The Puryear Team is hosting a Gallery-Style Open House this Sunday, March 7^th from 2:00pm - 4:00pm, showcasing a River Oaks luxury townhome at 1417 West Clay, and featuring several pieces of original artwork by a local artist Andrés Rodríguez. 


Born in Cali, Colombia in 1975, Rodríguez graduated from the Universidad de Valle with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 1998.  Two years later, he moved to Houston, where he paints and works as a school teacher. 

The artist’s mixed-media style on canvas incorporates watercolor, ink, crayon, marker, charcoal, airbrush and acrylic.  Rodriguez also uses layers of Plexiglas and acetate in white boxes, generating a three-dimensional sense of spatiality in his pieces.




Andrés Rodríguez reflects, reacts to and collects emotions and situations, and is inspired by poems, writings, images, storytelling and improvisation.  His latest series of paintings depict surreal human figures in ambiguous settings where line, color, and form come to life.  Andrés Rodrígues will be in attendance during the Open House at 1417 West Clay.

You can download a brochure featuring Andres' artwork here, or simply view his webpage here!

The information superhighway seems to be the highway we would rather travel.  Let’s face it, we would rather conduct our business online than stand in line.  But now, more than ever, crooks are going cyber as well, because of the recession.  About 1.7 million households fell victim to internet identity theft last year.  Although these numbers seem overwhelmingly against you, here are some tips to follow when you work or play on the internet.

Secure your computer:  Install and regularly update your computer’s security software, including its firewall, and antivirus and antispyware protection.  Keep your operating system up to date and use the latest version of your browser.

Email is the main culprit: Identity thieves love email, so filter for “spam” and avoid scam emails (rule of thumb: if it looks to go to be true, it probably is).  Do not respond to requests for personal information, click on links, or download files in emails sent by unknown contacts.  Never respond to a spammer, even if it is to say “leave me alone.”  Any response will let the crook know someone else is on the other end of your email address.

Create full-proof passwords: Come up with a password that is complicated and make them unique to every website.  This might be tough, but have a cheat sheet somewhere safe next to your computer so you can insure remembering them.  A good password should have at least eight characters or more.  Most websites allow you to have special characters, i.e. #, @, $.  If they only allow letters and numbers, be sure to use both and add an upper case letters.

Read Privacy and Security Policies: When a website or software has one of these, read them!  Understand how organizations collect and use your personal information before sharing it.

Be wary of online vendors: Don’t just consider the price when shopping.  Consider the company’s reputation.  Avoid vendors who pop up overnight; instead pick a retailer you would use if you were in the mall shopping for something, or who have are a top provider on the internet (i.e. Amazon.com).  Good rule: look for web addresses with “https” or the lock icon on the bottom right hand corner of your screen when making a transaction – these normally mean you are in a secured session.

Make sure your “Wifi” is secured at the highest level.

Social Networking “Friends”: When you friend someone, be certain you actually know them.  Even so, make sure you limit the amount of personal information you put on the site.  True friends already know that information!

Share the wealth:  Forward this to family and friends; we will all surf better if we feel safe!

Remember, it is our responsibility to ensure we are safe when surfing the net!  Stay vigilant and take these important safety precautions seriously.  But you can take it one step further.  To make sure your credit is indeed your credit, be sure you check you report at least once a year.  The FTC allows you to check you report for free, no gimmicks, no hidden contracts at www.AnnualCreditReport.com.