John McGeough

My name is John J. McGeough. I have been around on the planet for 55 years last February 8. I started out as a young artist in the burg of Woodland Acres Texas just down the ship channel from the metropolis of Galena Park. Galena Park sat next to the Houston Ship Channel. During my kidhood years, the channel was a bit more polluted than it is now. The water exploded with some degree of regularity. I found the color of the flames to be a very inspiring red.

But Galena Park was a nice place for a young trumpet player to grow up. No one understood what I was doing so everyone basically left me alone. We had a good band at the time. I also had a lot of encouragement. I wanted to go to the University of Houston in music so I bothered James Austin who was then Principal Trumpet of the Houston Symphony until he agreed to hear me. I called him everyday until he agreed to surrender and hear me. I became his student when I was a junior in High School. Mr. Austin was instrumental in my admission to the Univerisity of Houston Moores School of Music. During the same time I joined the Houston Youth Symphony and studied conducting with Robert Linder who is Chairperson of the Houston Baptist Univerisity Music Department. During the same time during High School I went to the University of Kansas for the Midwestern Music and Art School. I got to study conducting with Leonard Bernstein and Elyakim Shapira of the Israeli Philharmonic. In college and after I spent 10 years as principal trumpet in the Houston Civic Symphony. I also served as Assistant Conductor of the Civic Symphony during those years. I spent about 12 years as an Assistant Conductor with the Houston Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company under Dr. Robert Linder. From that I got to conduct for Theatre Under the Stars doing summer work conducting Fiddler on the Roof.

So what does that have to do with woodcraft? Well, during all that music I apprenticed to a furniture maker in Spring Branch where I taught Band at Spring Branch High School. I spent a few years with the funiture maker from time to time.

In the last decade I have returned to my artistic roots. My chops on trumpet arent what they used to be so I went back to wood as a medium of artistic expression. I saw music as critical to life. I see wood craft, art and craft in general as essential to life, as much as music.

I discovered the Arts and Crafts movement. One of my favorite sayings is that you should have nothing in your house that you do not perceive to be beautiful or useful or preferably both. I am fascinated by the forms of craft. I like to think of craft as the "practical art". Hence the name of my column Art of Craft.

I love the Yale Street Market because it brings together the artist and the viewer in a place of fun, love, and general socialization. It also seems to bring a lot of dogs to the table - literal dogs on leashes of course - They seem to be part of the family. Like all great art/craft venues it brings the interface between the artist and client to join in a pleasant public place.

So, that is how I came to be standing under my tent in the Heights at the Yale Street Art and Flower Market selling scrolled bowls, improbable kids toys, and small works of wood art.

Go figure...

John