Peep These Mesmerizing Commissions by One of Houston’s Favorite Artists

Peep These Mesmerizing Commissions by One of Houston’s Favorite Artists

A detail of 'Cycle' (Photos courtesy Barbara Davis Gallery)

NEWS OF RECENT commissions by Houston artist Paul Fleming led us to several photos of his eye-catching, large-scale wall installations, many of which are installed in the sunlit interiors of some of the city’s most beautiful homes and apartment communities, including the resident lounge of The Southmore, located just a few blocks from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.


While Fleming’s Houston representative Barbara Davis Gallery describes his work as “process driven,” the results are far more engaging and attractive than most art described in such terms. It’s easy to see why such superstar interior designers like Houston’s own Lucinda Loya are so enamored with his work.

A Fleming installation is a carefully composed collection of dozens of small circles, rectangles, and other simple shapes, each cast in hydrocal and translucent layers of pigmented resin varying in size, depth, and opacity. These small — sometimes very small — crystalline-like stones may be arranged formally, in concentric circles or grid-like lines, but more often are positioned to resemble the rhythmic pattern of a flock of birds seen at a distance or the temporal nature of Houston’s everchanging dramatic cloudscapes. The installations seem to ripple and swell, activating the space within the room while playing with the viewer’s ocular perception.

Paul Fleming lives and works in Houston, Texas, and is featured among 62 artists in Catherine Anspon’s 2010 limited-edition book Texas Artists Today. His solo exhibitions include shows at Barbara Davis Gallery and Lawndale Art Center. Fleming’s group exhibitions include Sergio Tossi Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy; AR Contemporary, Milan, Italy; The Art League Houston, Texas; University of Houston, Houston, Texas and the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

A detail of 'Ballad II'

'Harbor (for Miles)'

'Pathways (Proposal 5/6)'

'Ballad II'

Art + Entertainment

David Ansell, Bennie Flores Ansell, Thuy Tran and James Tiebout

THE ROTHKO CHAPEL held its Inspirit fundraiser — a celebration of the power of art and activism — at the industrial-chic Astorian. The evening featured cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and an onstage conversation with actor Cheech Marin, one of the world’s foremost collectors of Chicano art; 2023 Art League of Houston Texas Artist of the Year Vincent Valdez; and legendary civil rights advocate Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with César Chávez. (She’s 93, by the way!)

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

Cheech Marin reflecting outside of The Cheech (photo by David Fouts)

WHEN YOU TALK to Los Angeles-born actor Cheech Marin, regardless of how serious the subject, you can’t help but smile. His pop-culture presence is infused with an astute awareness of politics and history, and a “can do, make do, find a way to move ahead” spirit he connects to the word “Chicano,” a derogatory term that came to signify resilience, creative thinking, and social consciousness. “My dad, who died at age 93, always described himself as a Chicano, because it described him,” says Marin.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment