Wooly Bully: It's The Party Animal Inside Each of Us

When he was knee-high to a King James Bible, Clay Stinnett first saw The Book. Roughly the size of a poster board with Raymond Pettibon-esque illustrations, the behemoth religious tract was meant to save souls and summon the spirit during house calls for Christ. It imprinted young Clay’s brain in the same region that would later offer sanctuary to other inspirational scribble artists, such as R. Crumb and Gary Panter. He’ll conjure those muses Friday in his newest art show, Wooly Bully, which opens at 8:30 p.m. at Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd. An ode to comics, each of the 18 pieces on display (originally there were 20, but two were deemed “too hot for the tee-vee”) stands 7 feet tall by 5 feet wide, affixed upon hand-stretched canvas. When asked why this particular proportion was chosen, Stinnett promptly responded, “I would have preferred to make them 20 feet tall, but I couldn’t. Seven by five is the largest I could fit through my door.” Upon entering the theater’s lobby you’ll be greeted by a razzle dazzle version of a Roy Rogers comic, in which the cranium has been tampered with and replaced by a Planet of the Apes head. It’s a tone-setter. But be warned: Last time Stinnett’s artwork sought refuge in this den of cinematic intrigue, all but two pieces were snatched up by art coveters. Unless you’d like to face a similar fate of damnation, it’s recommended that you arrive early.
Fri., April 27, 8:30 p.m., 2012