STORY BY JOE MORRIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY J. KYLE KEENER
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ome are painters who grew up in the area and have carved out a niche here. Others are potters who visited from elsewhere and decided to pull up stakes and relocate. And a third group are talents who toiled in foreign fields before coming back home to unleash their creativity. All are artists, and all combine with galleries, exhibit spaces and the city itself to make San Angelo one of the nation’s rising arts communities. As home to the Old Chicken Farm Art Center, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts and massive public displays such as the Historic Murals of San Angelo, the city has plenty of visible support
for the arts. But it’s the vibe of the place, as well as the chance to concentrate on their craft and move some merchandise, that draws – and keeps – many artists. “I was invited to show at the art museum back in 2001 and had never really heard of the museum or the town,” says Linda Gossett, whose work includes functional and whimsical bowls, platters and other pieces. “It was a wonderful experience for me and spoke to the possibilities of my career a little differently.” Three years ago, it wasn’t enough anymore just to come to town every April and hang out with the potters. Gossett sold her Dallas home and scored a living space and studio at the Old
What’s s e Online
See famed pop artist James Gill at work in his studio in our quick online video imagessan angelo.com.
Renowned artist James Francis Gill returned to his native San Angelo in 2006. Left: Art by Linda Gossett
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