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Soon , ad agencies and other publications took notice of his work , and he got busy .

“ I didn ’ t have a style starting out ,” he says . “ A friend told me that we should just go out and draw , so that ’ s what I did . I ’ d go to all the bars and cafes and draw — people , cars , whatever .” Curry credits his style as a byproduct of this practice . “ Once you have a style , making art is like riding a bicycle ,” he says .

Curry ’ s work has won major awards and has been featured in such prestigious publications as Time , Newsweek , Mother Jones , Rolling Stone , Esquire , Atlantic Monthly , The New York Times , The Washington Post , Texas Monthly , and The New York City Opera . Curry draws inspiration for his work from artists like Mexican painter and muralist Diego Rivera and the Belgian surrealist René Magritte . He appreciates the exaggerated forms of American regionalist Thomas Hart Benton . His clean lines and bright colors are instantly recognizable .

His artistic medium isn ’ t limited to illustration . A longtime proponent of papercrete , he and Susan built their home studio on historic Murphy Street in Alpine out of it . Its highly insulating properties , coupled with its sculptural lines , appeal to them . The bulk of the material is recycled paper ; keeping it out of West Texas landfills is an added bonus . Curry would like to write a how-to book about papercrete someday , passing on the practical knowledge he ’ s gained from a quarter century of working with the material . The clean lines , compelling curves and iconic contrasts of his paintings and illustrations are echoed in his papercrete architecture , itself a work of art . He and Susan both live and work in the sculptural buildings that dot the property , with their dog Hank at their side or zooming around the yard .

In his free time , Curry plays guitar and sings with like-minded musicians from the neighborhood . He and Susan spend some of their time at their cabin in the desert wilderness near Terlingua . These days , Curry does very little illustrating , having transitioned to painting full time , except on request . A portion of his work is commission , with the rest of his time devoted to personal paintings . His work strongly reflects the Big Bend region — its landscapes and iconic images , like Dia de los Muertos skeletons , as well as archetypes of its people .

For Artwalk 2023 , Curry will show all of his prints in various sizes , with a handful of originals on display as well . PrintCo will produce the prints on their large-scale printer . It seems perfectly fitting that an

El Heladero

Alpine artist who was present for the very first Gallery Night will be the featured artist for Artwalk ’ s 30th anniversary .

Artwalk 2023 takes place Friday , Nov . 17 , and Saturday , Nov . 18 , all over downtown Alpine . For more information , visit www . artwalkalpine . com . �

Texas Myths

Fantasmos Cenizo