Glass Houses 10: Bert Long

by Everett Taasevigen May 19, 2009
A photograph of people walking through an outdoor market.
The Market at Sawyer Yards
A photograph of people walking through an outdoor market.
The Market at Sawyer Yards
A photograph of a performance by Samora Pinderhughes at Carnegie Hall.
Samora Pinderhughes at Carnegie Hall
A still image from a film by Christian Padron.
Christian Padron, “Masculinity,” a film that is part of “The Healing Project.”

Plants, plants and more plants surround Bert L. Long Jr.ʼs Houston studio and home. The artist’s edenic lot also boasts a thriving vegetable garden. Located in Houston’s historic Fifth Ward, Bert’s 1920s shotgun house was remodeled in 1999-2000 by architect Brett Zamore as his Rice University thesis project. Inside the light-filled structure, Bert’s love of vegetation has run riot in every room of the house with even more plants clustered in the windows. The artist absorbs the beauty of nature at work as he watches the birds and butterflies in his yard. In the midst of this verdant splendor, Bert creates his paintings, sculptures and photographs, sharing studio space with his partner, Scottish artist Joan B. Batson. The studio, filled with works in progress and completed, feels as alive as the nature that surrounds it.

Bert L. Long Jr. was born and raised in Houston’s Fifth Ward. He won the Prix de Rome in 1990 and was recently named Artist of the Year by Texas Accountants & Lawyers for the Arts. In 2008, Long installed his epic painting ART/Life, a commission by the City of Houston for the Looscan Neighborhood Library. The artist is currently at work on a multimedia project about the devastation of the Bolivar Peninsula. Long’s work is the subject of an upcoming book by Thomas McEvilley.

 

Everett Taasevigen is a Houston photographer.

 

4 comments

4 comments

theremin February 6, 2009 - 13:33

Interesting mix. Some very good, and some surprisingly dated stuff… and for my taste, too much David Bates (in my book this means seeing even one piece), whose presence threatens to make the event seem regional with a capital R. I hope that the out of towners will go by CADD, and give the local galleries at least a chance at wowing them. Are those really paint by numbers instructions in the Wyeth study? Give us some credit, Goldberg

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theremin February 6, 2009 - 13:36

sort of an art fair meets antique road show. if you from out of town and read this, do yourself a favor and go by CADD.

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altar of glib February 8, 2009 - 11:26

robertmooreart.blogspot.com

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BERTOART1 May 24, 2009 - 18:37

Dear Everett, Thank you for the insightful photographic perusall of my existance and the pretty close to the bone marrow of important elements that fuel my inferno of passion as an artist. EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT, yet nothing is important. You plant a seed that can hardly seen with the eye and with a bit of loving care , wondrous shapes and every color imaginable explodes , thunderstorms nourish and destroy, A photograph of Monet standing in his Rose Garden has been one of my greatest inspirations as an artist, The nectar of wine, companionship of love and eternal friendships in my everyday allows me to continue my quest for excellence to fulfill my obligation as a artist to provide art / truth to the world. “RIDING the TIGER” .Thank you and Glasstire. Warmest regards, Bert

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