Jay Hester TEXAS:
Stories of the Land By: Katherine Shevchenko
ay Hester, a well respected artist also affectionately known as the “Godfather” of the Boerne art scene, returns in a prodigious and monumental fashion with his first solo exhibition of paintings in almost twenty years. “TEXAS: Stories of the Land” is his inaugural showing at J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine ArtBoerne. This show will open on October 8th with a reception with the artist in attendance and will be on display until November 5th at the Boerne gallery location. Mr. Hester decided to chronicle pivotal events from the Texas historical canon that have taken on near mythic proportions due to their legendary status in their significance in shaping Texas’ socio-cultural landscape. Hester has prominently focused on the early days of the first settlers in the Texas area and the pivotal trials and tribulations of their encounters with the native Indian tribes of the land in times of war and the eventual culmination of treaty signings that were the first sowings of peaceful relations. Gallery director, Gabriel Diego Delgado further discusses his motivations in the show’s formulation, “I thought we could curate an exhibition directly related to this endeavor. I feel with his unique artist’s voice of Texas history, he would develop a wonderful sensibility; a kind of mystical approach mixed with self-imposed artistic liberties… depicting these often violent times.” The gallery shall become a platform in which “to give Jay Hester a voice in telling the various historical legends of Texas…” Hester has been a seasoned and avid scholar in the story of the American Southwest for many years. According to his wife, Judy, “Jay has a deep interest in Western and Native American art and has read and researched these subjects for years following his relocation to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1980.” The exhibition is another chapter in the artistic journey of Hester, with his knowledge and aesthetic interest in preserving Texas’ rugged past in oil paint. “This passion has overlapped an opportunity through J.R. Mooney Gallery to express myself
20 / J.R.M QUARTERLY Reviews/ Commentary/ Exhibitions/ News/ Events, Fall 2016