Arts Encounters at the Beninis: Next Event

John Bennett grew up watching Roy, Gene and Hoppy on TV, and like many others was branded with a love for the heroes of the old west. Another hero he loved was his father, who was one of the last mounted horse soldiers in the second world war, a captain in the 112th Cavalry - both influences that have led him to the work he focuses on now - creating original clay sculptures that are then cast into Bennett's Western Bronzes.

Born in Dallas, John met his wife Cathy in Houston and together they left for the east Texas countryside where they built a house and windmill from the ground up and raised cows, horses, chickens and vegetables. In spite of obstacles, they loved "roughing it" like John's great grandparents might have when they farmed the same land many years ago.

John majored in agriculture at Texas Tech, then graduated from North Texas Farrier's School where he learned blacksmithing skills, preferring those to shoeing horses. From his coal fired forge, he produced many remarkable wrought iron pieces.

John has his own defining style, and each sculpture is a signature expression of his heart, capturing the spirit of the west in action and unique detail. John works and lives in Fredericksburg, Texas with his wife Cathy.

FEATURED SPEAKERS ARCHIVES PRESS AND MEDIA PHOTO GALLERY VISITING LINKS COMMENTS
FEATURED ARTISTS: Saturday - Sunday \| November 24th and 25th, 2007 \| Presentations are both days, beginning promptly at 1:30 pm \| Free of charge


Featured Speakers and Artists, Saturday September 27th and Sunday, September 28th ART SAN MIQUEL \| Austin, Texas \| \| The "Art" of Herbs With more than 30 years gardening experience, Art San Miguel loves to share his herbal secrets. At his home in South Austin, Art and his wife Carole have planted a wide variety of culinary herbs. He will share growing experiences, as well as recipes for herbal vinegars and flavorful oils. MICHELLE O'MICHAEL \|Houston \|New Sculpture, New Installations
Photographs of Imogen Cunningham Martha Graham by Imogen Cunningham
HANS BAUER\| LOS ANGELES AND KERRVILLE\| Photography Austrian born Hansjurgen Bauer's work is heavily informed by the outspoken feminist writer Camille Paglia's distinction between the Crystalline and Vegetable Aphrodite (the very real difference between “female” and “feminine” archetypes.) His darkly vivid and highly posed images have the look of 19th century high academic paintings and remind us of an “old school” collection housed in a European museum. “Sometimes we need to return to the past to find something new.” “…Bauer is doing something that few artist are capable of. He has moved beyond simple technical excellence or gimmick and managed to capture moments of pure artistic vision. I felt like I was taking in the essence of primal and magical woman and was made punch drunk with the smoky eroticism and shadowy musk of his work…” Bauer's work has been the subject of solo exhibitions in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He is also a published author and writer of several screenplays. He now divides his time between Los Angeles and the Texas Hill Country. \ Once a year, a Bamberger Preserve expert comes to share their knowledge of the land and its inhabitants, and this month Colleen Gardner, will discuss butterflies - how to attract them, how to nourish them. Colleen Gardner is the Executive Director of Selah,
JOHANN EYFELLS \| New Spirals and Torque Eyfells, born in Iceland, and living in the Texas Hill Country for five years now, has a new series focusing g. ANNA MARIE PAVLIK\| Austin, Texas\| Printmaking Austin Printmaker, Anna Marie Pavlik began her efforts in the arts with pastel drawing. Through a membership with Flatbed Press she transferred her interest in narrative images to etching. She will present a brief slide presentation about her work and the technique of etching. You will have an opportunity to try your hand at drawing on a prepared etching plate. Anna Marie’s Etchings and Stratographs are part of “Collected Thoughts” now on exhibit at Kirchman Gallery.


JOHN BENNETT \| Fredericksburg, Texas\| Western Bronzes "Clover" Bronze on mesquite, half life size, 37" tall, limited edition of 25. John Bennett grew up watching Roy, Gene and Hoppy on TV, and like many others was branded with a love for the heroes of the old west. Another hero he loved was his father, who was one of the last mounted horse soldiers in the second world war, a captain in the 112th Cavalry - both influences that have led him to the work he focuses on now - creating original clay sculptures that are then cast into Bennett's Western Bronzes. Born in Dallas, John met his wife Cathy in Houston and together they left for the east Texas countryside where they built a house and windmill from the ground up and raised cows, horses, chickens and vegetables. In spite of obstacles, they loved "roughing it" like John's great grandparents might have when they farmed the same land many years ago. John majored in agriculture at Texas Tech, then graduated from North Texas Farrier's School where he learned blacksmithing skills, preferring those to shoeing horses. From his coal fired forge, he produced many remarkable wrought iron pieces. John has his own defining style, and each sculpture is a signature expression of his heart, capturing the spirit of the west in action and unique detail. John works and lives in Fredericksburg, Texas with his wife Cathy.

Following ARTS Encounters visit The Black Spur Emporium and Gallery, the Watson Photo Gallery and the Kirchman Gallery - all on Nugent Street in Johnson City, for their openings and featured artists.
For further information, visit www.Benini.com or call 830-868-5244. The events are free of charge and open to all.
CONTACT: The Benini Foundation Galleries & Sculpture Ranch \| 377 Shiloh Road \| Johnson City, Texas USA 78636 830-868-5244 Studios Building \| 830-868-5224 Studios Building \| 830-868-2247 Copyright © 2008 ArtsEncountersatBeninis.com. All rights reserved. Revised: 09/18/08 This site is best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+, Netscape 8.0+ , Mozilla Firefox 1.0+ Screen resolution of 1152x864 or greater (Minimum: 1024x768) \| Font size: Normal Site Design by jmichelDESIGNS.