E.A.S.T. - Art for your home is closer than you think

Every home needs art...art that moves you, gives those who know you a glimpse of who you really are.

My favorite thing about living in east Austin is that you never know who lives next to you from the movie director, musician, activist, or artist and, it turns out, there are quite a few all around me.

I discovered East Austin Studio Tour a few years ago by basically walking out my front door, and the insane talent of my neighbors lay before me.  My backyard neighbor and fellow pre-school mom Jennifer Balkan has become one of my very favorite artists in Austin.  These below, I love:

My neighbor a few homes down is sculptor Roger Foster who hosted Karen Maness that year.  Karen lives a few streets down and she had two paintings I've never gotten out of my head.

With small kids in tow, I've only been able to do EAST in small doses.  Last year, it was contained to the studios and art exhibits at my husband Mike's east Austin studio complex.  This year, we met up with Iris's friend Scout and her dad John for a Cesar Chavez run of East exhibits.

Here were my favorites:

{Daphne Holland paints in encaustic with layered wax}

 {Jenny Granberry's watercolors were my very favorite pieces this year, AND she teaches children's art classes and does a $40 BYOB art class to do with your friends.  What a great ladies night idea!}

{Taylor Browning's self portrait with a friend in the Alps}

{Another of Taylor's - I could see this lady staring down my Kathy Womack women in my dining room but, then realized, she'd be staring them down the wrong way.  Still love it.}

And then, we walked into a small room filled with these intricate drawings from illustrator Sophie Roach.  She sat in the corner, working, drawing a black and white piece, and it was a little miracle.  She was kind and open very young.  And, she was happy to let Iris and Sam really see how an artist works.  

{Sophie Roach}

My dream is to do an entire end to end tour of EAST on a moped with my baby, the big one, Mike :) sans kiddos.  That is what I would LOVE to do next year.