PLEASE NOTE, CUSTOM PRINT ORDERS REQUIRE 7-10 DAYS OF PRODUCTION TIME
"A Sliver of the Whole" by Graham Franciose was a great success! Many thanks to our loyal beer drinking customers! Thank you to Austin Beer Works for supplying our refreshments for the night, and to Graham who created these amazing artworks (and who showed up to the reception in the most dapper of suits).
The storytelling contest was also a success with over 50 entries! We went through them all and had some good laughs and thoughtful discussions. I am excited to share the top six here along with the three prize winners. We have emailed the top three, who will receive a free signed canvas print by Graham Franciose.
#1 - First Prize Winner
"Justice" by Ryan Rusiski
Sometimes the line between right and wrong is blurred. Sheriff has always abided by the letter of the law however, even when it came to Finley. The physical altercations and threats on his and his family's lives have been increasing with every passing day. He rode out to Finley's cabin in a last ditch effort for a truce of sorts. As he neared the hilltop where the cabin rests, the smell of smoke reached his nose... least that's what he told the townsfolk.
#2 - Second Place Prize Winner
"The Orphanage" by by Trevor Talley
"Goddamnit! That #&%*!# Donald Sutherland!" Esther kicked the rails again as she was jarred to wakefulness by a head full of birds erupting into sound all at once.
She had to steady the TV, which threatened to topple off the third story railing it was strapped to with at least a dozen bungee cords. People asked Esther why she kept her TV in such a precarious place, and she could only ever shrug and mumble something about the light. Truth was, that was where the birds came to her.
Speaking of, the little creatures were none too happy with her sudden movement and she had to gingerly pat them back into their places within the mass of matted curls and tendrils that had become her hair. As she settled back down into her pink plastic deck chair and picked up her equally pink martini glass for a sip to ward off the Miami summer sun, and the birds returned to their fuzzy nests, she thought about how it all started on a day just like this.
She started to nod off as she reminisced and wondered sleepily. Who would she find in her hair when she awoke this time? She hoped they were tiny, she was running out of room. And if she could get just one that didn't hate her Donald, that'd be nice...
Esther Nodded off, as she always did, on her porch where the birds who needed a place to stay could always find her and a home for a while. Esther loved the birds, and they seemed to love her, even if they did have terrible taste in hunky movie stars...
#3 - Third Place Prize Winner
"With two Left Feet and a Selfless Heart" by Tena Lacy and Julianna Fink
Feeling sad and a little light headed, Lydia climbed down the tree. Her mother was waiting a the bottom with a water hose. Lydia smiled, she knew school wouldn't last forever.
#4 - Runner Up
"The Gathering of the Elusive" by Nicholas Solis
This was it. These were the last of them, and they were beautiful, magical, and her only hope.
#5 Runner Up
"Of the Lichen I" by Christina Michura
In the last days of the nether year, Shavonna found herself alone, no plan, humming a lost tune under the milky brown sky. Closing her eyes she made a wish - to have some companion for these last adventures. She kept her eyes closed so long that lichen grew to protect her. When she opened them, she found a small bird had actually sought her out for a home. As long as nothing changed all remained the same. But how healthy is that?
#6 Runner Up
"Strange Bath" by Anna Teixeira
There was a shimmer, a sparkle of something below. He leaned further and saw glowing webs dancing in the water. Only daring to dip the tiniest bit of his finger tips, he saw one glowing tendril reaching up toward him. It wrapped around his finger, and he knew his drifting hadn't been random at all.
Honorable Mention goes to these two amazing kiddos Violet and Breiten! They recreated three of Graham's paintings in these whimsical photographs with the help of costumer, prop master and photographer Laura Lee Alcayde.
If you didn't make it out to our opening reception, many of Graham's works from "A Sliver of the Whole" will be on display at Austin Art Garage until they sell. So hurry up and get your butts down here!
Austin Art Garage is open Tuesdays - Saturday from 11am-6pm and Sundays from 12-5pm.
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