2026 Texas Masters Artists » Texas Masters of Fine Art and Craft Show - YO Ranch Resort Hotel – Kerrville, Texas

Dan & Linda Baker | Jewelry

Dallas | http://bakercustomjewelry.com

Daniel and Linda Baker exhibited at their first art show in 1974 and have been a fulltime jewelry-making team since August of 1976. They produce jewelry of sterling silver, various gold karats and platinum using lost wax casting and a variety of fabrication techniques, including: granulation, reticulation, and mokume gane. They’ve won many awards in shows throughout the Southwest with their innovative designs which combine Classical and Celtic elements in contemporary settings. Their rings and pendants set with Ancient Greek and Roman coins and shards of glass and pottery have gained a worldwide following. Dan especially enjoys carving gemstones and working with fossilized ammonites in his “Jurassic Classics.”

They have a long history of showing in Kerrville Memorial Weekend, starting in 1977. Over the years, they have worked as a team to create an impressive amount of jewelry, as well as some large commissions – like life size duplications of historic crowns in sterling silver and gemstones. You can follow Dan & Linda on https://www.facebook.com/customjewelrydesigns

Randy Bryant | Jewelry

Midland

Randy Bryant has merged his childhood interest in rocks, fossils, Indian artifacts and love of the outdoors with his adult training as a draftsman to shape his professional career. This native Texan excels in creating his “One of a Kind Works of Art” of hand fabricated settings for his personally cut gemstones, including intarsia and inlay. Many of the settings include double and triple overlay, with mixed metals (sterling, 14kt & 18kt gold) employing a variety of texturing methods. He has exhibited his award winning work at juried art shows throughout the Southwest.

Roy & Blanche Cavarretta | Gourd Art

Hallettsville | https://www.facebook.com/Gravel-Road-Arts-637416442961015/

Roy & Blanche Cavarretta are a husband and wife team who transform gourds into beautiful objets d’art. Roy’s interest in art started at an early age which led to his earning an art degree from Lamar University. A love of pen & ink drawing eventually became an interest in pyrography and gourd art which has garnered many awards in gourd association exhibitions and juried art shows. More recently, Blanche became enamored with gourd art herself and began applying her skills to pyrography on gourds.

Their work is featured in galleries in the Southwest and has been recognized for its excellence by their peers in gourd society exhibitions and art shows, including 1st place and best of show awards. They are also members of the American Gourd Society and the Texas Gourd Society.

Manuel S. Franco | Southwest Painting/Sculpture

Dumas | http://www.msfranco.com/

Born in Coyame, in the northwest state of Chihuahua, Mexico, Manuel’s academic training was as a mining engineer. After several years, Manuel left mining to pursue his love of art. His early artistic inspiration came from his mother, who worked with ground glass, creating images similar to sand paintings. His choice of subject matter ranges from Southwestern, Western, wildlife, portraiture, Native American and still life, rendered in oil, pencil, pastel, bronze or watercolor. Each piece is characterized by the fine detail for which he’s become recognized. After more than thirty years of exhibiting, Manuel’s work has become popular throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Gary Hastings | Wood Working

Fredericksburg | https://www.facebook.com/gary.hastings.9022/

At the age of 49 Gary Hastings traded his passion of chasing around after golf balls for the joys of making sawdust. He soon discovered that the creative process of making objects from wood not only gave him satisfaction, but, he was also pretty good at it. After 2 years of developing his woodworking techniques, he found that people were willing to pay for his creations and his hobby became a business. 24 years later, Gary continues to market his work in art shows and galleries, as well as making custom pieces for private customers.

As a Texas woodworker, based on his rural property outside of Fredericksburg, it’s natural that Gary primarily uses mesquite in his products, which may also by composed of mixed hardwoods. His handmade boxes and furniture are characterized by the use of half lap and miter joints with splines and corner biscuits, not only for strength, but, also to add interesting visual effects. Gary describes his work as “Fine Rustic” with natural irregularities, but with clean joints and a refined finish. His business name is Texas Hardwood Art Gallery and you can follow him here: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=texashardwoodartgallery

Virginia Howell | Oil Painting

Eldorado | http://virginiahowellart.com/

Bold color and texture are what comes to mind with Virginia Howell’s work. Her use of the palette knife has become a trademark characteristic of her southwest landscapes. She believes that the use of a limited color palette brings special harmony and simplicity to each painting.

After many years raising a family in El Paso, Virginia and her family moved to her family ranch. Life in the country has brought many new inspirations and opportunities to Virginia now that she is devoting all her time to painting.

Virginia is a member of Oil Painter’s of America, American Impressionist Society, American Plains Artists, San Angelo Art Club, Die Kunstler von Fredericksburg and a charter member of the Alazan Artists of El Paso.

Steve Kriechbaum | Jewelry

Austin | https://skriechbaum.com/

Steve Kriechbaum and his sophisticated, handcrafted jewelry should be familiar to everyone who’s attended the top juried craft shows in Texas since the 1980’s, like the Texas State Arts and Crafts Fair in Kerrville or the Laguna Gloria Fiesta in Austin.

His training as a craftsman began by studying sculpture in the fine arts department at the University of Texas in El Paso and continued with practical instruction at the Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology. 40 years later, his finished jewelry pieces continue to combine sculptural design with his passion for technical precision.

Steve’s jewelry featuring fine gemstones set in gold, platinum, and silver has been honored with numerous awards of excellence over the years, but his more important legacy may be his generosity in sharing his vast knowledge of jewelry crafting techniques with his students and fellow jewelers.

Janelle Lindley | Acrylic/Mixed Media

Hunt | https://www.janellelindley.com/

Janelle’s love of art propelled her to earn her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Art and Art Education from Baylor University, which she followed with a career as an elementary school art teacher. After retiring from teaching, she began to exhibit her original acrylic paintings throughout the Southwest at juried art shows and gallery events, and occasionally teaching art workshops. Her work has been honored with Best of Show and First Place awards at multiple shows.

Janelle specializes in landscapes and wildlife scenes, employing vibrant, textured layers of color in an impressionistic almost pointillistic style. Her quest to add heavier texture to her paintings led her to begin glueing small torn pieces of paper to her painted surfaces, creating dramatic mosaics she calls “Paper Paintings.” She uses paper scraps from old letters, sheet music, maps, etc., which she works into her paintings. The result is a complex image that draws one’s attention into the scene where hidden layers of meaning can be discovered.

Edith Maskey | Southwest Painting

Comfort | https://www.maskeyart.com/

A native San Antonian, Edith Maskey has loved art for as long as she can remember. “Painting is the finest form of expression I know, and is my personal statement about the things around me.”

Edith studied 5 years with Warren Hunter of San Antonio, and with many other nationally known painters through the years. Her work is characterized by a love of color and exuberance of expression. Although her subject matter is highly varied, Mexico, Texana and people bear a special preference. Her work has been the subject of feature articles in Southwest Art, Art Voices, American Artist and Texas Magazine.

John Maskey | Southwest Painting

Comfort | https://www.maskeyart.com/

Native Texan John Maskey received his first training at the Hunter School of Art, and later with many nationally prominent artists. His bold use of light and color weave a vibrant tapestry of the life and culture of the region. “The unique character of the land and people of the Southwest is rooted in powerful traditions. The blending of cultures, rugged landscape and classically simple architecture are timeless.” John paints what he knows and loves best – the colorful history, romance and flavor of Texas, Mexico, and the Southwest.

Maskey’s work has been the subject of feature articles in Southwest Art, Art Voices, American Artist and other publications. His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Western Art and other prominent collections.

Michael Moore | Fused Glass

Halletsville | https://hotglassworks.shop/

Michael Moore was introduced to the world of stained glass over 40 years ago. Even though he enjoyed the medium, pressures of life eventually took him away from his artistic pursuits. About 16 years ago Michael was able to get back into working with glass and he was immediately drawn to the fused glass process. He was fascinated with being able to shape glass by heating to extreme temperatures, mixing different colors, and seeing what forms he could create with it.

He found that he could produce large sculptures and edge-lit works of art as well as exquisite bowls, trays and vases. For the last 15 years Michael has shown his work in juried art shows around the Southwest, where it has been well received. His designs have won awards in various art shows, including 3 consecutive years at the Ruidoso Art & Wine Festival.

Maria Navarra | Woven Textiles

New Braunfels | https://www.mnphandwoven.com/

The shawls and scarves that Maria Navarra produces in her New Braunfels studio are
striking for their intricate colorful designs executed with a skill gained from over 45 years of
pursuing her craft. She uses only the finest fibers such as tencel, tussah silk, and West Texas
organic cotton in her products.
Maria began her training on a simple loom, but when she graduated to weaving more
complex patterns on a four harness loom, she knew she’d found her home. After some years
she progressed to eight and sixteen harness block twill, and she became captivated by the
mathematical formulas and number sequences that rendered more interesting color patterns.
In 2000, while living in Southern New Mexico, Maria was able to share her love of weaving with women living in low-income communities along the US-Mexican border. She helped launch a program called “Tres Manos” and for ten years she taught weaving skills that enabled these women to sell their handwoven products, which empowered them financially and emotionally.
Maria’s mastery of the technical and mathematical complexity of her process has earned her the respect of other weavers and the admiration of patrons throughout the Southwest who get to experience her “wearable art”.
Maria’s husband, Edward Pino, will also be showing his hand woven rugs.

Vicky Phillips | Pottery

Bandera | https://mudmagicart.com/

Vicky Phillips’ pottery reflects the natural Texas Hill Country environment where she lives, along with an assortment of animals, in a house she built herself on 15 acres near Bandera, Texas. Her introduction to working with clay was in a high school pottery class and it has remained a passion that she’s pursued ever since, both as a hobby and professionally. Vicky’s colorful pottery is made of stoneware and porcelain clays that she shapes on her wheel or with a slab roller and adds hand-crafted sculptural elements. She then dips or paints each piece with up to six layers of different colored glazes, refiring it until it’s a beautiful work of art.

The natural life of the Hill Country is expressed in Vicky’s designs, as her mugs, trays, and bowls are often decorated with intricate wildflower motifs and attached sculpted antler handles, reminiscent of the white tailed deer that roam the area. Vicky’s pottery is functional, but with a touch of whimsy, that she’s appropriately named, “Mud Magic Art”

Jamie Rood | Photography / Digital Art

Austin | https://jamierood.art/

The subjects in Jamie Rood’s images seem to burst out of the frame, whether it’s
a muscle car blasting through space, a speeding locomotive, or a military jet in flight.
His subject matter is diverse, ranging from powerful industrial machinery to vibrant
nature scenes. He also likes to combine conflicting images to set a mood or tell a story–
like a derelict International pickup rusting in a beautiful desert landscape, or ancient gas
pumps standing in the ruins of a gas station, overgrown with weeds.

Jamie’s work begins with a single photograph, which he combines with an assemblage of images.
Then he spends hours hand editing and applying layers of digital painting until achieving the
vibrancy that characterizes his work. It often takes days to complete a single piece. Self-taught
on the camera, Jamie took pictures for fun while he made a living in high-tech 3D animation,
mastering digital editing techniques. In 2007 he began working with a group of artists in an unheated and un-air-conditioned studio space in Austin where he developed his artistic style and learned how to market his pictures. Jamie’s artwork has gained wide-spread recognition in galleries and juried art shows throughout the nation, consistently winning top awards.

Eric Slocombe | Sculpture

San Marcos | http://www.ericslocombe.com/

Eric spent his childhood experiencing firsthand the natural beauty of the wilderness – hunting, fishing, and camping on the river with his Dad. Even today, he vividly remembers what it felt like as a boy to hear elk bugling in the distance. With these experiences, he is able to capture the natural, subtle movements and spirit of his wildlife subjects.

Eric turned to sculpting while studying art in college and first exhibited his work in 1984. Today, his bronze work is in private collections throughout the Southwest. In the past, he has exhibited at the Southeastern Wildlife Expo and was named Outstanding New Artist by the Dallas Safari Club. He recently participated in the Nature Works Wildlife Art Show and Sale in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he won an Excellence award for “Comanche Moon”. Having adopted Texas as home, Eric now lives in San Marcos, where he continues to sculpt new pieces to the delight of his customers.

Sherry Steele | Drawing/Pen and Ink

Austin | http://www.sherrysteele.net/

As an artist, conservationist and hunter, Sherry has taken the classic medium of Pen & Ink and revised it with a fresh, bold approach. Self-taught, she is unhindered by traditional approaches to Pen & Ink. Mixing her own shades of inks, she builds layer upon layer of thousands of tiny strokes to achieve a 3-dimensional quality. Distinctive in its austerity and astonishing in its complexity, she shows the incredible textures of Nature in a fine balance of detail and drama. But, what will always entice you first about Sherry’s work will be the secrets reflected in the eyes of the creatures who shared themselves with her.

Sherry regularly travels to Africa to observe the magnificent animals of that continent and photograph and sketch them interacting with each other in their natural surroundings. After returning home to her studio in Austin she renders her memories on paper with pen and ink which she fills out with layers of color until she’s recreated a spontaneous moment in the life of an animal in a habitat that’s rapidly disappearing. Sherry bubbles with enthusiasm when describing her encounters with the wildlife that inspire her paintings.

Denise and Diana Steinhagen | Jewelry

San Marcos

After years of pursuing jewelry making as a hobby and studying the work of other jewelers, getting laid off from their jobs almost simultaneously launched the professional jewelry careers of these sisters. One can tell from their finished product that the San Marcos artists are still having fun and a growing customer base will attest to the quality of their craftsmanship. Working independently, they use a wide variety of stones and techniques to create a fresh style of their own. The surface textures they achieve by rolling various materials with silver sheet through a rolling mill add an interesting touch to their designs

“Our designs vary widely…so customers can usually find something that appeals to their tastes – especially if they like large jewelry that makes a statement.” They have a loyal base of repeat customers who come each year looking for another one of a kind piece of jewelry from these two sisters.

LaJuana Westerfield-Surfus | Landscape Painting

Crawford | http://lwesterfield.com/

LaJuana Westerfield-Surfus is a native of Central Texas and spends most of her time painting and teaching art. She is also an accomplished musician and former piano teacher. Her landscape paintings capture the beauty of the countryside in which she lives. She has studied art with many noted instructors and at McLennan Community College. A member of the Texas Wild Bunch Professional Artists, LaJuana has been included in Who’s Who in American Women and Notable Personalities of America. Her work has represented the State of Texas in two issues of the Daughters of the American Revolution national publication. Her landscapes of the Texas countryside are owned by many collectors throughout the world, including President George Bush.