned artist well into her career. Her childhood was spent in locales such as the verdant mountains of Tennessee, and the tall buildings of the Windy City, and her diverse exposure is evident in the diversity of her subjects.

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