By Libby Hopkins
What is art? You could say art is painting, drawing, dance, photography, etc. For Katrina and Brien Hockman of Brandon, art is a place of inspiration and a concept that says follow your dreams even if life sends a foul ball into your deep-fried onion and then sends it into the lap of another person at the ball park. This scenario may sound kind of crazy but that is how the Hockman’s came up with the name for their art business. The couple was at a ball game and Katrina Hockman almost caught a fly ball but another person caught it with his baseball hat. A friend they were with at the game told them about a fly ball that landed in someone’s deep fried onion and then bounced and landed in his beer. “I said that would make a great name for a 60’s rock band, ‘My Flying Onion,’ so we thought about it and we decided it would be a great tribute to our friend,” Brien said.
Brien always wanted to paint but didn’t start doing it until Katrina gave him a paint set as a gift. She wanted him to do what makes him happy and that was painting. “I asked him if painting makes you happy and he said ‘yes,’ so I told him to go for it,” she said. A few months later, Brien entered his paintings in an art show in Tampa and he sold 17 pieces. The couple knew there were on to something but they wanted to find a way to share their art with the community. They made a Facebook page and started posting pictures of Brien’s art. “We realized it was more than just thanking people for liking our art,” Katrina said. “We were at a point where we needed to start recognizing other artists in the community and beyond.”
Now the couple’s focus is recognizing artists of all mediums and they do that by spotlighting an artist on their Facebook page each day of the week. “I look for someone who is doing art for art,” Brien said. “We don’t look for the art to be perfect and we rather it not be perfect, just something that the artist wants to share with others.” They want their Facebook page to a place where people can see talents or art expression and interpretation. “It’s all about a community of people who are willing to share their talents with people who don’t really know they exist,” Katrina said. “It’s all about culture.” If you would like to see some of the Hockman’s art, you can visit its website at www.myflyingonion.com. Visit them on Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/MyFlyingOnion or call 571-766-6466.
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