This weekend and next, following the East Austin Studio Tours, haul ass to the Victory Grill for the nightly “E.A.S.T Victory Lap,” the official after-event for tour victors. more ›

The Lamebook.com boys have two reasons to celebrate. First off, they recently had a breakthrough in their legal battle against Facebook (who sued the parody site last year for “trademark infringement”) when Travis County Judge Sam Sparks straight-up denied Facebook's motion to dismiss. Lamebook is still fighting the good fight, though it hasn’t been cheap for the upstart humor site. The second reason? They just launched a hilarious, new blog called UHpinions.com. The site features hilarious reviews from sites like Amazon, Yelp and Epinions and seems to be just as addictive as the owner’s original. more ›

In part two of our series on Artists and their Art during the East Austin Studio Tour, Austinist photographer Steve Hopson hunted down artists at the Bread Factory, Starving Art Studios, Industry Screen printers and individual studios. During his quest, Steve discovered the Toy Surprise inside each box of Cracker Jack, caught an artist jumping over her art, and uncovered Hank Hill's undisclosed location. Along the way, Steve shot Austin artists including Sarah Wilson, Piercarlo Abate, Amanda Clair Clark and Liliana Wilson. more ›

Although we consider ourselves to be craftier than most, ceramics is just one of those mediums we've never mastered. Even with a few classes under our belts, we never got the hang of turning a lump of clay spinning on a fast moving wheel into something beautiful using only our hands. It can, however, be done, and Ryan McKerley's body of work proves it. Using a vast repertoire of techniques including wax resist, water carving, and salt and soda glazing, McKerley's work stands out from the typical cups and bowls seen extensively at craft fairs. McKerley is also a prolific teacher, leading workshops for adults and teaching his art through schools around town. We got a chance to chat with Ryan about his work and what he's got planned for this weekend's East Austin Studio Tour. Stop by his studio at 2710 E. Cesar Chavez to see check out his work and process. more ›

As the crowds rolled through East Austin during this past weekend's start of the annual East Austin Studio Tour, Austinist took the opportunity to document a small part of the great art and amazing artists. This weekend photographer Steve Hopson went to the Pump Project Art Complex, Big Medium, Cobra and El Federico's studios and caught some of the artists and their work. more ›

American Short Fiction's Fall issue is their 49th and their launch party will feature a free keg of Lone Star beer - you earned it, people! Now that we've gotten past the workaday deals, lets get to the real business: universally famous for giving you the choicest words in short fiction, American Short Fiction is getting their good friends together at Domy Books on Saturday, Nov 13 for some real live readings. And by good friends, we mean musician Bill Callahan is reading from his first novel,Letters to Emma Bowlcut, contributors Mary Miller and Dalia Azim will read from their work in the issue and intelligentsia darling Timothy Willis Sanders will read from his upcoming collection, Orange Juice. more ›

If you were lucky enough to stop by Domy Books this past April, you probably got a chance to see some of Katy Horan’s haunting paintings. Her work is rooted in the traditions of a simpler time and her paintings often look as though they are the long lost illustrations for gypsy picture books. Working primarily in gouache, Katy adds carefully painted detail to the lace and frills that adorn her figures. Look more closely though, and behind their feminine veils you’ll often see a understated darkness - faces are obscured, black masses and limbs protrude from the figures at somewhat chaotic angles. Katy Horan is one of nearly 300 artists participating in East Austin Studio Tour this weekend and next. Stop by her studio at the ARTPOST complex (4704 E. Cesar Chavez) between 11am and 6pm on Saturday or Sunday either weekend to see her process and product. Katy talked to Austinist about where her dark imagery comes from and shared her advice for art students. more ›

Duderinos, Austinites, Art nerds — lend me your eyes, for I would venture to pronounce that there is no other art-related event in Austin more anticipated, celebrated, and accessible, than the nine-days of the East Austin Studio Tour. It runs, this year, from the 13th to the 21st of this month. That said, let me testify why Art Night EAST, the preview party kicking off EAST on Friday, November 12th, is destined to go down as EASTs official Coming-Out-As-Undeniably-Badass debut. (Can I getta witness?) more ›

There are many skills your average crafter possesses. Decoupage. Knitting. Some light carpentry. But if there's one thing every crafter knows how to do, it's hustle, y'all. Case in point? Etsy.com, a ginormous online catalog of handmade creations. Open since 2005, Etsy allows entrepreneurial crafters from all over to set up shop on the interwebs. And in October of 2008, our fair city got its very own street team: Etsy Austin. You can check out these ladies, and their stationary-making/metal-fabricating/hat-stitching compatriots this weekend during the East Austin Studio Tour, at Smith Studios on 1406 Smith Road (stop 60 on the tour map). more ›

It's the type of thing indie film dreams are made of: four girls, all crafters, long to open their own craft studio. Girls pool their money for an Airstream trailer. Girls move in with crafts. Girls take "craft trailer" on the road, teaching children and adults alike the joys of coil baskets, stampmaking and bookbinding. (Shhh - did you hear that sound? That's the sound of Drew Barrymore purchasing film rights!) The WonderCraft is the real-life lovechild of Austin crafty ladies Beth Hempton, Albrecht, Jen Bryan and Kim Sae-Eua, whose mobile craft trailer "Stella" makes her debut this year at East Austin Studio Tour. Stella will be parked at 628 Allen St. as guests of Courtney Gray/Creative Side Jewelry Academy (stop 45 on the E.A.S.T. map). more ›

I love, love, love fake shit. And when I say, “fake shit,” I am not euphemistically referring to, say, “reality” TV shows, imitation boobs, or the way some of the ex-girlriends of my young, hot, domestic partner treat me at cocktail parties. No, no, when I say “fake shit,” what I mean is prosthetic poo-poo, crafted ca-ca, faux fecal matter. So when esteemed Austinist arts editor, Emily, asked me if I might like to profile Kourtney Lea Moon-- aka Angry Olive-- and when I found out that Kourtney sews embellished excrement as part of her emporium of uber-cool crafts, I jumped at the chance. I emailed Kourtney to tell her of my love of fake shit, and how thrilled I was when Warren gave me a box of plastic dog crap for my birthday. She enthusiastically responded: “You can never, I repeat, NEVER be given too much shit! Fake, real, plush, cute, fossilized... We deal with it everyday- literally. Best present ever...” more ›

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group. more ›

We're still feeling inspired by everything we saw at last weekend's East Austin Studio Tour. We tried to capture the diversity of the event and visited painters, metalsmiths, woodworkers, printers, ceramicists, mixed media artists, and many others. As always, Blue Genie Art Industries, BigMedium, and Pump Project made our jaws drop. We can't wait to see what's in the works for next year's tour! Photos taken by Andrew Stalick, Callie Richmond, and Kristin B. more ›

What's that you say? You missed Adreon Henry's One Line Drawing's exhibit last month? Well son, that was a foolish, foolish thing to do, but don't beat yourself up about it too much. You are being given a mulligan, and you better swing yourself hard and fast towards Super! Alright! Studios this weekend, as this time you only get two days to check out Henry's new work during the East Austin Studio Tour. more ›

Most ceramic materials are brittle, hard and full of tiny little holes, not unlike our cold, cold hearts (just kidding). The challenge of working in ceramics is to overcome these faults and make something that can stand the test of time. Zoe Comings aims for that goal and exceeds it by not only creating lasting structures, but also lasting beauty. Experience some of her work this weekend during the East Austin Studio Tour. Zoe's studio is part of the Pump Project, which is located at 702 Shady Lane. more ›

Enterprising and adorable, Barber has created a fancy-pants empire out of her kitchen, which you can visit this weekend during the East Austin Studio Tour. Located at 1402-A Kirkwood Rd, Barber's studio is also her home (#141 on the E.A.S.T. map), and is sure to be a real charmer. more ›

With a mind that seems predisposed towards the tangential and an effortlessly breezy artistic tone, j.haley (sometimes he likes to leave the space out as a response to our internet driven world) creates treasure out of trash, while simultaneously running a million miles an hour and goofing off. These are completely baseless observations, but we just get the feeling that he is either really crazy or highly hilarious. Or both. We're going to find out when we visit his studio, which is part of The Pump Project (#60 on the E.A.S.T. map) at 702 Shady Ln. Until then, you can catch our general drift from the email exchange that follows.... more ›

It's not often that we are struck utterly dumb by the sheer force of someone's talent, and it's also not often that we can literally feel the green in our eyes spread to the rest of our body as vines of envy take root. But that is exactly how we felt when we first encountered the work of artist Emilie Houssart. When viewing some of her studies of the human body, our brains were almost tricked into thinking that the person depicted by the stroke of a brush was actually standing before us, and that we could almost detect the warmth of their skin. Far be it from us to gush over someone so, but the girl is good. more ›

Austin artist Ian Shults is nothing if not democratic when it comes to his paintings. Accomplished in the realist tradition of painting, he has produced provocative images that are beautifully executed with vibrant color, rich detail, and precision of line. In a bit of a departure, for this year’s East Austin Studio Tour, he will debut a new series of paintings more impressionistic in nature that showcase looser brushwork and a more subdued palette. Rather than focus on subjects of conventional beauty, his subjects inhabit darker realms, literally and symbolically. As his website states, “Ian Shults takes no prisoners in the art world, mostly because it's a slimy place filled with scofflaws, hoodlums, and hangers-on. Shults' paintings forge fine art and the profane to tell sordid tales of debauchery with a sly sense of humor.” With skillful technique, Schults, creates intriguing subjects with a generous does of allure and their own odd sense of beauty. more ›

Texture, pattern and harmony populate every inch of the natural world that surround us. Most of the time we do not stop to consider how beautiful the shape of a microscopic organism may be, even as we are breathing it into our own lungs. On an extraordinarily visible scale, Chris Levack has taken tiny pieces of the ether, and produced poetically graceful sculptures that somehow manage, again, to blend in seamlessly with our surroundings. more ›

We believe in the ridiculous and for that reason are drawn to things that take a fairly well know icon and turn it into something more interesting, more hilarious, than what we knew before. Jacob Borshard does exactly that. His work is an amalgamation of images that we all recognize placed within a context that is completely absurd, creating a colorful landscape where both our childish and adult minds can frolic. more ›

Austin artist Debra Broz wears many hats. When she is not working on her art, she is a professional ceramics restorer, writer and co-editor for local contemporary art magazine, Cantanker, and manager of the Pump Project Art Complex, where she also has a studio. As an artist she moves elegantly between painting, drawing, collage, and writing. A lover of words as much as the visual arts, Broz will often include small bits of text in her works. The words are lyrical and unassuming, hovering in a corner or floating in space, waiting for you to notice. In this context, the fragments juxtaposed with the images act as suggestions or open-ended ideas, ultimately encouraging the viewer to draw his or her own meaning. For this year’s East Austin Studio Tour, she will present a new series of self-portraits that are at once surreal and ethereal, but also grounded and deeply personal, and always engaging. more ›

In the multifaceted vastness of this weekend's East Austin Studio Tour, Morgan Sorne is his own prism. His talent spans the artistic spectrum, but it's his visual art, along with incorporated poetry, that will call viewers into his studio this weekend. more ›

There is a certain permanence that comes with the word "concrete." Coming from the Latin "concretus" meaning hard or hardened, concrete carries with it a connotation of weight and longevity. Such is the case of the material that the word represents, a medium from which artist Larry Isgur coaxes seemingly delicate curves and buttresses, harnessing the fortitude of it's strength to create installations that appreciate not only form, but function. more ›

There is a lot of talk about upcycling, reusing and recycling in the world of art these days. Utilizing found materials in sculptures, collages and other pieces has always been popular method of art creation. For artist and jewelry designer Christine Terrell of Adaptive reUse, taking scraps of metal and discarded tin containers and repurposing them as necklaces, cufflinks and belt buckles is a passion. more ›

The Decoder Ring Design Concern is a giant among the visual communication world that happens to be based in our humble little town. We've long enjoyed the multidisiplinary studio's fine art prints and screenprinted rock and roll posters, but a perusal through their online portfolio speaks to how ubiquitous and powerful the Decoder Ring design team is. They've done the CD packaging for some of our favorite albums, designed Shiner billboards, developed the SXSW logo, and even made Whataburger look retro-cool. Decoder Ring recently moved all of their design and production to an East Side studio space, and are consequently opening their doors to participants in this year's East Austin Studio Tour. In accordance to their penchant for team work, the Decoder Ring designers all took turns in answering some questions for Austinist. more ›

On November 22 and 23, artists and studios in East Austin will open their doors and welcome the community into their spaces to showcase a stunning degree of local talent. Now in its seventh year, the casual, homegrown event known as the East Austin Studio Tour includes over 200 individual artists (at 150 studios and galleries) working in a variety of mediums with an astonishing array of materials. The Austinist talked with one of the organizers and co-founders, Shea Little, about the history of EAST and this year's tour. Little co-founded and co-organizes the event with Jana Swec and Joseph Phillips. All of these talented individuals are also artists with Big Medium (formerly Bolm Studios). more ›

The 7th annual East Austin Studio Tour will take place on November 22nd and 23rd. The free event serves as a comprehensive open house for studios and work spaces through out the East Side. This year, more than 150 studios are participating in the tour, allowing interested appreciators of the arts see how talented craftspeople create their work. Many of the EAST studios have art for sale and all offer a unique behind the scenes glimpse into the creative process. Over the next few weeks, we'll be posting artist interviews and profiles of a few of the participating studios. more ›

Austin's no stranger to the printed poster—in fact, between Flatstock and the East Austin Studio Tour, we get many chances to view and purchase original art by some very talented printmakers. This weekend, our affinity for all things screenprinted, letterpressed, linocut, and block printed is being even further catered to at various galleries around town. more ›