Wood

Richard Florance resides in Shoreacres, a small city on Galveston Bay. He is a lifelong resident of the Houston-Galveston area. He is retired from Semasy Inc., a plastics manufacturing company in Houston, which provides merchandising aid for retail briskness. Over the last 30 years, in his spare time, he learned cabinet making. Upon his retirement, after golf did not require enough hours, he started wood turning, which had been an interest for many years. This has indeed become an outlet for his creative abilities. He has been turning wood for over seven years and has made over 900 bowls, each of which is unique. His bowls have been distributed worldwide.

Richard’s other activities include civic and community participation, as well as being involved with his church and enjoying his nine grandchildren.

Above: Richard Florance, “Cocobolo Bowl.” Wood and Turquoise. Photo by HCCC.

Connie Roberts does not consider herself a folk artist, although she doesn’t mind how people label her the “Whistle Lady.” Roberts creates her own category of folk and craft art through sculptures that contain not just a whistle, but an element of fun and whimsy. Roberts’ equally loves things that are humorous from Mad magazine to Monty Python to the evening news. She believes that the essence of good art is that it is attractive enough to draw you in for a closer look, yet has sufficient content to make the time you spent with it worthwhile.

Above: Connie Roberts, “Zombie Lady.” Pine wood. Photo by Amanda Shackleford.