RUTH MEADERS - Over the years, there have been long lapses from painting; however, since retiring from her work as a therapist, art in some form has been the focus of Ruth’s life. Painted furniture, faux finishes, murals and trompe l’oeil are all part of her repertoire. “My heart and soul, however are drawn to the big skies of the Southwest.” Known for her cloudscapes and primarily self-taught, Ruth creates in oil, acrylic and watercolor. She is a member of Creative Arts Society and Austin Visual Arts Association.

“Why buy art?? Art is not just for investment… Art can lift your spirits, make you smile, change your mood and make life more pleasant. With my work, there is no struggle to decipher what the painting means: It’s clear and direct. I paint for the people and I love what I do…” ~ Ruth Meaders

• Website: www.deepintheheartart.com
• Art Blog: www.ruthmeadersart.blogspot.com

CHRISTINA FAJARDO - Currently, mixed media collages re my passion. I am attracted primarily to the evocative power of colors, shapes and symbols that have traveled through time that bring with them the power to heal.  Many of my creative ideas come to me in dreams, listening to music or simply from just taking a walk or having a conversation with a three year old. My artistic expression largely involves reclaiming and recycling discarded finds. Images are drawn sometimes then scanned and enhanced with Photoshop CS3. I then use acrylic paints, watercolor, clay pieces, vintage wallpaper and other collectibles.  Each piece has its own narrative. It warms my heart when someone comes to me and says that my art speaks to them. That is my goal, to spark memories and emotion.” ~Christina Fajardo

• http://christinafajardo.com/
• http://christinafajardo.blogspot.com
• https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaFajardoArtist
• http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChristinasMagic

“When I was five, my family moved into the house where my grandmother had been born. The house had minimal electrical service, plumbing was limited to a single cold-water tap in the kitchen and heat was delivered by three coal stoves. Built around the turn of the last century, the house was an example of what is now politely called “vernacular” architecture, cobbled together from available materials. It was dark, filled with heavy, dusty old furniture and even dustier carpets. The unfinished basement was stocked with ancient canned fruits, mysterious medicinal preparations and rusty tools. The newspaper insulating the living room wall had an article reminiscing about the not-long-ago President Grant, family portraits hung under domed glass in tiger-striped oval frames, and buttons and bottle caps of several generations of my thrifty and resourceful ancestors filled rusted tins. This seemingly endless supply of bizarre old things was precious to me.

We lived at the end of a dirt road and if I managed to convince other kids’ parents to drive them to our house, I would spend most of our time together showing them all of my treasures. Many decades later, I find myself in a similar position. I find beauty in the intentionally discarded and the inadvertently abandoned, the crumpled and cracked, and the back sides of things. The detail and attention once lavished on the smallest item is not something many people now get to appreciate. I still play with the new stuff, too, but I get great joy from showing people all of the wonderful bits and pieces they may not have had the opportunity, or taken the time, to notice.” ~Lara Caffrey

•  Share this album with friends on Facebook
• Read more of Laura’s commentary on her work at Area of Design
• Connect with Laura professionally on LinkedIn
• View more of Laura’s work at Art Slant
• Connect with Laura on Facebook
• See Laura’s work on 60 WRD/MIN Art Critic 

September 4 – November 19, 2011 at Westgate

Calling all dancers, prancers, and wild romancers! The Jitterbug Vipers will hit the patio at our Westgate location on Sunday, October 30, from 7-9pm. They promise to deliver an evening full of toe-tapping 1930′s rock melodies inspired by Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holiday!

This award-winning combo landed “#2 Best Performing Jazz Band 2010-2011″ in March’s Austin Music Awards! To keep up-to-date with their band, follow the Jitterbug Vipers on Twitter.  You’re gonna love this swingadelic ensemble!

• Listen to more of their music at Reverbnation.
• Watch them on their YouTube channel

Click the link below to share with friends on Facebook:

October 30, 2011, 7-9pm – Westgate

No cover, pay what you can to the band!

Inspired by her crazy roller coaster ride through life spanning the past decade, NATALIE ZOE‘s latest music is filled with every imaginable range of emotion, infusing slinky blues with hopeful songs of personal heartbreak, and topped off by that undeniable soulful voice for which this Austin vocalist is loved. You don’t want to miss her!

• Hear clips from her latest album at Reverbnation.
• Share this event with friends on Facebook (9-4-11)
• Share this event with friends on Facebook (9-18-11)

September 4, 2011 – 7-9pm, Westgate

September 18, 2011 – 7-9pm, Westgate

No cover, pay what you can to the band!

Our talented staff is proud to present their works in HPBnG Westgate’s latest gallery. It will be on display until October 1, 2011. View more artwork by clicking here.

• David Abel is a professional photographer, outdoorsman, an avid whitewater kayaker and rafter. In 1984 while studying Geology at the University of Texas in Austin, he was invited on a raft trip down Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park. David was so enamored by the river environment that he has devoted most of his life traveling North America in search of remote river canyons, capturing their beauty with his camera.

• Chris Connor was born and raised in Chicago, IL. He has spent the majority of his life in Dallas and the last seven years in Austin. Connor began painting in oils fifteen years ago, starting off as a hobby that turned into an obsession. Striving in every attempt to capture something fresh and exciting but at the same time, based upon traditional values.

• Mackenzie Graham was an art history major at the University of Texas who focuses her artistic interest with an academic and professional lens. Her concern for art extends beyond paint and canvas, reaching into the sphere of creative exposure and engaging local audiences in physical art. With oil paint and crayon, Mackenzie displays texture and color while realizing the limitations of her medium. She uses her ability to put perception to page to heighten her audience’s view of the world.

• Anne Ducote has resided in Austin since 1976. Over the years, travel has been a large part of her life, and as a result, her work reflects some of the beautiful places and things she has seen. Her creative endeavors have included her original paintings in oils, watercolors and pastel drawing, several print series and assorted prints, commercial work, faux finishing, murals, commissioned painting used on movie sets, portraiture, and the like. Her subjects range from the ordinary to the sublime.

August 28 – October 1, 2011 at Westgate

JIMI LEE returns to Hyde Park Bar & Grill with new talent to shake things up at Westgate on Tuesday evenings in September. This smokin’ harmonica player and award-winning songwriter/performer has been turning heads for quite a while. In fact, the Austin music scene has already awarded him “pre-legendary” status! Click here to view his YouTube channel.

Danielle Reich

9/6 DANIELLE REICH came to Texas from Florida in 1999, where her parents launched her musical voyage by making her clap along with the radio on road trips until she had a reasonable sense of time. This led to piano lessons, a love affair with 1940s musicals, high school choir trips, and a degree in classical vocal performance from the University of Florida. She is frequently described as having the “authentic sound of a 1930s and 40s era singer.” Danielle’s eclectic musical interests have led to an adventurous repertoire, including beautiful interpretations of Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, and other American popular artists. She also has a love of French, Spanish, and Italian music. Click here to view her YouTube channel.

Steve Carter

9/13 STEVE CARTER was born in the U.K and raised in Baltimore. He moved to Austin in the mid-seventies, and played with the LOTIONS and PRESSURE, both Austin’s premier reggae bands. Carter went on to write songs with ERIK MOLL, MICHAEL BALLEW, RON HICKS, SHANE DECKER, TRACIE LYNN, JANET LYNN and BILL COLBERT. He also won gold, platinum and DBL platinum records in Norway for artist STEINAR ALBRIGTSEN. Long recognised as one of Austin’s best songwriters, his songs have been featured on 30 CDs, in film, and on HBO. His new band is his ‘dream band’, playing his ‘Little Big band’ sound. Click here to listen to Carter’s music.

Phoebe Hunt

9/20 PHOEBE HUNT lives her life trying to make a difference in the world through her music. Hailing from Austin, Texas, and a graduate of UT, her music is a pure reflection of her life’s experiences. She toured with The Belleville Outfit from 2007-2010, playing at festivals and clubs across the country. She was awarded with the Torch Violin at her first Mark O’Connor Strings Camp in 2006. She says, “For me, the fiddle is a symbol of peace. I believe that music is the one pure force that can bridge the differences between people. Without saying a word, two people who speak different languages can find a deep connection through a single note.” Click here to watch her preform with Jimi Lee.

Dale Spalding

9/27 DALE SPALDING is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter who grew up in Downey, California. He studied harmonica with iconic bluesman Sonny Terry in San Francisco, then formed a duo with New Orleans musician Duke Burrell (Louis Jordan’s pianist) for ten years. The Dale Spalding Band was formed in Los Angeles in the early ’90s, featuring some of L.A.’s finest musicians, including James Gadson (drums), Lon Price (sax), and Bruce “Funky Mal” Malament (piano). In 2000, Dale was featured on Grammy-winning Latin Conguero Poncho Sanchez’s Latin Spirits CD. Today, he plays all over the USA, Canada and in Europe. Come, and experience a ”rich toned harmonica style and a funky gumbo of feels… a must see show!”

Click to share with friends on Facebook:

9/6, Jimi Lee & Danielle Reich: 7-9pm – Westgate

9/13, Jimi Lee & Steve Carter: 7-9pm – Westgate

9/20, Jimi Lee & Phoebe Hunt: 7-9pm – Westgate

9/27, Jimi Lee & Dale Spalding: 7-9pm – Westgate

No cover for Bluesday Tuesday, pay what you can to the band!

SORRY, FOLKS BUT 110 IS JUST TOO DANG HOT!

We’ll do our best to find another date for The Harmony Brothers!

————-

Max Nofziger, Al Dressen, and Mark Gottschall

These three began rehearsing together in the summer of 2009, and haven’t stopped, since! They boast a set list of classic rock songs from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, with a few others thrown in. Al leads most of the vocals and Mark plays a mean 12-string guitar, while the three harmonize so well you’d think they were actually related! If you are attracted to three part harmony on songs from an era of great melodies, the Harmony Brothers deserve your attention. They’re a “Blast from the past,” they are “Peace, Love and Harmony,” and they will make you want to smile, clap your hands, sing along, sometimes close your eyes and dream, and maybe even yodel!

• Visit the band website
• Share this event with friends on Facebook

CANCELLED DUE TO HEAT — Sunday, August 28, 2011, 7-9pm – South at Westgate

No cover, pay what you can to the band!

The Twilight Trio will bring their unique styling of traditional Blues/Gospel and Country/Bluegrass to our Westgate location’s patio on August 21, 2011. You and your friends won’t want to miss out!

• Joanna Ramirez, vocals, acoustic guitar
• Grego Anderson & Slide Dobro, guitar
• Jeff Hayes, Upright string bass

Visit the band website: http://www.joannaramirez.com/twilight-trio#!__twilight-trio/music

Share with your pals on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221238024578676

Sunday, August 21, 2011 – South at Westgate