By Sonnet Relph
Editorial Writer
Some field trips are more memorable than others. On Thursday morning art instructor Stephanie Jung’s design one class went to Process Art House to view works by artist and former design teacher David Kinder. The show titled “Mostly Dark” features a variety of expressionistic and minimalistic art pieces that seem deceptively simple.
Many people who see minimalist art think that there is no thought behind the work. However, the thumbnail preparatory works that Kinder shared with Jung prove otherwise. Kinder made over 50 in preparation for his show. Some were more simplistic than others and some were more beautiful or well-ordered but they were all created to solve some design issue that Kinder had in his mind.
Jacob and Rhoda Breeden, the owners of Process Art House, took the time to share things with the students that they have learned over the years. They encouraged students to think bigger than what they see and to really have a passion for their chosen field of study. Jacob said, “Be willing to fail. You fail many times to get to your one success but that success will be in your own unique way.”
The gallery has been open for two years this month. “But,” Rhoda told the students, “don’t be fooled. It took Jacob 10 years of building strong relationships with people in the art community before we decided to open Process Art. You really have to be passionate about what you do. I think that is what has made Jacob so successful.”
Jacob is only 37 years old, an uncommonly young age for one to own and operate such an up-and-coming gallery. It hasn’t been an easy road though. He works an average of 80 hours finding artists who are interested in showing their work, setting up shows, operating the gallery, doing consultations and more.
“You have to commit,” he said, “You can’t be lukewarm. If you are lukewarm you’ll be passed over for someone who is on fire for what they do. I opened this gallery because at the time there were no other jobs in Amarillo that fit my skill set and I was making more money not having a ‘normal’ job. This is my passion.”
Jung agreed. “Perseverance, building skill sets, building relationships and being ready for whatever comes are necessary to break out from the norm,” she said.” I love what I do. I realized a long time ago that I just couldn’t bear to have that ‘regular’ job. Be creative. Be bold. Be on fire and also be willing to risk failure. You can learn a lot from failure.”
Jacob had some great advice for any artists or graphic designers who put their work up on Facebook or other social media sites. “Don’t. If it is on Facebook, it is free. Don’t give it away,” He said. “People buy more than your design. They buy you. So, believe in it and protect it. If you don’t believe in it, you can’t put it out there.”
Process Art House is located at 700 Van Buren in the downtown area. Their new shows open every second Friday of the month at 7p.m. They are open Tuesday – Friday 11:00am – 5:00pm, Saturday 11:00pm – 7:00pm, and on the weekends by appointment. For more information you can contact the Breedens at 806-731-1481, jacob@processarthouse.com, rhoda@processarthouse.com or check out their website at processarthouse.com.
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