About

The Texas Cannons of Proportion is the name assumed by five artists who began holding contemporary art exhibitions together in 2008. They are David Almaguer, Rex Hausmann, Kyle Martin, Russell Stephenson, and Patrick Winn. They do not lay claim to a singular contemporary art practice for the region, but their work exhibits the bold and brash independent streak associated with the largest state in the contiguous United States.

“Texas Cannons of Proportion” is wordplay based on the story behind the original flag of Texas. That flag depicts a bronze cannon once on loan to the citizens of Gonzales for protection against hostile natives. In the Fall of 1835, the Mexican military ordered the cannon returned to San Antonio. That disagreement produced the Battle of Gonzales, considered to be the first battle of the Texas Revolution. The cannon was lost to history when it was committed to the Battle of San Antonio de Bexar—The Alamo. Everyone knows the slogan “Remember the Alamo,” but the original battle cry was truly unmistakable and decisive: “Come and take it!” Secondly, the alternate spelling of “Canons of Proportion” pertains to the system of conformity in Classical art. “Texas Cannons of Proportion” fires a shot signaling bold independence against regimented expectations.

David Almaguer has long been working with graffiti stencils. The medium is indicative of an increasingly digital world, where pictures gain strength through endless mutation and aggregation. With installations like an impassioned Christ flanked by winged luchador heads, Almaguer’s work almost functions as pop culture altarpieces– accompanied with a happily psychedelic soundtrack.

Like Almaguer, Rex Hausmann’s work tends toward the baroque. Beyond flat imagery, Hausmann is interested in excavating (sometimes literally) substance from past and present civilizations. Whether referencing Classical Greece, Native American, Florentine or Puritan paradigms, or likely, all of the above, his expressionist work serves up a delirious concoction of colors and ideas. His output spans painting, drawing, assemblage, and large sculptural installations.

Kyle Martin arguably approaches form as diversely as does Hausmann, but in a more restrained fashion. He currently has three sets of work that feed into each other: large portraits painted naturalistically of people he’s met, abstract paintings dealing with experimental formal concerns, and lastly, sculptures re-imagining cast-off consumer items. Through his sensitive investigation of imaginative and real space, a striking vision of Texas vernacular evocatively takes shape.

Russell Stephenson holds an M.F.A. from the University of Texas, San Antonio. His etchings, digital prints, and paintings recall the Medieval-Gothic lines of Albrecht Dürer and the Abstract Expressionist canvasses of Jackson Pollock. Among his remarkable copper etchings is Deep Sensory Meaninglessness; or, The Destruction of Damascus. The dual title alludes to epic themes involving fallen nature, the apocalyptic, and the possibilities for transcendence.

Patrick Winn is driven by his architectural training. He received an M.Arch from the University of Texas, Austin. His fascination with interdisciplinary thinkers like Kenneth Nelson and Buckminster Fuller leads him to the concept of Consegrity, where structures depend on the internal strength of natural physics. The work he recently showed with the Texas Cannons of Proportion is the 43-foot Tower of Stacel, previously housed at the Texas A&M School of Architecture. Its recent incarnation has part of the Tower acrobatically cantilevered out from the wall.

This collective of five artists assumes the strength of the five-point star emblazoned on the state flag. Their commitment to contemporary art beats with the heart of the Lone Star State. After two self-organized shows, each future exhibition under the aegis of Texas Cannons of Proportion emboldens audiences to join the shout of “Come and take it!”

CONTACT US

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our work, would like to know the location of an up coming show, or would like to host an upcoming show.

Email: allartists@texascannonsofproportion.com

You can also email each individual artist:

Rex: rex_hausmann@texascannonsofproportion.com
Russell:russell_stephenson@texascannonsofproportion.com
David:david_almaguer@texascannonsofproportion.com
Patrick:patrick_winn@texascannonsofproportion.com
Kyle:kyle_martin@texascannonsofproportion.com

You can reach Rex by phone at 210-884-6390.
Or Kyle by phone at 210-705-9407.