DEDICATIONS

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These works are dedicated to matters of Love. Those strong feelings we have for others, objects, life forms, or our environment incite us to express ourselves in written and visual forms whether they be unrequited, memorable, passionate, or yet to be.

 

Love is the bond that unites humanity within us during our journey through life.

Gus Kopriva
Houston, Texas
October 2, 2020
The Year of the Rat

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When Gus Kopriva and I got together and talked about bringing artists and poets together to express what was in their hearts concerning love, we recognized our theme was broad. All kinds of love are represented here, from romantic love to love for God, animals, siblings, art, nature, and even the love (lust?) of a dark hole for a beautiful twinkling star. The main rule with our project was that there would be no rules, but in general, artists and poets came together in pairs and collaborated to express something original about love. During this time, I ended a marriage of nearly 25 years and searched for new love myself. Love has become something of an obsession. I believe there is no greater force in the universe or anything more important than love. I absolutely love love. Gus and I hope you will find it here, or at least inspiration to find love yourself, in whatever form it takes.

Heidi Vaughan, 2021

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CURATORS STATEMENT
 

Heidi Vaughan and I invite you to view the results of an effort we started on July 31, 2015. We are four years late with the project. Birthed in pre-pandemic times and published after the virus outbreak, we hope you enjoy the finished works. There were numerous collaborations between visual artists and writers in the twentieth century. We wanted to continue that tradition on a broader scale.

 

We envisioned closing the gap between the visual and literary arts in the area by fostering collaborations between artists and poets around a theme of love or relationships with our surroundings and folks and things that we truly value in our lives.

 

We invited artists and poets who yielded significant artistic achievements and who embraced the opportunity to expand their creative practice with a collaboration of this nature to participate in our book.

 

Liebesgedichte resulted in forty-four collaborations. The book is published in a limited edition and will be preserved as a set in museums and libraries. It is privately funded, and each participant will receive a copy of the book upon publication.

Our project was international in scope and features contributions from many artists and writers with Texas connections as this is where we live and work.

 

We thank you for making this project a success as a participant and contributor to Liebesgedichte.

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ABOUT THE CURATORS

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Gus Kopriva was born near Baden Baden, Germany, and is the owner of Redbud Gallery in Heights, Houston. He has curated more than 150 international and national art exhibitions and has published three books. He began his art career on the board of the original Lawndale Art Annex at the University of Houston. Gus is a collector of contemporary art, German Expressionism, and works produced under the WPA Federal Art Project. He has been married to the artist Sharon Kopriva for many years and is also a professional engineer.

 

Heidi Vaughan owns Heidi Vaughan Fine Art in the Upper Kirby Galleries on Lake Street in Houston, Texas. She represents 20 mid-career Texas artists and deals in secondary market art brokerage. She is a credentialed fine art appraiser with the International Society of Appraisers. Heidi is also a writer, book lover, and collector of modern and contemporary art, focusing especially on works from Texas artists. She is active in public art causes, including the Houston Arts Foundation.

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SPECIAL THANKS

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We are grateful to all the artists and writers who contributed to this selection of works. Special thanks to Wayne Gilbert for his monetary contributions.

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