“How can you be bored with nature? Landscape is infinite, isn’t it?” reads a quote by British landscape artist David Hockney at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and I couldn’t agree more. Influenced by Vincent Van Gogh’s use of color and focus on agricultural landscapes, Hockney has been painting the Yorkshire landscapes of his youth since 2004. Currently his work is displayed alongside Van Gogh’s at the MFAH in an exhibit called The Joy of Nature.

I road-tripped to Houston a couple weeks ago to view the exhibit, and it was marvelous. If you can, go see it before it ends on June 20th.

Other works at MFAH

The MFAH contains many wonderful works — too many to experience in a single visit — but I always love seeing this one: James Turrell’s The Light Inside, a work of art you can walk through. Located in the Wilson Tunnel connecting two buildings, the work consists of a walkway that seems to float in glowing, neon-hued space. The colors slowly change from violet to red to blue.

I’m also a fan of Turrell’s Skyspace installations and have blogged about the one on the Rice University campus. Austinites, there’s another Skyspace at the University of Texas.

And for fun, here’s an Ent-like carved face near the Turrell piece.

Houston is always a fun city to visit, with its numerous museums, restaurants, international influences, new botanical garden, and relaxed vibe. I go several times a year to see family, but someday I’ll spend a week there as a tourist and see a different museum each day. If you’re a Houston regular, what are your favorite places?

__________________________

Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.