Strand Gallery
October 9, 2021 - January 9, 2022
ArtWalk Reception - Saturday, October 9, 2021
6 – 9 PM
This exhibition is supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Texas Commission on the Arts.
Carter Ernst and Paul Kittelson
An Unearthly Affair
Carter Ernst and Paul Kittelson fill the Galveston Arts Center’s main gallery with a fantastical display of flora and fauna, including aluminum plants, furry creatures, and clay figures for their exhibition An Unearthly Affair. The artists have created a world where art becomes the creative force in shaping the environment; where psychology replaces biology; and evolution is driven by the artist’s imagination. While Ernst and Kittelson each employ their own unique materials and techniques, their long-term partnership has fostered a common outlook on life and a deep appreciation for the natural world. For this exhibition Ernst’s expressive representations of the animal kingdom are paired with Kittelson’s mechanical constructions of botanical subjects. Together their worlds collide in a surreal installation which celebrates the wonders of nature during a time of environmental trepidation.
Carter Ernst and Paul Kittelson met while in the graduate program at the University of Houston in the early 1980s. Inspired by the communal spirit of those early days at the UH Lawndale Annex, they built their careers amidst Houston’s grassroots art venues. They have both taught at numerous institutions of higher education as well as many community-based programs. They have continued to exhibit their work in galleries and museums across Texas and internationally.
In addition to their studio work, they have completed many public commissions. Most recent is an outdoor sculpture at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas titled Cardinal Column. Other public commissions include Take Off at Hobby airport in Houston.
Paul and Carter are married, and they live and work in an artist community known fondly as “Itchy Acres,” in Independence Heights, Houston, TX. The naturally wooded setting of home and studios provides inspiration and solitude for their creative endeavors.
