 "Photo: Jennifer Jansons")
 "Photo: Jennifer Jansons")
Texas artists are making an impression in the pool of emerging national artists. Twenty-two of the 59 artists featured in "New American Talent: The 21st Exhibition" reside and work in the Lone Star State, including several Longhorn alumni.
Aimee Chang, a UT alumna and curator of contemporary art at the Orange County Museum of Art, juried the exhibition and chose the artists out of a pool of 1,152. The exhibit will run at the Arthouse at the Jones Center for Contemporary Arts until Aug. 20 before touring the state.
"Early on, I decided not to do a thematic show," Chang said. "From the nature of the show, it made sense to leave it open."
She said the high level of Texas representation was pure chance, as she didn't look at profiles and only tried to consider the art.
"The quality of the work was really high," Chang said. "In terms of the work as a whole, there was a lot of work that was handmade."
The Daily Texan spoke with four UT alumni about their New American Talent selection, their experience at UT and the Austin art scene.
Polly Lanning Sparrow
"Recto-Verso"
"Never be afraid of change. I learned that it's vital to keep your ideas fresh, not just for your own sake but also for the sake of your audience."
This lesson has stayed with Polly Lanning Sparrow from her days as both an undergraduate and graduate student at UT to this point in her career.
"It has always been incredibly important to me to create the best work I can," Sparrow said. "But, depending on where I am in my thinking, how I define 'best' may not always mean the same thing. Today it means conceptually engaging, visually compelling and, if I'm lucky, maybe a little cheeky. I think I take art a little less seriously today than I did when I was younger - and that's a good thing."
Explaining the work "Recto-Verso," Sparrow said, "I want people to know that painting can be an aura that's cast by color on the wall, a kind of color shadow. A painting doesn't have to be seen immediately to be understood - often my painted surfaces face the wall and are later turned to face the viewer. And a finished painting does not have to be static - it can keep on changing."
Michael Berryhill
"Shiptrick"
"Austin's pretty wide open," Berryhill said about the numerous new galleries that have emerged. "If you work hard and produce work, your work can be shown."
Berryhill sees potential in further growth of the Austin art scene, but feels that local artists need to attract the interests of collectors in order to acquire the financial backing they need to reach that potential.
Berryhill describes "Shiptrick" as an exercise in flat space and dimension. Done in colored pencil and tempera on wood, the work contrasts the flat space of ship, water and sky with the detail and dimension of the figures on the boat.
Robert Lee Vanderpool
"Western Tendencies"
"New American Talent" marks the first juried exhibition for Robert Lee Vanderpool and highlights the current period in his life that's a source of pride for him.
"It's an honor to be shown alongside so many respected artists," Vanderpool said.
"New American Talent" has granted Vanderpool exposure and recognition he hadn't achieved in previous exhibitions.
He says in "Western Tendencies" he hopes to foster an appreciating of painting in viewers. "It's my passion and I want people to enjoy what I do," he said.
Vanderpool hopes his work gives people new perspectives in life.
"I just hope in some way I make an impression and ripple to the culture," he said. "I want to keep human progress forward, and turn people on to art."
Rebecca Ward
"Tape 5"
A 2006 graduate, Rebecca Ward views her selection in "New American Talent" as a good starting point for her career.
"It really was nice in generating interest in my work," Ward said.
Commenting on the many UT alumni featured in the exhibition, Ward credits the faculty in place for helping develop the students' talent.
"Every student can find a mentor in their department to nurture them," she said.
Coupled with the local artistic community, Ward called Austin a hot spot for emerging artists,
In experiencing her work "Tape 5," Ward hopes people appreciate its abstraction. She doesn't expect anyone to pull any deep meaning from the piece, however.
"I want people to look at my piece and appreciate it for what it is," Ward said.
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