Ask anyone what Houston is known for and some variation of oil and gas, energy, medicine, and food will come to mind. While all of those are true, Houston is also home to countless galleries, graffiti parks, street art murals, as well as a host of small businesses selling handmade jewelry or fashion, and Sawyer Yards, one of the largest working artist communities in the country. In order to better highlight this growing community, we have chosen three Houston artists whose work you need to know.
Rebecca Lankford’s career as a jewelry designer started out as a hobby while working as a paralegal over two decades ago. After taking classes at Glassell School of Art, her hobby turned into a career, and custom jewelry design became Lankford’s passion.
“When I started making jewelry, I was designing expansive collections and selling to boutiques across the country,” said the jewelry designer. “After I opened my retail store in 2015, my relationships with my clients grew, and I am now working on more specialized and one-of-a-kind pieces.”
Lankford draws her inspiration from small things outdoors, as well as colors in the natural world that she can source in gemstones. She combines unexpected materials and reimagines pieces of jewelry that have been passed down or forgotten.
“Everyone has pieces that have been tucked away in a drawer. Reimagining a piece of jewelry allows you to give them another life,” said Lankford.
rebeccalankforddesigns.com
Using luxury and sustainable wool from Peruvian baby alpacas, Hera Concept, based in Houston, designs garments that fuse trendiness, comfort, and luxury aesthetics to create timeless pieces in a sustainable way. Sisters Alicia and Alexandra Hamann, owners of the brand, were born in Peru and grew up surrounded by gorgeous textiles. They started Hera Concept as a way to combine their Peruvian heritage with women empowerment.
“Inner goddess in you” is the slogan of the brand, and it reinforces the concept that all women should feel powerful and gorgeous despite life’s challenges. The idea is to obtain a positive collective thinking to spread and recognize the inner strength that everybody has. Co-founder Alexandra says, “We have created the Inner Goddess Community to encourage people to share their testimonies of inner power towards challenging situations to inspire others.”
With this idea of empowerment, the label constructs its patterns based on real women’s body types instead of using mannequins. This allows each piece to obtain the best possible silhouette for the different types of women's bodies. Alexandra says, “We want our clients to feel gorgeous and want our clothing to enhance their natural silhouettes."
After one of the sisters underwent fertility problems, they became supporters of research into women’s infertility issues. The brand funds research into ovarian cryo-preservation at MD Anderson Cancer Center and is a member of The National Infertility Association. Hera Concept is also very involved with Peruvian women artisans by not only giving them sustainable jobs, but also by teaching them business strategies and how to grow their businesses.
hera-concept.com
Native Houstonian Genie Mack’s pet portraits make even the prickliest person smile. Beautifully painted on square canvas, the portraits seem to capture the playfulness and personality of each animal. Mack graduated with a degree from TCU and began teaching at a private elementary school while working on her paintings at night. After realizing she was burnt out from working two full-time jobs, Mack decided to open her own business and become a full-time artist. Now with a studio in Sawyer Yards, Sabine Street Studios, she spends her time creating art and has cultivated quite a following - her pet portrait waiting list is booked into 2021.
“Each animal has an imaginative personality, and it makes me so happy to interpret that individuality from brush to canvas,” said the artist. “I also love painting other animals and illustrating my travels and love for nature. I recently have been working in abstracts, as well. I think my use of color and brushwork is unique to me.”
Mack primarily works from photos and realism isn’t something she strives for, instead choosing bright colors and trying to capture what pet owners love about their animals. “My favorite part of the whole process is seeing the reactions to my paintings.”
geniemack.com
