Sunday, May 12, 2013

Famous Artists in Austin

By Rachelle Moere


This dynamic metropolis which invites folks from all kinds of life to enjoy its extremely unique culture. Artists of all sorts flock to the Austin area to seek sanctuary from the ordinary, the tried-and-true, and the cubicle. It has its share of world-renowned artists who've found that Austin has everything somebody could need without the pretense or fanfare of the big city. Even household names have moved to Austin to "keep it real" and very definitely weird. Austin famous artists, weird or not, know there's no place like home.

Todd Sanders

Todd Sanders, a self-described "urban archaologist" makes neon signs paying homage to those made in the 1930s and 1940s that lit the way all of the way across Route 66. Calls himself an "urban archaologist" focusing on neon signs based totally on designs by sign makers from the 1930s and 1940s. Researching the methods employed by mid 20th Century employees, he gets his inspiration from photographing cultural relics and taking country drives. Sanders ' business, Roadhouse Relics, latterly was commissioned to make two neon works for Blake Shelton and Miranda Kerr's wedding. His pieces evoke nostalgia for Route 66, drive-ins, diners, Vegas a far simpler time. Sanders is probably one of the famous artists in Austin who draw other artists to the city in hordes.

Richard Linklater

His film, "Slackers" (with Jeanne Garofalo, Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke) was to Generation X'ers what "Breakfast Club" was to a generation before. Linklater, originally from Houston, studied at Sam Houston State University, but left early to take a job on an off-shore oil rig in the Gulf. Boring hours out at sea left a lot of time for lots of reading and watching movies. It was in this time that the filmmaker decided he would have liked to be a filmmaker. Linklater acquired himself a Super-8 camera, modifying gear and a projector and moved to Austin. He began to attend Austin Community College to study theatre. In 1985 he set up the Austin Film Society to draw in famous artists from Austin and is credited for being answerable for making Austin the central hub of independent film making. He made Slackers for only $23,000. The filmmaker also remade "Bad News Bears", "Waking Life" and "Before Sunrise", again employing Ethan Hawke. He's nick-named "St. Richard of Austin" and is the forefather of Austin famous artists.

Matthew McConaughey

Screen star Matthew McConaughey was born in 1969 in Uvalde, Texas, and got raised in Longview, where he graduated from high school. Instead of delve in the oil business like his pa and siblings, he took a year off in Australia before returning to the U.S. And attending U.T. Austin. He changed his major from and started acting in TV commercials and student films. The actor was introduced to Richard Linklater at a bar in Austin, and Linklater cast McConaughey in the flick "Daze and Confused". Originally he was due to be in three scenes but the role expanded to 300 lines once McConaughey did some improvisations. He also appeared in "Texas Chainsaw Massare: The Next Generation" with fellow Texan Renee Zellweger. The sudden inflow of film offers prompted him to go to LA, where he filmed "A Time to Kill", "Contact", "Amistad", "Lone Star" and "The Newton Boys". More contemporary films have included "The Wedding Planner", "Reign of Fire" and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". Famous artists in Austin like McConaughey have put the town on the map.

Famous artists from Austin have selected to live in Texas because it's equidistant to both coasts, they feel grounded and secure in the Hill Country and they know the town is on its way to super stardom itself. The creative community in Austin is well grounded and thousands-strong, and the "Keep Austin Weird" crowd is ready for Austin to have its close-up soon. Austin famous artists make their town a true destination point.




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