Wednesday, June 11, 2008 Velocity Magazine's 2008 Home Edition :: Home as Art Museum
by Javacia Harria for Velocity Magazine
Walking into Bryce Hudson's home is like entering an art museum or gallery, and his living room is an eclectic exhibition of international works. But what else would you expect from one of Louisville's most popular young visual artists and the owner of the new Portland gallery, Plexus Contemporary.
Hudson's living room is filled with art from around the world -- an African batik print on one of the walls, sculptures from the Ivory Coast and Egypt around the room, Taiwanese figurines surrounding a mirror, a striking mask from Vietnam on another wall. And this is just a tiny sampling.
Hudson collected many of the pieces during his international travels, but some were snagged at antique malls, flea markets and galleries across the country.
The room also houses more contemporary works, including an abstract piece by Hudson and colorful pieces from Glassworks. To keep the room from getting too crowded, Hudson takes down pieces when he wants to add something new, much like a gallery changes its exhibits.
For folks trying to give their home an artsy and unique look, Hudson said the art and furniture in your rooms must have character.
"A lot of times you can find stuff that's 10 times cooler at a flea market and (it's) cheaper than finding it at a design shop or a mall," Hudson said. "If you just buy the chair from Pottery Barn, it's just a chair. But to have a story to it, like it's your grandfather's chair or you got it on a trip, that makes it much more interesting."
-- Javacia N. Harris
This weekend was exciting. Most of it was spent watching the Shangri-la Chinese Acrobatic troop perform and gambeling to some good roulette at the Belterra Casino outside of Vevay Indiana, and the rest at my studio in Portland. Anyone who has been to visit me in recent time is well aware that I have a mystery exhibit scheduled for the Summer and I'm busy getting the walls re-sanded, repainted and the floors done and art stored away. Saturday there was the Portland Festival in the neighborhood where my studio is. There was a parade so unique and odd that it could have only been done in Portland, and it happened on the main street right in front of my building. So, while working, I called my best friend to come over to attend the festivities. They were going the be there in an hour or two so I just cleaned up the yard and did a little researching on an air conditioning unit for the place as soon it could be called Plexus Contemporary Oven.
I come in the building from cleaning up parade debris from the yard and noticed something black on the floor the instant I close the door. My studio is so immaculate and clean that the slightest thing out of place catches my attention. I believe the strange thing about this singular incident is that whatever had caught my attention, it seems that I had caught its attention as well. Something living was just as starteled that I had just come in the door as I was that it was staring me in the face from across the room. 
In my youthful enthusiasm I convinced my friend Erica to go on the Berry-go-round with me. At 6 bucks for the both of us (3 tickets) it was steal for the fun of twirling around in a giant strawberry on Portland Avenue. of course, I had just eaten an entire potato that was currled and shaven to make one emense potato chip, deep fried with katsup and mustard all over it, we also had all bought Polish sausages with spices, mustard, katsup and fried onions on a bun which had to be eaten with a fork. It was 95 degrees, but cool in the shade. 
Well lord Jesus if that thing wasn't made out of metal and fiberglass. The Strawberry-go-heat-stroke is what should have been happily painted on the side. We were sweating so much our eyes couldn't stay open. Hot, rotating, spinning-while-rotating firey, sweltering strawberry of death oven ride. What insane Nazi scientist devised a ride that encases you in metal to be used by children in the dead of Summer under the hot sun? To top things off, the ride lasts for not less than 8 -10 full minutes!!!
