Evan Voyles: Neon Saloon

From MixHaus Gallery:

“Neon Saloon is a pop-up exhibit of MixHaus Gallery and features original neon signs and art panels created by Evan Voyles of Austin, Texas. It celebrates Voyles’ 40-plus year career in the neon sign-making business, having made over 500 originals and collected over 400 vintage neon signs.

Evan Voyles is the force behind The Neon Jungle in Austin. Neon Saloon celebrates Voyles’ 40-plus year career in the neon sign-making business, having made over 500 originals and collected over 400 vintage neon signs. Armed with a love of language and working with his hands, along with an English degree from Yale University, Voyles had his start as an artist making art that looked like signs. He became an antique dealer who dealt in vintage signs, many of which were neon. He learned by watching and working with old-school sign makers and eventually began making his own, including the complex, exacting art and science of neon. There are over 100 of his neon signs currently active across Austin, and he is father to many of the iconic signs along the famed South Congress.

Voyles was born and raised in Austin, with much of his youth spent at his family’s Lazy V Ranch in the nearby Hill Country where he learned to weld. He is a cum laude graduate of Yale University, with a degree in Intensive English. Trained to tear down, analyze, and rebuild literature, Voyles applied his talent to the unintentional poetry and iconic imagery of classic American roadside signage. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife–the clothing designer and retail empress, Gail Chovan–and their twin children, Credence and Zelda.

The Neon Saloon reception is sponsored by Singing Water Vineyards, Newsom Vineyards, and Bending Branch Winery. The exhibit and all related events are located at 725 High Street in Comfort, Texas, in an 1891 building that was originally the Ingenhuett-Karger Saloon and most recently housed The Elephant Story. This pop-up is part of an effort to maintain Comfort’s vibrancy. Be on the look-out for more pop-ups from MixHaus Gallery and others in Comfort. For more information on the exhibit and events, visit www.mixhausgallery.com or contact MixHaus Gallery at (830) 995-3750. “