On December 20, 2022, a colleague of a Winter Street Studios tenant (a photographer) entered the building just before sunrise to intentionally steal the photography and other production equipment. Upon leaving the studio, the assailant ignited a bomb that erupted into a substantial fire causing structural damage to that end of the building. The studio I share with Taft McWhorter at Winter St. is approximately five doors from the targeted studio. While our studio, B1, was not affected directly by fire or water, a significant amount of soot and smoke engulfed our studio, covering paintings, sculptures, furniture, and art supplies. Winter St. has 75 studios and is home to more than 100 artists who the Fire Bomb has impacted.
Studio B1 is where I have created and displayed my art since April 2020. It has been a safe, inspiring space where spilling paint is encouraged, accidents turned out to be exactly what the artwork needed, and a place to share myself with friends and family by showing my creations. At the time of the Fire Bomb, I had 35 completed paintings, all of my art supplies, including paintbrushes, acrylic paints, and several new canvases were in the studio. All ridden in soot and smoke.
The Winter St. owner and management company, Deal Co., the Houston Art Alliance, Fresh Arts, and the City of Houston have been incredibly supportive, encouraging, and resourceful to the artists. All artists have had to move out temporarily to reconstruct part (¼) of the building and clean and restore the remaining ¾ of the building. It is “anticipated” that we will be able to move back in toward the end of May. I have everything at home in my garage, now an art studio. I look forward to returning to Winter St. soon.
I thankfully have insurance intended to cover most of my loss. After constantly advocating for myself, I have settled with the insurance company! Perpahs being a former Texas Capitol Staffer, lobbyist, and public policy advocate (as well as the encouragement of friends), helped me be persuasive and persistent. Part of the settlement allows me to retain the 35 completed paintings. The paintings, now called the SMOKING HOT COLLECTION, have all been vacuumed, sponged, and deodorized. This creates an exclusive opportunity for you… As someone who receives this newsletter, from today until April 20, 2023, I am selling the paintings in the SMOKING HOT COLLECTION for 50% of the original price. On April 21st, I will open this offer to those on my social media platforms. Then if any paintings remain, Megan and I will open our garage doors on Saturday, April 29th, from 11 to 3 pm, during which the artwork will be 75% off. (I will send a follow-up email with our address).