Featured Art
2024 Featured Art by Die Trying TX
Lacy Van Court, the 2024 Featured Artist
Tell us about yourself, your artistic background/career, where you are from and where you live now.
Die Trying TX, headquartered in Austin, was founded by Lacy Van Court. Lacy comes from a dusty, long line of West Texas misfits and ranchers that have been in Texas just about as long as Texas has been around. Growing up she spent the summers on her Grandparents’ ranch; where her Grandmother Billie, a Texas landscape painter, inspired a love of making things with her hands by teaching Lacy, among many other things, how to sew and paint. Lacy later went on to earn a BFA in painting from the The Maryland Institute College of Art. Her family history, those early summers, and her home state have always been at the heart of her work as an artist.
Tell us about the inspiration for the featured art and explain any/all of the significant features you included in the piece.
The featured art is a chainstitched depiction of The Armadillo Bazaar, with all the little dillos headed down the road to the big event under a magical star filled sky, surrounded by a landscape of neon cactus and twinkle light tumbleweeds.
Tell us about your history with the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar.
I did a pop up at the Armadillo Bazaar in 2018 and had such a good experience that in 2019 I did the full show! It’s turned into such a special event for me as it’s the one time of year my customers can come and shop in person and say hello.
Tell us about the first dollar you made selling your art.
I can’t remember the first dollar I made selling my art buy I do remember when I was able to start making a living from my art. Those first sales were very affirming in that it gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward and helped me realize it was possible to be an artist as my job. It was a dream come true and even though it requires a lot of hard work and effort I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What other passion projects do you have?
My other passion project is The Honeysuckle Rose, @thehoneysuckleroseatx. My husband and I have been building unique short term rentals from vintage travel trailers and an old grain silo on our 3 acre property in south Austin. Each unit has its own private stock tank pool and outdoor space with fireplace. We’ve been working on it for the past ten years and it’s been so rewarding to host guests from all over the world!