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Bayou City Art Festival Downtown Presented by Capital One Bank

 Announces 2010 Featured Artist

HOUSTON, Texas (August 9, 2010) – The Bayou City Art Festival announces Jeannie Maddox as the Featured Artist for the 39th Annual Bayou City Art Festival Downtown Presented by Capital One Bank, which takes place on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
 

Maddox’s painting “Colleen” was created specifically for this festival and is a part of Maddox’s Swimmers Series. From the flat, white surface of Maddox's canvas, a swimmer's head erupts, breaking past two dimensional bounds, eyes closed, face sheathed in water, seeming more real than the object from which it springs. The waters of the pool and the abstracted shapes of the body beneath it are just striking in their clarity. As the featured artwork, “Colleen” will create a consistent theme across the Festive billboards, posters, programs and t-shirts.
 

“Jeannie’s work is stunning and surprising,” Art Colony Association Board President Michael Piana said. “We are thrilled with the featured artwork she created and look forward to viewing the pieces she will showcase at the upcoming Bayou City Art Festival Downtown.”’
 

Known for her works of photorealism, especially her Swimmer Series, Maddox’s work has spanned three decades of remarkable success. Her larger-than-life oil paintings have been acquired by national and international collectors, and can be found in The Wiregrass Museum in Dothan, AL and in the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, FL, as well as in the collection of the Retirement Systems of Alabama in Montgomery, AL. She and her husband have been showing her work at juried festivals and events across the country since 1969, and she has received over 200 awards from other festivals across the country, such as the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in Miami, FL and the Port Clinton Arts Festival in Chicago, IL.
 

“It is a real honor to be selected as the featured artist at one of the top art festivals in the country, especially one that takes place in a great city that supports the visual arts,” Maddox said. “My work has been very well received in Houston and I just wish we had discovered the Houston art scene 25 years ago!”
 

The works are based on photographs that both Maddox and her husband take form their travels around the country. Once she has decided on the image and how it will be executed, her husband begins the process of building the armatures (framework). These are cut from cabinet grade Birch plywood. In many cases the canvases are three-dimensional, which involves multiple armatures. Each one is individually stretched and then gessoed (a primer for oil painting and acrylics) and finally screwed together. Some of the larger four-by-six foot, three-dimensional canvases can take as much as 100 hours to build. Jeannie's painting process is Ala Prima, or wet-into-wet, and often takes up to 450 hours to complete.
 

“From our very first Bayou City Art Festival about six years ago, the people of the Houston area were very receptive to my work and really look forward to the shows,” Maddox said. “They are not just out for a stroll at the festival, but seem to be on a mission to find something new and beautiful to make their homes more vibrant and interesting.”
 

This will be Maddox’s fifth time showcasing her work at the Bayou City Art Festival. Maddox was also a featured artist at the 2007 Maitland Rotary Art Festival in Maitland, FL. She lives with her husband Sam Maddox in Dothan, Alabama, where she was born and raised. Maddox’s work can be seen at www.jeanniemaddox.com.
 

The 39th Annual Bayou City Art Festival Downtown Presented by Capital One Bank is an award-winning one-of-a-kind outdoor art gallery that has gained national recognition from AmericanStyle Magazine and the International Festival & Events Association. The festival celebrates the vitality and diversity of Houston and enriches the city’s arts environment and reputation. Over the past 39 years, the Bayou City Art Festivals have raised more than $2.6 million for local nonprofit organizations. The festival takes place in Downtown Houston in front of City Hall and around Hermann Square on the streets of Walker, Bagby, and McKinney, as well as Sam Houston Park.
 

The downtown skyline serves as a vivid backdrop for art, music, dance, and interactive activities at the Bayou City Art Festival Downtown. The annual, juried, fine art event boasts a unique outdoor gallery experience brimming with 300 top galleried artists representing 19 artistic media. Adding to the festive art walk are wine cafés, an interactive creative zone for children, restaurants, and a performing arts stage with on-going multicultural musical and dance entertainment. New this festival: Daily outdoor performances of “Flexion,” featuring stunning aerial theatre by nationally touring performance group Wise Fool New Mexico.
 

Parking is available on city streets and for the usual event fee in the City Hall Annex, Hobby Center or Theater District Parking under Tranquility Park. Click here for more detailed information about parking locations and their proximity to the festival. Admission is $10 for adults and free for children 12 and under.
 
More Info:
“Colleen” by Jeannie Maddox

*High-resolution photo available upon request
 
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Established in 1972, the Art Colony Association (ACA) is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to producing high quality art festivals and events to provide financial support to local non-profit organizations. Over the past 38 years, the Art Colony Association, producer of Bayou City Art Festival Downtown in the fall and Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park in the spring, has raised more than $2.5 million for local nonprofit organizations. The Festivals are funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. Visit www.bayoucityartfestival.com for more information.

E-Mail: info@bayoucityartfestival.com 
Phone: (713) 521-0133
Web site: www.bayoucityartfestival.com
Facebook Page: Bayou City Art Festival 
Twitter: @houstonartfest