UNEXPECTED, HTX ARTISTS AMONG US is a new book by fourth-generation Houston photographer Alan Montgomery. It is as motivational as it is entertaining and speaks to the innate creativity of the human soul. The original full color photographs are hung for viewing at this exhibition.
What readers will find amazing is the extraordinary things people create. Since all the artists featured are Houstonians, it further confirms that Houston is a “Can Do” city unlike any other in the world.
The coffee-table-size book contains Montgomery’s inspirational photographs of 56 Houston artists. His photos capture the essence of each person‘s personality as well as their craft. Not only are the photographs works of art unto themselves, but each spread is devoted solely to one individual artist as they recount their personal journey to artistic freedom in their own words. When you view the colorful photos and read the stories, you will find that nearly all the artists profiled came to their art by a surreptitious route that was almost always, UNEXPECTED.
While the book captures how the artists discovered their own talent, it also shows how so many forms of art are completely unpredictable, or you could say, they are completely UNEXPECTED.
About the Artist
About the Exhibitor
In his book Unexpected, HTX Artists Among Us, Alan Montgomery leads us on a journey around the City of Houston and the surrounding communities to discover artists creating something so special that they are hired to perform, make, design, build or fabricate something that is seen, held or used. People talk about it. People come to see it. It may be flat or have dimensions. It may be silent or make noise. It may be still or move. It can be anything, but people consider it something. That person that makes “It” then is seen as an artist because what they have a talent doing is agreed to be special and desired. These are the people that Alan Montgomery sought out.
Many people who are held up as artists never started out to be full-time or professional artists. It just emerged out of a passion or a certain triggering event. Something that takes a person from where they are and forces them to land someplace else doing something different. It becomes a journey that you cannot see ahead or around a corner but may take you around the world.
Alan undertook this journey driven by his own belief and passion that there are special people, who are cherished for what they can do. Some may be known, but still in the shadows. Alan himself is a professional photographer for some 50 plus years, is a respected master in his trade who wants to discover and share these special treasures in the Houston, Texas area. His book of artist portraits accompanied by short stories written by the artists themselves is a testament to the creativity and talent that makes Houston a major center for art of all kinds.
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Geoffrey C. Koslov
Co-owner, Koslov Larson Gallery
More About the Program
Credit
UNEXPECTED features 56 Houston artists, including:
Anat Ronen—multimedia muralist, street artist
Bill Peck—metal artist
Bob Gomel—photojournalist
Burton Reckles—nautical miniaturist (ships-in-a-bottle)
Carrie Olsen—forensic sculptor
Charlie Majors—certified farrier and teacher
Cowboy Szymanski—bladesmith
David Addicks—artist/sculptor
Hemlata Basumatary—cake artist
James Phillips—wood (tree) sculptor
