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As part of the “Stars of Dripping Springs” public art project, the City of Dripping Springs unveiled a new set of stars at a ceremony on Oct. 8. The stars are designed to celebrate the Hill Country nature and heritage that make Dripping Springs shine. This is the third and final installment of profiles on the star artists - Melissa Richardson, Joe Christenson, Kyndall Womack, Cathy Richardson, Jessie Woodhead, Erin Hounsel, Jessi Bostad, Tiffany Sierras, Jenny Swannack and Rozmary Seastrom.
Joe Christenson
How did you get into painting?
I was in my mid-forties, coming off a difficult period for my family. I lost both my parents in one fairly compact period of time, and painting was an idea that just popped into my head. I did a quick Internet search, and there happened to be a beginner oil painting class that started the following week. Here’s the materials list. Pay your $90 and show up on a Wednesday night. … Turned out it worked for me, and so I’ve been what some call a Sunday painter for the last 20 years.
Why oil painting?
I just always thought it was more interesting, so that’s what I gravitated to. I’ve yet to try any other medium besides oils. In 20 years, it’s all I’ve ever touched. Call me an oil painting snob.
How do you describe your work?
Generally I’m a landscape painter, seascape painter, still life painter. I don’t do people or animals. I’ve found them to be unforgiving subjects for my style of painting. I’m not a realist and I’m not a surrealist. I’m a borderline impressionist, maybe. But in the case of what I did for the star paintings, those are not impressionist. They’re closer to illustrative.
What were the challenges of this project?
They had to be turned in on the 15th of September. I barely made it because of the oils and drying and layers and all that stuff. The white, which is mixed in a lot of things, just wouldn’t dry. So I cut it really, really close. I add it up to 30 hours of painting time to get from start to finish. And the other challenge was what to do with the sides? You have this outer perimeter to work with, and I agonized over that part.
Have you done something similar in the past?
I do some other things that are not traditional canvases. I’ve painted on surfboards. They do well in a gallery down in Port Aransas. I’ve painted on guitars. When my son was younger, I painted one of his skateboards. So I’ve used other things as a canvas, just nothing as immense as the one we just did.
What’s your take on the value that this project provides to the community?
I love it. I think that they were spot on by choosing the star. You know, Wimberley has their boots. In downtown San Antonio, there’s an area called the Pearl. They have cows. So this notion of having a three-dimensional symbol of your community that gets decorated by local artists -- I love the idea. I think they picked the right thing. We talk about being a dark skies community. Perhaps the physical stars being out and someone saying, why did they pick stars? Well, that might help with that identity, so the stars are perfect. And I don’t know what I would have done with a boot.
Jessie Woodhead
I grew up painting and drawing. It was my thing growing up, and I definitely learned a lot from my grandma. She was my person and she taught me a lot about art and appreciating nature and bringing it to life. I spent my career in ad agencies and corporate roles, and then just over five years ago, I went independent. I own a branding and creative agency. Being on my own allows me to work with people and with causes and companies I care about.
What inspired you to apply for this star project?
I had my idea right away when they announced the call for artists in the last round of stars. My vision was to do giant native wildflowers, like ultra big, and then feature all of our native pollinators. I grew up, like my mom and my grandma, loving monarch butterflies. So it was kind of born out of that.
How does this star reflect your personal style?
This is different than my normal style. Most often my paintings do have some sort of nature, but they can be a little more dark and moody. This style is much more bright and vibrant, and just a true celebration of all the colors of the flowers and the insects. It is a pretty big departure.
How do you think public art projects like this benefit a community?
It’s great for helping build commerce and business. Gathering places are incredibly important to small businesses. When you have that vibrancy and energy in any town or city, there’s a joy and a celebration that people want to be a part of. But it also is a good indicator of local and public sentiment. If we’re able to take the time to embrace public art projects and appreciate the art and the artists, I think it helps break down barriers.
What do you think was the biggest challenge in making such a large piece?
It was much more of a mental game than I was expecting. I knew it would be challenging - the stars are big, and they actually are quite textured. So that was tricky to figure out. But for me, the hardest part was translating the idea on my sample painting to a four-foot star and figuring out the right scale - especially for the flowers. We had check-ins with the Art League just to show our progress. I had my second check-in maybe two weeks before they were due back, and one side had almost nothing on it. It just took me that long to get into my groove and figure it all out. And then it was go time, and I’m off to the races.
Do you have any final thoughts about the experience?
I’m just so excited and grateful, honestly, to be a part of this. The city and the Art League have done an amazing job in orchestrating all of it and putting it all together. It’s a real eye opener for me, too. It just gave me an even bigger, profound respect for artists and creative people who are putting themselves out there every day.
Tiffany Sierras
Can you tell me a little about yourself and your background as an artist?
I’m a mix media artist, art educator, mom of four. I’ve talked about wanting to be an artist since I was five years old! It was my focus during all of my schooling. And I started working as an artist right out of high school while I was in college at a flooring company designing rugs, then at a print shop doing graphic work.
How does your personal style or artistic vision come through in your design for the star sculpture?
I love using color and incorporating nature in my work. I also like working with kids and teaching art.
Can you describe the concept behind your star design?
It’s about love. Our family decided to move to Dripping after connecting with the Dripping Springs Community Library. It’s where we found community. I knew I wanted to tell our story as soon as they announced the art call. I love connecting with our community through art. I want the star to make people think about our library and how important it is for kids to explore the library and how wonderful it is to read to your children.
How do you think public art projects like this benefit a community?
Public art is an important way for the community to connect with art and their artists, to feel our shared stories are being told.
Have you faced any challenges in creating such a large, 3-D piece?
I love working on big pieces! Transporting and getting the star upstairs to my studio was a bit of a challenge but it was lots of fun.
What’s ahead for you, as an artist?
Further involvement with the Dripping Springs Art League, of course! Hopefully more community opportunities. I coordinate the art markets for the Art League and love participating and getting to know the people in Dripping.
Melissa Richardson
Can you tell me a little about yourself and your background as an artist?
I’ve been creating art in an entrepreneurial manner before I can even remember. From kindergarten creating bottle cap necklaces to 5th grade covering composition notebooks, learning graphic design when I was eight, creating a business with my mom in middle school and high school, then attending a creative university to pursue the intersection of fashion and Illustration, my brain is constantly fueled by the concepts of design.
How does your personal style come through in your star design?
I have a very whimsical style, one that uses typography, bold colors, and playing with little patterns throughout my pieces. The way I place shapes in order to create a seamless transition and guide the viewer throughout a piece is always something I try to attain in producing a creative work.
Can you describe the concept behind your star design?
The star I created was a little different, for I was asked to create the star specifically for our local grocery store. At H-E-B they focus on farm-to-table, using lots of local Texas produce, working a lot with the fisheries, even doing a lot for the community in terms of providing meals for the flood relief in Kerrville. On the front side, you have what is essentially a table set up with all different kinds of foods you can find at H-E-B from the Mi Tiendas brand of tortillas, the sushi bars set up in every store, the fresh produce, the barbecue that you’ll generally see in Cooking Connections in many H-E-B‘s, their local ice cream, and things that are meant to be shared. The backside is essentially the farm side. Local farm animals, a river that flows with fish jumping out, the H-E-B truck promoting their mobile food, all the things that generate where the food is coming FROM.
How do you think public art projects like this benefit a community?
Public art projects like this are a great way to give our community some personality. Our community is full of so many talented artists, designers, folks who just need a canvas to create what they believe our wonderful community represents. With the help of the Dripping Springs Art League, and Lisa and Pam from the City of Dripping Springs, this public art project has truly given the creativity of our town its own voice!
What’s ahead for you, as an artist?
At the moment, I’ve been chasing a dream to illustrate children’s books in Southeast Asia. For the last few years, I’ve been obsessed with UNESCO World Heritage Sites - places that promote marine conservation, the preservation of natural wonders around the world, and protecting endangered species endemic to different regions. Southeast Asia has some of the most remote, least developed, bio diverse places around the world, so my goal is to illustrate children’s books for kids and inspire them to be curious about our planet - to protect our planet so that our generation, the next generation and the generations after them can experience how beautiful our world truly is.
