Current Exhibitions

JANUARY 20 - MARCH 11

The art included in this exhibition includes landscapes of Houston and rural Texas that were painted by both artists. You'll see an array of sweeping, grand scale paintings depicting the rich depth of color, moodiness, and even playfulness in Gene's work. Gaddis' masterful use of vibrant color and zooming in on street scenes create snapshots of life in a big city. We invite you to come sit with these two great artists, explore (and maybe even reminisce) old Houston, fly down old country roads, and bask in the beauty of the fields of rural Texas. 

About the Artists:

Gene was was born in Bay City, TX in 1927. She developed an interest in art early on and further solidified her chosen path upon enrolling at Sophie Newcomb College, Tulane University's finishing school. After an illness during her second semester, she went back to Bay City to recover and was sent to Southwestern University in Georgetown where she cultivated her skills as an artist and fell in love with Gaddis Geeslin, a young art instructor at the college. They married in August of 1947. The following year Gaddis was offered a position as professor of art at Sam Houston State University and Gene transferred there to complete her degree. Her dream of being a professional artist was delayed by an unstable market for abstract art, so she pursued several jobs that kept her in the arts including being the Editor-in-Chief of Paint Rag: Texas Magazine of Art, developing art education materials, producing and marketing art educational films and filmstrips. It wasn't until 1982 upon her move to Houston and sale of her company (thus "retiring"), that she was finally able to paint full time as a working artist. Between 1982 and 1995, Gene completed around 125 paintings, many of which were cityscapes and documented the burgeoning architectural boom happening in Houston which left behind a stunning visual record of Houston at the end of the 20th century. 

Gaddis was born in Goldthwaite, TX in 1920 and had an extensive professional career. He earned his BFA in and MFA degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He then went on to a solid academic career serving as Assistant Professor of Art at Southwestern University, Professor of Art at Sam Houston State University (SHSU), Chairman of the Department of Art at SHSU, Dean of the College of Fine Art at SHSU, and Professor of Art at SHSU. He participated actively and successfully in competitive and invitational exhibitions during the 1950s and 1960s and had 15 solo exhibitions.

Please note that all of the art in this exhibition is for sale. Please ask museum staff for a list of paintings if you are interested in purchasing. A portion of all sales will go back to the museum.