The Alamo "Mood Ring"?
Remember mood rings? The stone was made of a liquid crystal that changed color, supposedly, to match the wearer’s mood. Millions of dollars worth were sold in the mid 1970s. My mom had one and I was fascinated by it.
A few years ago I asked her what happened to it. She said she threw it away because it was always black. I think that was a comment on my childhood behavior.
I was going to call this print the Alamo mood ring, but then I decided that was dumb because a print is not a ring and it actually functions more as a Rorschach test. You know, those inkblots that reveal what’s going on inside your head.
When people look at this Buck Schiwetz Alamo print, they see different things.
Some see a light shining through the dark, revealing eternal truths. Others see the darkness overcoming the light. You might see a scene of peace and calm, a beautiful evening on the plaza. Or maybe you see alienation and uneasiness about what the future holds.
Whatever you feel when you look at this image is in your head and heart, not before your eyes. All the artist put on the paper was ink. He created this dance of light and dark, but you interpret it.
What do you see when you look at it?
About the artist:
Buck Schiwetz (1898-1984) made this rare night image of the Alamo back in the early 1920s.
Buck, whose full name was Edward Muegge Schiwetz, was known for his evocative depictions of Texas landscapes and architecture, like this one.
Born in Cuero, Buck began drawing and painting while just a boy, and never stopped. He was tutored by his mother, who was an artist in her own right, and Mary Gramann, a local China painter. In the late 19th century, hand painting dishes and teacups was one of the socially acceptable ways a middle class woman could earn money.
Buck wanted to go to art school, but his dad said “Hell no!” and packed him off to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. There he studied engineering and architecture. That training influenced Buck’s precise and structural approach to making art.
Texas was always Buck’s subject. Whether drawing or painting, Buck captured the essence of his home state, from the vast open spaces and agricultural scenes to historic buildings and urban landscapes. He also had a talent for capturing the atmosphere of a scene.
Buck documented a Texas that was rapidly changing, making his work valuable not just artistically but also historically. A lot of his works captured a side of Texas not quite past, but passing.
We have reproduced Buck’s Rorschachian Alamo as a limited edition print of just 254 copies. That’s one for each county in Texas, but you already knew that.
Physical Details
- 24 by 18 inches
- Limited Edition of 254 copies
- Each is hand-numbered
- Museum Quality Reproduction
This is a high quality fine-art print.
The paper is acid free, cold press cotton watercolor with an elegant lightly textured finish. This surface allows the inks to 'bite', reproducing the shading and tonality of the original map vividly, beautifully, and exactly.
The inks are guaranteed color-fast for 80 years, which means you won't need to lay out the extra money for UV glass. You can hang your map in direct sun and it will be just as bright when passed on to the next generation it is the day it ships.
It's an instant heirloom. Get yours before they're gone...and get one to give to a friend. He'll owe you!
