Studio Comfort Texas (SCTX) opens an online group exhibition in which 21 artists present their interpretations of the emotions of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 98”.

COMFORT, TX – Through May 2020, Studio Comfort Texas presents April Dressed in All its Trim – an exhibition of artwork that explores the longing and lyricism in Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 98” and is guest curated by Paula Owen. SCTX remains dedicated to the furtherance of contemporary Texas artists despite COVID-19 social gathering restrictions, and is featuring the exhibition on their website, Instagram, and Facebook.

The works from April Dressed In All Its Trim, along with pieces by other SCTX artists, are available for purchase in the gallery’s online store. Recognizing the financial challenge artists face at this time, SCTX is reducing their standard gallery commission by 15% on all art sales through May 31 in order to ensure the artists themselves gain more benefit from the sale of their work.

The eponymous sonnet (“From you have I been absent in the spring, / When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim”) contrasts wistfulness for a distant love with the joyous sights and smells of spring. Approximately twenty artists show works in a variety of mediums and dimensions, tied together by their representation of longing, lyricism, and turning seasons.

Guest Curator Paula Owen is hardly new to the art world: She has held the position of president at Southwest School of Art in San Antonio for 24 years, authored many academic pieces – primarily focused on the craft movement – and served on boards including the National Endowment for the Arts. Speaking on her inspiration behind the curation, Owen said, “Artists are wired to find the unexpected, the oblique, or the quirky in almost anything, even a theme…which could easily become saccharine, [so] I indulged myself and chose a premise with both general appeal and the opportunity for creative interpretation.”

April Dressed in All its Trim is viewable in the online gallery and shop at Studio Comfort’s website (studiocomorttexas.com), as well as Facebook and Instagram (@studiocomforttexas). Watch these spaces for additional information regarding online classes and events.

Studio Comfort Texas is a contemporary art gallery and teaching studio located at 716 High Street in Comfort, Texas. It’s situated on I-10 just one hour northwest of San Antonio in an idyllic Hill Country town. Their focus is on Texas artists making exceptional work using contemporary methods and approaches.