BEAUMONT — The Art Studio, Inc. (TASI) will host an exhibition of mixed media artwork by Wayne Goodman during the month of May. TASI will hold a reception for the exhibit on Saturday, May 6 from 7-10 p.m., which is free and open to the public. The exhibition is titled “Storyville”.
Goodman won The Art Studio’s annual juried exhibition, TASIMJAE (The Art Studio Inc. Members’ Juried Art Exhibition) in 2022, which granted him this opportunity to present a solo exhibition in TASI’s Main Gallery. He will be showing a continuation of the body of work he exhibited in February of 2022 in The Art Studio’s Maudee Carron Gallery.
“The works are an eclectic variety of mixed media with no particular theme except history and my personal history,” Goodman said.
The title of the exhibition comes from a New Orleans red-light district of the same name between 1897 and 1917.
Born and raised in Beaumont, TX, Goodman graduated from Charlton Pollard High School in 1970 before attending Lamar Technical College to receive an associate’s degree in Drafting Technology in 1974. He said that his artwork derives from his drafting experience.
Goodman’s work has been compared to that of fellow American folk artists Clementine Hunter and Horace Pippin. He wasn’t familiar with the artists at the time when the similarities were pointed out, but was happy with the comparison once he discovered their work.
“No one really influenced my work, I started from scratch,” Goodman said. “I initially got started with my friends’ children, drawing with them on the floor. One little girl said, ‘Uncle Wayne, can you draw a picture with nothing but girls, no boys? I want them on the swings, see-saw, and everywhere!’ So I did draw a picture of nothing but little girls doing all kinds of activities and the title is ‘Girl Power’ where the girls took over the boys’ basketball court and painted it pink.”
The exhibition will show Goodman’s unique way of creating similar but one-of-a-kind art pieces.
“My method of operation begins with me doing pencil sketches and even using sharpies. A lot of times, what I do is make copies of those sketches and that way I can manipulate the painting or drawing by adding to or taking away, and create similar images with a vast variety of different scenes. For the most part, I can have as many similar duplicates as I’d like.”
Goodman’s work often includes text, which he encourages the viewer to read.
“Even with the text, I would like the viewers to make up their own stories as to what they see.”
The Art Studio’s galleries, located at 720 Franklin St. in Beaumont, are open for viewing by the public from noon to 5pm, Tuesday through Saturday.
