words and photos by Lige Menard
Autumn had befallen SeTX, and the Saturday Night Fever was running high October 15th.
Various festivals, balls, and shows were lighting up marquees all across the triangle. One could
easily find themselves divided between competing choices of attendance. The people at large
were scattered. Playing this to my advantage, I selected to attend the Arts and Drafts auction
held at Madison’s on Dowlen in Beaumont. Betting on the fact attendance might be low, I came
prepared to clean house and flash paddle.
Many artists and galleries donated original works of art to support the auction and to
raise money for the Art Studio Inc. There appeared to be more art than paddle holding
participants. Masterful pieces were going for far under market value, and heirlooms were won
for pennies on the dollar. Even though my purse was light and my collar blue, I felt like new
money in an old money world. I left with four out of the five pieces I placed a bid on – a beautiful
aquatic piece by Maria Petross to gift my daughter, a mixed media piece by Walter Siefford
named “POST Mortem” that takes a provocative stance on social media, a piece by Colby Duhe
from the beloved V Haus collection, and the crown jewel of my art heist, “Day In The Park” by
nationally acclaimed artist Lynn Sweat. It was criminal the prices I paid. Such a sorry not sorry
kind of evening.
The beer was crisp and the food was delish; nice job, Madison’s! After the auction, local
cover band Spellbound took the stage, and them bekilted boys made many a lady feel like a
Mississippi Queen. I loaded my JeepSteed down with my bounty, pulled an Irish goodbye, and
absconded with one of the gorgeous model/presenters to go dancing in the dark and by
numbers. Yo Joe!! No FOMO!!
