Alpine making a name in art

ALPINE Although it doesn't yet have the reputation of its neighbor 26 miles to the west, Alpine's making a name for itself in the art world.

After doing a series of shows together, several local artists joined forces in October to start the CatchLight Art Gallery on Holland Avenue.

The gallery looks to showcase the variety of Big Bend artists, owner Jan Moeller said. It features everything from jewelry to hand-painted silk.

"Everything's a little bit different," Nancy Whitlock, who specializes in pastels, said.
The area is a natural for art, she said.

"We have great light - better than Taos, N.M.," she said. "And we have more beauty than anyplace in Texas."

Shelley Atwood, another partner in the gallery, said the art in Alpine tends to be more "representative" than modern, minimalist Marfa artwork.

"It's bigger," she said.

But they have no problem with the Marfa art.

"We'd like to have some more abstract, conceptual and minimalist," she said.

Keri Artzt, who got her last name through marriage, has owned the nearby Kiowa Gallery for 14 years. Pointing to a portrait of Nine Point Mesa that sold for $12,500 after being displayed for 24 hours, she said the art business has picked up significantly since she came to town.

"A lot of people who love to vacation here like it because they want to take a little bit home with them," she said.

While landscapes are popular, Artzt said art made of recycled products also sells well. She has works made of old guitars, golf clubs and even a bird with a head made from a shaving brush.

"It's all kind of recycled, funky stuff," she said.

Atwood, who makes jewelry, said Alpine is working to become an art tourism destination, even beyond the annual Gallery Night Artwalk. That event takes over many city businesses the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Once water and sewer work is complete across the railroad tracks from downtown, more galleries are expected to open.
"It'll be great," Moeller said.