Second Year MFA Updates

May 09, 2025

Before my final year begins, here is an update on my MFA at the University of Houston.

In the studio I continued working on, with, and around my stuffed paintings.

Spread from *July 2024 Book.* Watercolor and wax pencil on rice paper.

Notes on Fall 2024

January 14, 2025

I cannot believe that it is 2025, that it is January, that the Fall 2024 semester has come and gone, that I am another year older, and that I, with my partner, have started a family.

Fieldwork Marfa

September 01, 2024

This past May I drove to Marfa to study art theory with Abinadi Meza and my fellow graduate students for two weeks.

This trip to West Texas would be different from my previous two- or three-night stays. With two weeks, I had time to settle, wander, and reflect.

Reporting back after one year

May 07, 2024

The fall was spent with wood fabrication and getting settled in my new studio space (see previous post). In the spring, I followed through with some of the experiments I had begun in the later part of the fall semester. I also took my first two college credit art history courses.

Completed sofa for my studio at The University of Houston

Objects: Studio Furniture

January 21, 2024

This past fall I took to wood fabrication and sought a project that would make me feel more comfortable working with power tools and three dimensionally. Having recently moved into my studio at The University of Houston, I quickly learned that a sofa was an essential piece of studio furniture. So, building a sofa became my first project.

Making the Cave

October 15, 2021

This is the second post regarding the project “From the Cave”. When I received word of the project’s approval, I began researching the ideas and themes associated with it further.

To read about the planning stage, please visit the first post.

From the Cave, September 3, 2021, photographed by Erica Lee. — *From the Cave*, September 3, 2021, photographed by Erica Lee.

Planning the Cave

September 30, 2021

I recently completed “From the Cave” - my first artwork intended for a larger public and funded by a grant. It was an installation and an online performance - two categories that were also new to me.

The grant application was surprisingly helpful to the project as it encouraged me to be specific. I went from having a vague idea of what I wanted to do, to having a very clear vision. The deadline also helped me push through moments of indecision.

Front cover of Two Months, Two Years — Front cover of *Two Months, Two Years*

Moving between 2020 and 2021

February 02, 2021

I made this book in November 2020 - eight months into the pandemic. I wanted something to help me track the progression of time and place myself as Covid-19 persisted. Made up of 62 pages, each day of December 2020 and January 2021 is given a single page.

Red Blue Spaces

December 07, 2020

I created a small accordion book, encased in red, to observe how red and blue interact with regard to space.

Tulips Two Times

November 12, 2020

I made the first Tulip painting in response to the pandemic and the polarizing political climate. Just as I was, the tulips were exasperated, divided and distressed. I used only red, white and blue, a palette which I have taken up in recent months. Red breathed and cried while blue distanced and drained.

I made the second Tulip painting last week following the announcement of the 2020 election results. In dialogue with my previous painting, I introduced the third primary color, yellow, which made the full range of colors possible.

Cover of Field Notes 8 x 11 1/2 inches — Cover of *Field Notes*
8 x 11 1/2 inches

Field Notes Accordion Book

November 08, 2020

A couple of weeks ago, I took a trip to the Hill Country with my partner. Hoping to grasp and play with the experiences we had there, I set about making a rough sketched object - an accordion book - to record and build some kind of narrative so I could refer back to it.

Purchase your copy of Art in the Time of COVID-19 here. All proceeds go to the Houston Food Bank. — Purchase your copy of *Art in the Time of COVID-19* here. All proceeds go to the Houston Food Bank.

Featured in "Art in the Time of COVID-19"

July 07, 2020

Shelves (2020) was included in the art book Art in the Time of COVID-19. Organized by Alexandra Constantinou, Art in the Time of COVID-19 brings together the artwork, writings, and recipes of 13 artists. The publication was inspired by WWII era cookbooks and rationing guides which contained drawings, advice, advertisements, posters, and instructional guides.

A Dog on Couch and The Great Gatsby

June 30, 2020

When I started the painting, I wanted the dog to stare directly at the viewer and invite the viewer into this odd setup. Once I completed the painting, however, I identified my dog’s unblinking, demanding stare with the bespectacled billboard eyes of The Great Gatsby.

There is always spring

May 26, 2020

This painting started off very differently. I made the initial sketch back in February. Covid-19 didn’t feel like big threat, and things were “normal” in Houston. People drove to their offices, drank at bars, and exercised in gyms.