REX HAUSMANN

St. Mary’s recently commissioned a work in November / December 2022 for “The Defining Moment” campaign. The painting could not be shown until the big reveal of over $165,000,000 raised for St. Mary’s over the past few years. My family and I shared time together at The Marriott as guests of the university.

​

The painting has a fantastic history attached to it, the painting of St. Louis Hall (established in 1852)… it’s the progress of a family in a place, in a building and in a community. The painting is on 10 billboards now, pass them on I-10 every day on the way to the studio. It’s all over campus too. St. Mary’s that is.

It all started in France last year. One day while we were in Aix with our trip to France with ACSI and SOS, Amir came up to me and said “Hey man, would you do a painting for St. Mary’s? They are working on a thing and I think you’d be perfect.” I said “Sure, let’s talk when we get back to the states” Enter in the great Ginna and Donna.

​

They had seen my work years ago. A commissioned by Joeris Construction, a commission I undertook after the show at The McNay Museum of Art in 2014/2015. The painting was of St. Joseph’s “ A.K.A. St. Joske's” down town. The work had been seen, lost and then seen again over 4-5 years. (You should read the story for Michelangelo’s Pieta, it’s amazing and how the Pope FINALLY saw the piece, this story is no different.)

​

The funny thing is through God’s grace, the images ended up where they needed to be.
“In God's good time” is all I can say.

​

Family History: My father & mother worked on St. Mary’s in the “Moot Court” … today I took “the ol Truck” to Louis Hall with that same truck (the one we have been refurnishing for over 5 years, that probably delivered parts to The Moot Court.

​

We ate Henry’s Puffy Tacos 🌮 (AMAZING by the way)… as I painted I prayed and saw, thinking of all my past history in France & family ties to San Antonio. Thinking of architecture and philosophy, enter in Abbit Sugar & The Abbey of St. Denis. Zoe came by, a current student who visited New York while I was at The Sheen Center with Amir (we went to the UN with a friend and fellow Sheen Center resident and saw Picasso’s Guernica tapestry {that has also been at San Antonio Museum of Art}). As I is painted at St. Mary’s on site or as they say in France ``En plein air” and later back in my studio at The Hausmann Millworks: A Creative Community the St. Mary’s president's office came down and then would latter visit The Waterfall Mansion in NYC seeing the works released in the Winter 2022 👍

​

In all of this, to artists: embrace the process, do your best, show up, go to work … and great things happen.

​

Enjoy the photos.