Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Works by Stephen F. Austin State University Professor of Art Peter Andrew will be among the pieces available for purchase in the upcoming 12 X 12 Art Scholarship Fundraiser presented by the Friends of the Visual Arts at SFA.
This year’s 12 X 12 Art Party and Auction is slated for 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches. Silent bidding on the pieces will take place Oct. 8 through 22, leading up to the Saturday night festivities.
Andrew, who has taught at SFA for 40 years and heads up the School of Art’s advertising design program, is the featured artist for the 2022 event. The purpose of 12 X 12, which features 12-by-12-inch pieces of art created by artists from Nacogdoches, Lufkin and other areas of Texas, is to raise funds for FVA scholarships and grants awarded to SFA art students. Between $12,000 and $15,000 is awarded annually in scholarships to deserving students in the School of Art.
A long-time art educator and supporter of Friends of the Visual Arts, Andrew believes that “appreciation of art is something that makes us all more human,” and his own artwork “uses color as a key expressive voice.”
“Years of experience as an artist consultant and education manager in the artists’ materials industry has gifted me a wealth of hands-on experiences with a range of methods and techniques,” he said. “As an illustrator and designer, I appreciate the ways art can serve others. In my personal work I enjoy combining opposites: wet and dry media, or complementary colors, for example.”
Andrew likes to offer more than one piece each year to 12 X 12 both to help raise more scholarship funds to support the art students and also to share his work with a wider audience.
“My pieces tend to be landscapes or wildlife themed,” he said. “Lately, the works I create represent places and persons of meaning to me.”
Among the pieces by Andrew that will be available for purchase are “Entranced by palms,” 12 x 12,” watercolor on paper 2022; “Tropical warmth,” 12 x 12,” watercolor on paper 2022; and “Walking into woods,” 20 x 20,” oils on canvas 2022.
For two weeks leading up to the party, silent bidding on artwork will take place. Anyone may silently bid on the unique one-of-a-kind pieces, according to Linda Mock, event committee chair. Silent bidding ($250 minimum) begins Saturday, Oct. 8, at The Cole Art Center and will continue up to the day of the art party/auction. Starting bids drop to $100 the night of the event, and raffle tickets will also be sold that night. Appetizers and wine will be served at the auction party.
Proceeds from the event help students defray the costs of special projects for art classes or M.F.A./B.F.A. exhibitions. Some recipients have attended conferences or gone on school trips that will help with their professional development. This has included Maymester trips for art students to photograph areas of Big Bend in West Texas as well as study abroad trips to Italy. The organization also awards scholarships for elementary school students to attend the SFA Art Academy.
In addition to the Friends of the Visual Arts, other sponsors of this year’s 12 X 12 are The Flower Shop, The Cottage Wine Bar, Woodworkers Club of East Texas, Canty Forklift, Galleria Z, Wright Construction and The Monarch Group of Raymond James.
The Cole Art Center, SFA’s historic art gallery, is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information about 12 X 12 or to become a sponsor, contact Mock at mockl@sfasu.edu.