“Kintsugi,” Cheryl Quallenberg said. “It’s a Japanese philosophy and repair technique. Kintsugi means if you repair something that’s broken it’s better than it was before. It adds to the beauty of life.” It’s also more valuable because you repair it with gold.
We were standing next to a sculpture of mesquite wood that looked like abstract art. Actually it was the way the tree grew and local artist Lou Quallenberg worked the wood, polished it, and finished it off. He carves exclusively in mesquite and always makes hearts. And he adds gold.
This one is valued at $2500. “I have one that’s $4300. I spent 180 hours on it. And it also has gold in it.”
Quallenberg is one of 55 artists whose work is on display at the Llano County Historical Museum for an exhibit called “Western Trappings on the Llano.” Many of the artists are local, but some hail from states such as Oklahoma, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, New Mexico, California, and others. If it’s western art, it’s in.
Or maybe not. “There are 110 items here, but that’s only about 50% of the artwork submitted. Some really good stuff was juried out,” said Charles Wendt, chairman of the event. “Over 200 works came in.” All were screened for quality.
We were visiting at the Friday night “Meet the Artists” event at the Museum. Thirty-seven of the artists showing were present and eager to talk to museum visitors. This third annual “Western Trappings on the Llano” is part of a movement that includes art exhibits in the Cherokee Strip, Enid, Oklahoma, Phoenix, Arizona, and Alpine, Texas.
The Llano Museum is itself a historical artifact. It was Bruhl’s Pharmacy and still has the lunch counter and stools intact.
Towards the back of the exhibit I admired a bronze sculpture by Norman, Oklahoma artist H.R. Kaiser. Entitled “Trepidation” and priced at $5200, it depicts a cowboy lassoing a wild stallion, presumably for breaking. He’s dallying his lariat around a post while the horse is resisting. Kaiser captures the power of the horse and the strength and determination of the cowboy; even the chaps seem to be flapping in the effort expended.
Everything in the exhibit is “one of a kind.” Besides paintings and sculptures there are items of “custom gear.” Pottery, silver, leather, basketry, jewelry and woodcarvings are on display.
Jason Yachik from Albuquerque makes spurs. He spends more than 20 hours on each pair, and eight and a half hours on each rowel, depending on the fancy cutouts and other decorations. “Ninety percent of my spurs go to working cowboys and they wear them every day,” he says. The cowboys pay from $450 to $750 for the fancy sets layered with precious metals.
You may have seen the work of Daniel Adams, presently of Buchanan Dam, and not have known it. He worked animatronics for Disney World in Florida. Pirates or presidents, anyone? Now he paints buffalo, bison, hummingbirds, “all things Texas,” he says. His “Tatonka”, a buffalo oil painting measuring 36” x 24”, is priced at $8000.
An acrylic on canvas painting of a prickly pear in flower by Merri Ellen Kase was very impressive. Several people agreed it was almost 3D. “You think that spine will prick you,” one man said. The painting is big, 30” x 40”. Entitled “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” it’s priced at $3500.
Want to take good care of your lariat? Wayne Decker of Round Rock, provides a Sheridan style tooled rope case at $895.
Benton Cassady, from the Six Mile area and a 1955 graduate of LHS, does leatherwork, mostly braiding. One six-foot bullwhip goes for $800. He has others, and braided leather cane on display.
The event was hosted by Texas Public Radio (KVHL 91.7FM), Lowe’s Supermarket, and Miiller’s Meat Market.
Saturday afternoon at the American Legion Hall, Link Fuller captained the auction to benefit Western Trappings and the Museum. Fifty-six items were cataloged and sold, but some were donated back and resold. As Link said, “You’re not here to get a deal, you’re here to help the cause.”
A water color by local Jack Moss, “Days Work Done”, showing a cowboy looking like John Wayne in “The Searchers,” brought $575.
Ten of the auctioned items were from Llano artists, 30 from other Texas artists. Other items came from artists in Wyoming, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Washington, Arizona, Nebraska, California, Ohio, and Louisiana.
The unofficial total for the auction sales is about $12,500, Charles Wendt reported.
The third annual Western Trappings on the Llano will be on exhibit until November 15, at the Llano County Historical Museum, 310 Bessemer Ave (park in back across from the Chamber of Commerce building). Admission is free during museum hours. For more information visit www.WesternTrappings.com.
