Top 10 Arts Web Sites

1) www.andrewlong.net Andrew Long, a true Renaissance figure, has channeled his myriad talents into painting. The works are jewels, unearthed deliberately, spontaneously, and yet unexpectedly. Like so many other fine visual artists in our community, he exhibits his works outside of Austin.

2) www.elizabethunderwood.net Elizabeth Underwood, a native New Orleanian, has landed squarely in our laps. Her haunting photographs reveal our most lucid dreams, captivating and encircling the viewer in a web of beauty and pain.

3) www.sodalitasart.com Sodalitas Art Group consists of three fantastic individuals who are devoted to the collaborative process, both within their mark-making and with the East Austin arts community. You would be challenged to find nicer folks with a real talent for innovative imagery.

4) www.grantingram.com Grant Ingram, another relocated NOLA artist, is in the midst of re-establishing his videography and photography career in Austin. His Vertigo series, provocative and spellbinding, only hints at the unusual perspective he brings to his journalistic style. He has a worthy ability to capture the still life of his devastated city as well as the intact culture of Austin.

5) www.hollyreedphotography.com Holly Reed offers some of the most compelling reasons for continued exploration of Interior Mexico. She makes the trivial, whether it is the activity of preparing food or a partially opened door to a hacienda compound, so fresh and inspiring that I yearn to be her traveling companion.

6) www.irongatestudios.org Iron Gate Studios is located in the Saltillo arts district of East Austin. This nonprofit space, connecting with local as well as national talents, takes it all the way with each event: exhibits, workshops, lectures, screenings, and performances. And it has a community darkroom!

7) www.jacquelinemay.com Jacqueline May's synaptic pops must make for a lively dream life. From the lyrical undercurrents of lake beds to the elegant nib of Braille text, nothing ever seems to be lost to this woman. Scratched sacred text, sweet honey smells, and political chaos are all part of her visual language.

8) www.littlebirdstudios.com Littlebird Studios' offerings of unique custom metal works include furniture, fixtures, gates, and (my favorite) panel doors. Chris Arnold seems to have mastered all types of materials and spends as much time designing as he does repurposing materials.

9) www.mcmillanphotography.com Catherine McMillan is exceptionally adept at capturing the simplicity of complex beauty. She forges a seamless relationship between the camera and the captive, be that an individual or a staged arrangement. Her photographs, commercial and personal, are always timeless.

10) www.xenogia.com Xenogia Spoken Word Collective represents at slam-down-to-the-ground, roots-shaking, drum-beating, blast-poet events that are beyond fun. You really should bring your drum when some of these cats get to jamming. And you better believe that the loud sisters are roaring when they purr a feminist phrase. Most notable is Zell Miller III, poet-performer, who took my breath away in The Evidence of Silence Broken, his one-man show at Hyde Park Theatre.