Downtown San Angelo Art Walk

Pablo Picasso once said, "“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Here in the dusty, isolated town of San Angelo, I think this rings more poignant than ever.

Being semi-new to San Angelo (only been here for five years) and a little bit of a hermit, I had never experienced the Downtown San Angelo Art Walk… all I have to say is wow. Now, I am not an artistic person, probably couldn't even draw a straight line, but I was just blown away by the talent that lives and breathes throughout this town.

Clay Hejl was making a sell as I came up and took a look at his work (by the way, he is a very nice man), while I pestered him with questions, and had a good laugh about the difference between Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley. I immediately fell in love with this painting. While I may not be able to produce any great piece of art, I am adept at appreciating it. And this is worth appreciating. For me, it is the seeming simplicity of the piece. Almost, peaceful. But, hey that't the beauty of art. What is means to one person, isn't necessarily what it means to another.

Eddie Flores worked as I watched and took photos. He was diligently placing hundred of tiny dots on his work. I realized that one of the works I was looking at was mostly thousands of the dots so close together that it created comprehensive picture. Absolutely amazing that a person can create beauty from tiny tiny little dots. Blows my mind.

And I saved my favorite for last. Not that I can pull off a bow tie, but that Rigel Rilling is just one of the most interesting people I have ever met. He makes handcrafted "fine quality bow ties". Rigel even took a few minutes to show me a little bit of his process. Of course, he made it look amazingly simple, whereas I have to get someone to tie the bow on my dress.

We often get bogged down in the little trials and tribulations of everyday life. With our heads down, trudging away we work, eat sleep, pay bills, etc. Sometimes we forget to look and up see the beauty that surrounds us. And as Picasso pointed out so succinctly, art (any kind) has the ability to cleanse the soul. It moves you. Inspires you. Shifts you. And it does so in a way that often times can be irreversible. Who wouldn't want to experience that?

While I only ended up making it to the Cactus Hotel (the tile work is breathtaking), but the next time will venture out further. I met several of the artists and chatted them up which is probably why I only made it to one venue. All were extremely nice, and more than happy to answer any questions, and explain their work to me. By the way, it was beautiful.  I know I've already said it, but man, the different styles, colors, content, and abilities were just astounding. If you missed out this time, don’t worry. The San Angelo Downtown Art walk happens on 3^rd Thursdays. I cannot wait to make it to the next one!