A cool breeze drifted through Austin this November and brought with it a fresh assortment of pictures, paintings, and other pieces of artwork as the annual East Austin Studio Tour (EAST) took place for its 16th consecutive year. In the fall of 2018, EAST’s 585 artists brought more than 50,000 art-lovers to galleries, studios, and homes around the East Side.

The artwork at EAST varies, but there is a shared factor between all of the artwork: the artists are all local. Among the local artists are painters, sculptors, photographers, writers and musicians- a plethora of creators who work and make their living in Austin.

An abstract painter who works with oil and acrylic, Hunter Ash is a Colorado Native who only recently moved to Austin. Previously, Ash lived in Waco, where the local art community was not quite large enough to make an impact on her.

“Austin is very different from Waco,” Ash said, “Here there are so many people who get excited about art, who appreciate it and support each other. In Waco, the community was definitely smaller too. But here in Austin, there is this constant inspiration and that’s good for an artist.”

Tammy Brown is an oil painter who has worked in both Austin and Bastrop for years. Her landscapes are based on pictures she takes near her Bastrop studio and her home in the Mueller neighborhood, which she said she uses to create emotive paintings.

“Most of my landscapes are done around Austin,” Brown said. “I love to be here in Mueller because I can go out and take photos around this area and paint them when I get back.”
Brown works very locally for her works detailing Texas’ bird species. Brown said these pieces are highly localized, often featuring bird species native to Central Texas.

“Like the landscapes, I take photos of the birds first and paint later,” Brown said. “I try to paint paintings of scenes that convey a lot of emotion, where the light is dramatic or the birds evoke a certain feeling that I would like to convey.”

The Austin area is a source of inspiration for more than just painters, according to artist Amanda Witucki. She created the Confetti Committee to bring her unique craft to events around Austin, and she designs decorations made entirely of colored paper. The vibrant, 3D pieces range in size from tabeltop pieces to downtown installations, and Witucki showed off some arrangements at EAST this year.

“I’ve been doing this whole movement for about a year,” Witucki said. “But I started working with paper in 2008. I designed weddings with the Confetti Committee here in Austin for two years. I did all the marketing and budgeting myself.”

Realizing she wanted to expand past the wedding industry, Witucki began to create small installations for customers around Austin.

“I’ve started to move into event design because there are so many awesome events here in Austin,” Witucki said. “I did this event for BossBabes here in Austin, which was really cool.”

Inside the house in which Witucki displayed her art, she showcased her smaller artworks, as well as information on her other projects. The outside of the house was also decorated for EAST, and adorned with her artwork.

“For this [EAST] installation, I did over 1200 shapes,” Witucki said. “It’s become my labor of love. I also have something called the Secret Prezzie Project, where I hide presents around Austin, and it’s all about being nice to strangers. I like these guerilla art movements, where you can really just cause beautiful moments in the city.”

Painter Karen Maness said she came to EAST because of the powerful artwork and artists it attracts. Originally from California, Maness grew up with spirited street murals.
“I grew up in San Diego, and was drawn towards scenic art by the Mexican muralists and Chicano artists,” Maness said. “There was this powerful, muscular painting.”

When Maness moved to Austin, she was moved by the landscape, and, more importantly, the Texan skies. Maness saw them as connectors–almost a symbol of unity–because of their universal impact.

“I had never painted skies before I moved to Austin,” Maness said. “On road trips through Texas I would photograph these huge beautiful skies, and the rain starting to fill the clouds. I love the equity of the [pieces]. I love that everyone is seeing these skies, no matter where you are, where you’re from, or what your background is.”

Maness said she finds that she gets inspiration from her community. The art scene is a primary reason she moved to Austin in the first place, and the relationship between her art and the town is not lost on her.

“In Austin, there is not only the community of artists but the community of people who love to see art, and to learn about art, and learn how to be artists themselves,” Maness said.

According these four artists, EAST is more than just your average art festival: it’s the product of a strong, artistic community, and an Austin classic.

“These pieces are all conversations,” Maness said. “Conversations about a way I was feeling when, for example, I went to the homeland of my father, or when I have visited marfa, or have seen amazing sunsets here in Austin. It’s a special place to be an artist.”

This story was edited at a later date. Previous version of this story had the Secret Prezzie Project misspelled. This has been fixed.