Meet the Bayou City Art Festival Fall 2025 Featured Artist: Jonah Ballard at Memorial Park from October 10-12, 2025
More than 250 artists from around the country, representing 19 different disciplines will showcase their art at the Bayou City Art Festival on October 10-12, 2025 in Memorial Park in Houston.
Featured Artist, Jonah Ballard will unveil a new work specifically for the Bayou City Art Festival that reflects the spirit of the West and the layered energy of Houston. Like much of his art, it offers a moment of quiet transformation where the unfamiliar begins to feel familiar.
ABOUT JONAH BALLARD:
Ballard is a self-taught acrylic painter known for his signature pink palette and dreamlike style. His work explores transformation, inner awakening, and the quiet power of imagination, inviting viewers to interpret each piece in their own way.
Originally from Arizona, Ballard began painting at fifteen while helping his parents with their hand-painted sign business – The Painted Ladies – a name he continues to work under today. Now traveling the country full time with his family, he brings his art to new audiences each weekend through juried art shows.
IN HIS OWN WORDS:
Please share a little about yourself & how you knew art would be your passion. I was born and raised in Arizona, surrounded by the desert- which really shaped my work from the beginning. I never went to art school; painting was something I taught myself through experimentation and curiosity. I started by helping my parents hand-paint fine lettering on pallet wood signs for my mother’s home decor business. It soon sparked a desire to express my own visions using the tools I had learned, and challenge myself to bring imagination to life. I hadn’t always known an art career was my path, but once I had a taste of the ability to create, I knew it was what I was meant to do.
Talk a little about your art skills and how you developed them: My skills have come from years of daily practice- trial, error, and persistence. I paint with acrylics because they allow me to work quickly and vividly, layering color until the piece reflects the vision I see in my mind. I learned by doing- studying other artists and blending their techniques with my own to create something uniquely mine. Honestly, much of the time I don’t fully understand how it happens; sometimes a piece simply flows through me and, before I know it, its complete. I often think of myself as a vessel for the true voice of “I Am”- the creative force that lives within all of us.
Discuss your concepts and what you’re communicating in your art: My work is about imagination.- not just the surface-level idea of childlike wonder, but the creative power that is in each of us. It’s about our ability to influence the world and shape the life we want by planting a single seed of thought. Each piece tells a part of this grand story in its own way. I want people to feel uplifted when they see my paintings, like they are seeing a reflection of something powerful within themselves.
Thoughts on being the featured artist for Bayou City Art Fest: Its an incredible honor. Houston has such a strong appreciation for the arts, and Bayou City is one of the most respected shows in the country. To be chosen as the featured artist is very exciting- it feels like a celebration of all the years spent traveling, painting and connecting with people who believe in my work.
Words for upcoming artists: Trust your imagination- it’s the most powerful tool you have. Live from the feeling of already being where you want to be, and let that inner conviction shape your world. Everything unfolds in its own appointed hour; there is no such thing as failure, only guidance. Every experience is leading you closer to the vision you hold inside. The story you tell yourself is the one you’ll live, so speak kindly to yourself and steer your thoughts towards the life you wish to create.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE BAYOU CITY ART FESTIVAL:
In 2025, Bayou City Art Festival will bring diverse artists to Bayou City Art Festivals from across the country, while supporting local organizations and promoting the impact that art has on the Houston community. As the nation’s premier outdoor art festival in the U.S., Bayou City Art Festival will provide guests with the opportunity to meet artists, view original works, and purchase one-of-a-kind art, prints, jewelry, sculptures, functional art and more.
The outdoor gallery will take over Memorial Park and will feature entertainment stages, a food truck park, beverage stations throughout the festival, an Active Imagination Zone, and much more.
For the ultimate art lover, Bayou City Art Festival will offer a limited availability VIP Hospitality Lounge, which will include complimentary light bites, beer, wine, and other refreshments. The relaxing setting under a canopy of trees will feature roaming musicians, artistic décor, and more. VIPs will receive access from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to the VIP area, and VIP parking.
Online early bird tickets will be available at www.bayoucityartfestival.com for $18 for adults, and all children ages 5-12 are $5. Adult tickets purchased after October 1, 2025, are $20. A General Admission Weekend Pass for adults is $40. VIP tickets are $75. Online pre-purchased tickets are required to enter the festival. Physical tickets will not be sold at the gate and can only be purchased online.
For the most recent updates, follow the official event hashtags #HouArtFest and #BCAF, like the Facebook page and follow on Instagram.
For more information, please visit www.bayoucityartfestival.com.
Photos courtesy of BCAF