Welcome to the Hill Country Council for the Arts
Connecting The Hill Country Through Art & Community.
Up & Coming
Paper Clay Vintage Pots (2 Pt. Series)
Adorn a terracotta pot with cast ornaments. Discover old world architectural embellishments through the process of mould casting, paint, and gilding wax. The modern medium air dries to a hard solid state that can be painted and gilded to produce stunning decorative pieces for keepsakes and admiration. Part one will include fabricating and casting embellishments and applying them to the pot. Part two will involve an old-world painting process with matte paints and washes followed by antiquing and gilding wax finish to a classic terracotta pot to create an elegant complement for any patio.
Tuesday, August 18 & 25 | 7-9PM
Image Transfer
Come explore the mystery of image transferring. Explore the use of chemical transfer and medium transfer agents. Apply your image to paper or fabric. The process produces a distressed ethereal Rauschenberg image. Transferred images can be used in mixed media, textile pieces, or surface design.
Tuesday, September 8 | 7-9PM
Hill Country Horizons: A 3-Day Start-to-Finish Landscape Intensive
Pauly Tamez
Pauly Tamez is an abstract expressionist and impressionistic landscape painter whose work is an exploration of color, form, and emotion. Primarily working in oil paints, Pauly creates compositions that pulsate with energy and invites viewers into a world of boundless creativity. His watercolor studies serve as a foundation for larger oil paintings, allowing for a deep exploration of the Texas landscape that ultimately informs his abstract work Through the intentional use of contrasting and complementary colors, as well as fluid, organic shapes, Pauly aims to evoke a range of emotions and inspire others to embrace their own creative spirit. Deeply influenced by the mentorship of renowned Texas landscape painters Bill Zaner and David Caton, Pauly continues to evolve his artistic practice while honoring the legacy of his mentors.
Pauly and his wife, Linda, and 2 dogs live in the Hill Country west of Borne, Texas.
Goal: Participants complete a finished oil landscape painting while learning foundational
techniques—composition, color mixing, brushwork, and finishing.
September 11-13 2026 | 9AM-4PM Everyday
Our Services
Arts Programs
Creative learning opportunities that inspire artistic growth across the Texas Hill Country.
Arts & Cultural Events
Festivals, exhibitions, and gathering celebrating local artists and community.
Artist Support & Promotion
Elevating regional artists through visibility, partnerships, and opportunity.
Membership & Patron Support
Supporting the arts through memberships, patron giving, and advocacy.
Artist Spotlight
Meet the creators shaping our community!
Pauly Tamez
There are some artists whose work captures a place, and others whose presence leaves just as much of an impression. Pauly Tamez is one of those people. A gifted painter, dedicated educator, and proud veteran, Pauly brings a quiet enthusiasm to everything he does, encouraging others to slow down, observe the world around them, and create with confidence.
Drawing inspiration from the Texas Hill Country, Pauly’s paintings celebrate the beauty of changing light, expansive skies, and the vibrant colors found in nature. Working primarily in oils, he blends impressionistic landscapes with abstract expressionism, creating paintings that are rich in movement, color, and emotion. His work reflects years of study under renowned Texas landscape painters Bill Zaner and David Caton while remaining distinctly his own.
This year, we’re also excited to welcome Pauly as one of our Artists-in-Residence. Alongside creating new work, he’ll continue sharing his knowledge and passion for painting with our community. Whether through his artwork, his teaching, or his appreciation for the natural beauty that surrounds us, Pauly reminds us that art is as much about seeing the world with curiosity as it is about putting paint on a canvas.