Okay, friends, before you start dismissing my prints as “potty art”….
A number of years ago, we were gifted two small sketches by noted San Antonio painter Julian Onderdonk, 1882-1922. We live in a loft, but these little sketches need to be viewed close up in an intimate setting. That’s why they hang in the powder room where they are seen as frequently as our art of more humble pedigree, as most guests wind up in that room at some point.
Two series of my prints occupy two entire rooms in Zinc Champagne. Spirits. Wine. at 207 North Presa Street. The Blue Book Series is found in what is now known as the Bawdy Blue Room, while the Frida y Diego Series resides in La Galería de Frida.
Alright, I admit it. The “two entire rooms” are hardly traditional, soaring gallery spaces. They are multipurpose facilities. You can enter them to view the art privately, with the added convenience of relieving yourself and washing your hands.
Zinc is owned by the “Boudro Boys,” Richard Higbie and Randy Mathews. The restaurant business takes nerves of steel, and Randy’s therapy lies in metalwork. While I am sure he would like to exhibit his sculpture in the prestigious Bawdy Blue Room or La Galería de Frida, his artwork is simply too large in scale. His pieces are forced out into the courtyard.
The Blue Book ~ No3, “Patent Plugs for Pifflicated People,” This collage focuses on Billy Keilman’s 1911 Blue Book advertisement for his “Patent Plugs for Pifflicated People,” claiming that “one of these, inserted anywhere in the wall, will bring things to a standstill…” The ad is headlined “Stop That Merry-Go-Round!!” The miracle claim of relief for the intoxicated is combined with a period toast on a “Greetings from San Antonio” postcard and a pair of prancing carousel horses.
Frida y Diego ~ No2, “Dieggos,” Images of Diego Rivera are superimposed on eggs. The cracked egg splits a photo of Frida Kahlo and Diego, with Frida’s bleeding heart from “The Two Fridas” on the yolk.
With the prestigious interior galleries…
occupied by my art…
these sculptures by Randy Mathews…
are displayed in the courtyard at Zinc.
While you probably are ready to zip over to Zinc immediately to see my prints, there are additional reasons to go. Click here to view Zinc’s menu, and the following is from an earlier post exploring some of San Antonio’s food offerings:
The name immediately lets you know the beverage side of the menu is well-stocked; yet the bartenders do not complain about making something off-menu – such as what I have christened a “tequito,” a mojito with tequila instead of rum. Zinc is open during the week for lunch, but seems to be trying to keep that secret. Pears, goat cheese and pecans perk up a small Zinc salad, and the portobello patty melt with spinach, nopalitos and cheese is hearty fare. The sweet potato fries arriving on the same plate keep me from exploring the menu much farther, despite the high praise friends lavish on the Texas salmon salad with pearl couscous.
So drink at Zinc until you think about that artwork conveniently hung by the bathroom sink.
Postcards from Barton Springs 