The Comminos Are Coming
The Comminos’ are coming… The Comminos’s
are coming
****(As seen in the Jan. edition of NSIDE Magazine, San Antonio)****
Lone Star Arts District expands to make
room for new galleries
-Gabriel Diego Delgado
In the aftermath of gallery evictions, misunderstood management
intentions, bad policy decisions, city sidestepping, temporary and permanent closures
and the like- the Blue Star Arts District has relinquished its Contemporary
Arts crown and to the rising star of the newly forged Lone Star Arts District. Centered
on the corner of S. Flores and Lone
Star Blvd , this buzzed area is an excellent
example of mixed-use land development of “SouthTown”. Laying claim as the contemporary art hotbed
of San Antonio, this two block radius is home to a multitude of art venues like
Fl!ght Gallery, 1906, GravelMouth, Silkworm Studio and Gallery, Lone
Starstudios and Gallery, Gallista Gallery, R Gallery, FlopHouse Studios and
Gallery; and the newly christened Comminos Studio and Gallery at 111 Lone Star
Blvd- which is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Alex and
Annie Marie Comminos.
Art Powerhouses in their own right, Alex and Ann Marie bring
an unprecedented charge to the Lone Star Arts District with a distinct flair
for bridging the gap between craft, fine art, and home grown flavor. Only in
its infancy, Comminos Studio and Gallery can pull a crowd. With a one night
only event tied to the Lone Star Arts District’s signature Second Saturdays Art
Crawl, Comminos averages 300 people for opening nights; boosts consistent sales
and garners attention from San Antonio ’s
art collectors and community neighbors alike. With only 7 exhibitions under their decorative
belts, this couple proves a solid partnership can accomplish plenty.
Alex Comminos, a regionally recognized ceramicist in his own
right is a recent M.F.A UTSA graduate with a dual concentration in Ceramics and
Painting. Cutting his artistic teeth as a Sculpture Assistant to
internationally recognized Japanese ceramicist and artistic World Record
Holder, Jun Kaneko; Alex found himself neck deep in the who’s who of the sculptural
world while living in Kansas and Nebraska. Spending three years with Kaneko,
Alex learned artistic best practices in ceramics and sculpture, quickly gaining
his own attentions- gracing the cover of The Encounter Magazine for his
maturing ceramic style.
After meeting Ann Marie in Omaha ,
Nebraska ; the couple got married in 2009 and
relocated to San Antonio
after Alex was accepted in the M.F.A Graduate Program at U.T.S.A. With a
friendly introduction and open invitation to San Antonio from acclaimed San
Antonio artist, Ken Little- Alex’s future was almost written for success.
However, not all was first-rate for him and Ann Marie as
they made the transition to Texas .
Settling into a nondescript neighborhood in the Medical Center Creighton University Austin through Annie’s
networking drove Alex to work on immersing himself in the San Antonio Art
Community. Teaching, hanging out with artists and befriending the professors,
Alex quickly became a “house-hold” face in the close knit art community.
As he wrapped up his graduate degree program, he and Ann
Marie were still not sold on the idea that they would lay roots in San Antonio . He said, “I
was close to graduating and I wanted to look nationally for my next job and
opportunity.” What came next was only one of a series of monumental
circumstances that shape where they are today. Alex’s M.F.A exhibition at the
U.T.S.A satellite space in Blue Star Arts District was a phenomenal
success. “With ‘Fill in the Void’ I sold a tremendous amount of work…all
except one painting, and a lot of sculptures…this pushed aside our fears and
panic… those sales pressed us to stay.”
The ol’ friend of a friend story plays out with Alex and Ann
Marie hearing of a warehouse space in Lone Star Arts District that is about to
come open. Jumping at the opportunity,
they take over a mix use industrial space and found Comminos Studios and
Gallery as a legit business venture. Ann Marie controls the financial reigns of
the operation, works PR and Marketing, stands as publicist, photographer and
public face while Alex is the artist.
“The first exhibition we had at the studio was on the night
I graduated from U.T.S.A, after I walked for the commencement, I rushed home to
open the gallery for the opening night of Second Saturdays with Gayle Janzow
and myself.” Their choice to spotlight Gayle was one in their favor; an already
established fiber artist in the area, Alex partnered his art with hers; bringing
a healthy and robust crowd to an inaugural night.
Continuing to highlight his own work and those of other
local and regional artists, Alex and Annie refined their business strategy with
the help of Blue Star Arts Complex Executive Director, Bill Fitzgibbons.
Embracing the concept of a locally supported art community, Comminos Studio and
Gallery quickly became a prominent participating venue and active community
liaison in Lone Star Arts District.
Second in line to grace the walls of the new gallery was Una
Noche de la Gloria Community Curator, owner of Second Sight Studios and San
Antonio Artist, James Saldivar. “With James and the exhibition ‘Universal Connections’, he did
large abstracts in oil painting and I did them in acrylic and we respected each
others work, so we ended up doing a conceptual show together where there was an
artistic dialogue between the art”, says Alex. The abstracts where hung side by side to show
and compare and contrast qualities of both artists.
“Preheated” followed. A group exhibition of mostly all ceramics by
fellow U.T.S.A graduates and current students including Daniel Armstrong, Alex Comminos, Lee Peterson, Ashley Rossi
and Andrew Stansbury. Alex set
the standards bar high; confident from his mentor training in Nebraska with Kaneko he only curated in work
that he thought was of exceptional quality- to make sure the gallery did not
deter in its concept and founding principles.
As their credence grew, Alex and Annie turned inward and
self reflected. Honoring the roots of
this art focused company, “Family Ties”
showcased Alex’s mother and father- Linda and George Comminos as well as Ann
Marie’s photography. Insert signature one-liner gallery joke. During “Family Ties” Alex’s father
permanently installed a gaudy Baroque gold frame in the gallery space. “This
was the introduction of the gold frame… everyone gets their picture taken in
it….its our thing… based off my dad’s conceptual photography series in
Chicago”, says Alex. “Everyone loves it”, Ann Marie belts. Having framed the
celebrity mugs of local and regional artists as well as News Reporter and
nationally recognized comedian Cleto Rodriguez, the gold frame is a great
stepping stone for breaking the ice of any conversation in the gallery.
Notable “Dropped and Pulled” was a 4 person print
show spotlighting Alexander Comminos, Tim Razo, Ivan Salcido and Iggy
Sumnik filled the gallery top to bottom with affordable fine art from
local artists. “Two Dead in Ohio”, a reference to the students killed
in the Kent State University Vietnam riots of 1970 rose as the political privy
exhibition that spotlighted an undercurrent of political artwork being made in
San Antonio and Houston. And “BARE”, an exhibition of all women; Lynette
Atchley, Sarah T. Roberts and Jessica Sailors proved to be a pro-feminist
approach reflective of a 1960’s Guerrilla Girls art mentality.
Growing pains aside, Alex and Annie look forward to the
future, continue to expand their business plan and are looking at how their
gallery and studio; along with the others of Second Saturday’s Lone Star Arts
District can become involved with the ever evolving city-wide Museum Reach
expansions of the Riverwalk.
Comminos Studios and Gallery is located at 111 Lone Star Blvd. San Antonio , Texas 78204
© Gabriel Diego Delgado
Photos credits courtesy of: Andrew Leo Stansbury
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