My Flying Saucer

Comments (0) By Noah W. Bailey Thursday, Jan 28 2010

More About

The twisted saga of Falcon the Balloon Boy might have hit a little close to home for artist Esther Pearl Watson, who grew up watching her father build his own scrap metal flying saucers in their North Texas backyard. Or actually, backyards--apparently a yard full of flying saucers is a helluva way to alienate your neighbors (who knew?), so the family found itself moving quite frequently. A new exhibit, Space is the Place: Paintings of UFOs and Such by Esther Pearl Watson, collects her folksy, narrative paintings of these strange childhood scenes, and if you've ever spent time in Garland, Sachse, Wylie or any other smallish North Texas town, you'll find the details eerily accurate, from the above-ground pools to the concrete dinosaurs (hello, Glen Rose). Watson's pieces have been previously exhibited at the Oakland Museum of Art, but something tells me Waxahachie's Webb Gallery (209 W. Franklin St.) is a much more appropriate venue. After all, when was the last time anyone saw a UFO in Oakland? Catch Space is the Place from to 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through April 18. An opening reception with the Darktown Strutters and DJ Wild in the Streets kicks things off from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday. Call 972-938-8085 or visit webbartgallery.com.
Fri., Feb. 12, 7-10 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, 1-5 p.m. Starts: Feb. 12. Continues through April 18, 2010