Whether he’s painting, writing, or making music, 31-year-old artist Angelbert Metoyer finds much of his inspiration in the array of canvases and stacked papers at his Houston home office. His art, a combination of figurative drawings and painted abstract images, is largely influenced by his Creole heritage and has found fans in Beyoncé and President Barack Obama. Catch his work this month at the New Gallery, in Houston.
• My Mac notebook is my best friend. It knows me, and I know it.
• I keep my grandfather’s mother’s rosary around; it reminds me of my grandfather.
Expect a hefty selection of rosaries, from fancy semiprecious stone strands to humble wood versions, at discountcatholicproducts.com.
Stray from the traditional Catholic prayer beads at jewishrosaries.com, where filigree Star of David and Hamsa pendants take the place of the Holy Cross.
• This duck-head ChapStick protector was given to me by my godson, Orion. It’s magic.
For the lip salve addicted, go to chaptastic.blogspot.com. Beeswax too plebian for your pout? Take it up a notch with the marine extracts in Crème de la Mer’s the Lip Balm ($45) at cremedelamer.com.
• This is an announcement horn from the Gold Coast of Africa.
Buy African antiques at christiesafricanart.com, where the geographic origination of each piece is noted and mapped by Joy Christie, who has specialized in authentic tribal art for 37 years.
• My mini-trumpet is my other voice.
Learn about mini and pocket trumpets at dallasmusic.org, where you can review FAQs on trumpets and link to the International Trumpet Guild’s top 25 online trumpet resources. Purchase mini and pocket trumpets at hnwhite.com, a family-owned business that’s produced instruments for more than 100 years, and brookmays.com, which has brick-and-mortar locations in Dallas and Houston.
• I drink all kinds of teas, mostly medicine-based, but right now chai.
• Gingersnaps are my favorite snack.
• I did the cover art for Rene Lopez’s debut CD, One Man’s Year.
• My Luccheses are the best boots. I feel like I keep ruining them, but they are well seasoned.
The Texanist tells you how to break in your Luccheses. Learn the history of Lucchese at lucchese.com.
• Forces in Motion: The Music and Thoughts of Anthony Braxton helps me make sense of soundscape and painting.
Houston’s Brazos Bookstore and Austin’s Book People have easy-to-use sites that let you search for what’s in stock and ready to ship. The Book People blog is good for instant reading recommendations from the staff, while Brazos’s “What Houston’s Reading” page lists top picks from locals.
