Chris Alexander [email protected]
Chris Alexander is an artist working in glass. Originally from New Jersey, she studied architecture at the University of Virginia and Georgia Institute of Technology. During graduate school in Atlanta, she apprenticed for three years with master glass craftsman Patricia Vloeberghs learning custom design, fabrication, and restoration of stained glass. While practicing in the field of architecture she established Alexander Art Glass and created residential and commercial installations. Marriage brought took to Houston, Germany, Amarillo, North Carolina and back to Houston again, creating glass art along the way. In 2015 she participated in the Post-Studio Projects Micro-Residency. She held a solo show in 2017 at Lone Star College Montgomery and is the current Artist in Residence at Harmony Stained Glass in Pasadena.
www.a-artglass.com
Wood Fancher Anthony [email protected]
Wood Fancher Anthony was born and raised in Houston Texas. Growing up, Wood was surrounded by his mother’s family and robust Mexican culture. His experiences had a profound impact on him they shaped who he is as a person, as an artist and solidified his love for Mexico. His artwork is dramatic, expressive and bold. Much of his work can be described as a surreal dream deeply rooted in Mexico. Wood is a self-taught artist and has been creating art from a very young age. His desire for self-reflection and self-exploration and to put it on canvas for the world to see motivates him. His dreams, memories, and thoughts are the source of his inspiration. He can execute anything from abstract to realism and enjoys using a variety of mediums, but works primarily in oil.
www.woodfancheranthony.com
Samar Babar [email protected]
Born and raised in the U.S., Samar Babar is a mixed media fashion illustrator and Islamic artist currently creating in Houston, Texas. Samar has had an affinity for the arts and creating since she was a child so she took it upon herself to learn her discipline. Her work in Islamic Art stemmed from the intrinsic artistic quality she found in Arabic calligraphy and the deepened connection it gave her to the faith. Fashion illustration, on the other hand, has been her life long passion and pursuit.
Samar creates her pieces using a variety of techniques including, but not limited to, painting, embroidery, and pyrography as she is fascinated by texture and experimentation with different mediums.
You can find samples of her work along with links to her social media to learn more about this artist, purchase her work, and where you can find her next at: paletteofstyle.com
Celan Bouillet [email protected]
Celan Bouillet (b 1985) is a mixed media artist currently based in Houston, TX. Inspired by travel, textiles and our relationship to place, Bouillet creates paintings with complex narratives and dense patterns. Bouillet received her BA in English and BFA in Painting from the University of Georgia in 2008 and her MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2013. She has received numerous awards and honors including 2013 Full Fellowship recipient to Vermont Studio Center, 2014 Artist-in-residence at Houston Community College SE, 2014 Best in Show at Lawndale’s Big Show, 2014 Best in Show at Gallery 500x EXPO, 2015 HAA Emerging Artist Grant, and 2017 New Texas Talent.
www.CelanBouillet.com
Dana Caldera [email protected]
Dana Caldera is a Houston-based artist and arts educator. She graduated from Houston Baptist University with her MFA in painting in May 2017. Caldera’s work has been selected for numerous juried shows in Texas, including the 2018 and 2017 Assistance League of Houston Celebrates Texas Art Show at Williams Tower Gallery and the 2016 and 2017 Rising Eyes of Texas Art Show at Rockport Art Center. Notable jurors that have selected Caldera’s work include Benito Huerta, Clint Willour, D.M. Allison, and Jose Esparza Chong Cuy.
danacaldera.com
Adam Castañeda [email protected]
Adam Castañeda is a dancer and arts administrator in Houston, Texas. He is the Executive and Artistic Director of the Pilot Dance Project, a non-profit arts organization with the mission to empower and transform communities through innovative dance, theater, and visual art. The Pilot Dance Project fulfills its mission through producing professional dance works and the annual Houston Fringe Festival, a two-weekend performing arts gathering of all disciplines. With his company, he has performed in evening-length works by Ashley Horn, jhon r. stronks, Jennifer Mabus, Jaime Fruge-Walne, and Heather VonReichbauer. When not with the Pilot Dance Project, he enjoys performing with Suchu Dance/Jennifer Wood. www.facebook.com/PilotDanceProject
Ching-In Chen [email protected]
Ching-In Chen is author of The Heart’s Traffic (Arktoi Books/Red Hen Press) and recombinant (Kelsey Street Press), as well as co-editor of The Revolution, Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities (South End Press; AK Press) and Here is a Pen: an Anthology of West Coast Kundiman Poets (Achiote Press). A member of Macondo and Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation writing communities, they have received fellowships from Kundiman, Lambda, Watering Hole, Callaloo, Can Serrat and Imagining America. Their work has appeared in The Best American Experimental Writing, The &NOW Awards 3: The Best Innovative Writing, and Troubling the Line: Trans and Genderqueer Poetry and Poetics. At Sam Houston State University, they teach creative writing and serve as Texas Review’s poetry editor and SHSU LGBTQI* Faculty and Staff Network’s chair. In addition, they serve on the Executive Board of Thinking Its Presence: Race, Advocacy, Solidarity in the Arts. www.chinginchen.com
Lindsay Gary [email protected]
Dance “artivist” Lindsay Gary, M.P.A., M.A. graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. in History and minors in Dance and Business Administration. Outside of the Ballet and Modern dance program at UH, she trained in Horton with Urban Souls Second Company in the 2012-2013 Season. She continued her training in the traditional and contemporary movement of the Caribbean, Brazil, and Africa with various companies between 2014 and 2016. Complementing her work on the stage, Lindsay is a passionate dance educator, wherein she highlights the African Diaspora through the cultural, artistic, and historical study of dance. Lindsay is a performing member of Pretty Cultured—an dance collaboration using art to speak on social and cultural topics. In addition to this, Lindsay devotes herself to her very own dance company, Dance Afrikana, which connects the worlds of traditional and contemporary African and Diaspora dance.
www.lindsaygary.com/dancer
Leslie Gaworecki [email protected]
Artist Leslie Gaworecki is interested in the relationship between intent and outcome as they define mistakes in art and in life. Her intuitive abstract paintings include layer upon layer of scratches, marks, and text at play with vibrant color and the energy of repeated pattern. As the mother of four sons, Gaworecki’s mark making is often inspired by the creative freedom of children.
Gaworecki received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography from The Ohio State University in 1999. After more than ten years as a photographer, she followed her curiosity to paint and began showing work in her Houston studio in 2016 where she encourages visitors to paint alongside her.
www.lesliegaworecki.com
Tamer Ghoneim [email protected]
Tamer Ghoneim is an entrepreneur and self-taught visual artist. Born in Canada, and of Egyptian descent, he has lived in the Houston area for nearly thirty years. After completing two degrees in engineering and working in industry for several years, Tamer committed himself to pursue entrepreneurial and art career paths. In 2011, after one year of dedicated photography self-study, he was one of thirty artists selected for international publication in the annual Silvershotz Folios magazine. He has traveled internationally making images and has participated in several exhibitions in the Houston area, including shows at the Jung Center and Winter Street Studios. In recent years, Tamer has expanded his visual arts portfolio to include calligraphic art and is currently undertaking a 365 Project sharing work daily on social media. He is also passionate about teaching, providing private instruction and technique workshops, and supporting charitable organizations, especially those championing prevention and treatment of childhood illnesses.
www.tamerghoneim.com
Rene´ Lee Henry [email protected]
Rene´ Lee Henry received her BA in applied design from San Diego State University in 2013. In 2016 she relocated to Houston, TX in for an artist residency at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Since then, she has continued her studio practice and has been teaching jewelry/metalsmithing workshops. She makes limited-production jewelry as well as one-of-a-kind sculptural pieces. Her work has been featured in exhibitions across the United States, was published in “Showcase 500 Art Necklaces,” by Lark publishing and in “The 2016 Contemporary Jewelry Exchange”. Recently, she was selected to be part of “Materials: Hard & Soft” by the Greater Denton Arts Council; “Ware/Wear” at Pocosin Art Center, where she was awarded Best in Show; and was awarded Best Use of Materials at “Spirit and Matter” at the Jung Center. Her jewelry is currently available through her website, www.reneleehenry.com, as well as Asher Gallery in Houston, TX.
Rebecca Lynn Hewitt [email protected]
Rebecca Lynn Hewitt is a metalsmith that graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Rebecca’s current work investigates environmental issues through wearable and handheld objects, as well as community engagement. She works primarily with sustainable materials such as pressed and dried flora, wood, and silver. Rebecca is currently working out of her studio in Houston, TX. In 2016, Rebecca was She was awarded the Emerging Artist 2016 award from the Ethical Metalsmith Student Committee. In 2017, Rebecca was a resident artist at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
rebeccalynnhewitt.com
Valerie Hurlbert is a native Houstonian and former graphic designer who is currently transitioning her twenty-year passion for making mosaics into a career as a mosaic artist. Her mosaics have been highly popular among friends, family, and friends of friends exposed to her art. In the past, she has had two successful private shows and a handful of commissions.
valeriehurlbert.com
Nickclette Izuegbu [email protected]
Nickclette Izuegbu is an actress/writer/producer with a passion for storytelling on stage and in film. She has a BA in Anthropology with a minor in Dramatic Arts from Harvard University. She also has an MFA from the University of Texas – in Acting. She began her career working and training at various theaters across the United States, including the Steppenwolf Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Zach Scott Theater, Vortex Repertory Theater Company, Houston Shakespeare Festival, and First Stage Theater. She has written, produced, and starred in several digital series, including “the Bards,” “Muy Excited” and the hit scripted comedy “Nneka the Uber Driver.” She currently creates content, performs, and teaches throughout the US.
www.nickclette.com
Jennifer Lang [email protected]
Originating from an alternate brane in the multiverse, Jennifer landed in Houston when she popped out of a wormhole while hunting after her herd of tiny elephants. Until she can figure out how to get back she spends her time as an artist extraordinaire, creating mind-blowing work using various mediums and techniques. You will also find her all over town bringing joy to others with her giant bubbles and dancing with her hula hoop.
HuntingTinyElephants.com
Treva McKissic [email protected]
Treva McKissic grew up in rural Brazoria, Texas, where blackberries and pecans grow wildly common. At an early age, she was exposed to reading, writing, printing, and graphic designing. Instantly, words became her superpower! Treva believes that words matter and she thrives on giving a voice to the “I Don’t Knows”, the “I Can’t Explain Its”, and the “I Never Thought of It Like Thats”. Her poetry, writing, and paper art ensure that people’s ideas have a voice and tell a story. With over twenty years of poetry and writing experience, Treva has helped spread the magic of writing across the city of Houston as a poet, writer, teacher, writing coach, teacher trainer, and card maker. She holds both a B.A. in English and a M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction for Reading and Writing from the University of Houston. Treva is inspired by her family, nature, and new experiences.
https://creativecoils.wordpress.com/
Michelle O'Michael [email protected]
Raised in West Texas’ vast landscape, I began creating as a child in lessons with my artistic father. My grandfather was a blacksmith. My art continues youthful visions.
My objective is to contribute to the happiness of my viewer. I use form and color, expressing calligraphy in the round. Flowing energy inspires my spirals and arches symbolizing life cycles and cosmic orbits. I explore the interaction of mass, space, shadow. My works are contemporary structures for environments where objects breathe.
My undergraduate is from the University of Texas at Austin and my Master’s of Fine Arts from Houston Baptist University.
My work displays in galleries and exhibitions across the United States from New York City to California, in Mexico, United Arab Emirates, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In private and corporate collections, I have eight large-scale sculptures in the Dallas Metroplex with my four-story sculpture at in University Park. www.omichael.com
Sol Pitarque [email protected]
Sol Pitarque is a Fashion Designer had developed her own accessories brand called Miss Sol Creations. She designs and creates one of a kind felt flowers accessories for women. Her designs and color combinations are vibrant and contrasting because she is deeply influenced and inspired by her Latin American roots. Her work is a celebration of life, beauty, nature, women, and culture.
Gerald-James Rhodes [email protected]
Gerald-James Rhodes was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and practices art and design in Houston, Texas. He has over 25 years of storytelling experience through the medium of Graphic Design, Photography, Video, and Fine Art. Rhodes has a BFA from the University of Louisiana Lafayette, certification from The New Orleans Center for Creative Art and is a Fresh Art’s 2018 Artist INC Houston graduate. He has designed multiple million dollar programs and exhibits for the Children’s Museum of Houston and is a four-time American Inhouse Graphic Design Award recipient (Branding). Rhodes has most recently exhibited at Lawndale Art Center 2017 “The Big Show”, 2018 Solo Artist Showcase Sienna Branch Library, Texas Artists Strong: Pop-up Exhibition + Fundraiser, 2017 Summer of Color Art Show, Sugar Land Art Center & Gallery Pop-up Exhibition + Fundraiser, 2017 Fight Like A Girl! “Comic Heroine Art Show, and the “Dia de Los Muertos” Gala.
www.geraldjamesart.com
Monica Villarreal [email protected]
Monica Villarreal is an interdisciplinary artist native to Houston. Her art explores ethnic identity, gender roles, migrant and environmental issues. She is a recipient of multiple awards in photography and filmmaking, and has participated in installation and performing art productions. She has a B.A. in Entrepreneurship from the UH and an M.A. in Digital Media Studies from the UH-CL. She is the founder of Creative Women Unite, a local feminist art collaborative. Monica is also a dancer with Danza Azteca Taxcayolot, a local group that practices Mexican indigenous traditions through spirituality, and community engaging performances.
lamonicavillarreal.com
Melissa Walter [email protected]
Melissa Walter received a BFA from East Carolina University and a MFA from the University of Georgia. She has also studied at Penland School of Crafts and in Cortona, Italy. Melissa has exhibited at The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (Houston, TX), The Ohio Crafts Museum (Columbus, OH) Mighty Tieton Warehouse (Tieton, WA), Flatbed Press and Gallery (Austin, TX), and Slocub Galleries (Johnson City, TN). She has been published in several books; such as The Art of Enameling: Techniques, Projects, and Inspiration by Linda Darty and Paper Jewelry (Design and Make) by Sarah Kelly. Melissa was an artist-in-residence at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in 2011-2012 and continues to live and work in Houston, TX. Her current body of work is a visual exploration of home and place, line and texture through the use of prints, drawings, paintings.
http://melissawalter.us/
John Whaley Jr [email protected]
Visual Artist, John Whaley, Jr. is a self-taught artist who makes paintings, photos, and mixed media artworks. His works often refer to pop and mass culture, creating a world of unity through color.
His themes often refer to the idea of being a dreamer and believing that all things are possible through sheer will and perseverance.
John is a US Navy veteran that currently still serves. He has participated in more than 20 art shows over the past year, many of them benefitting charity. www.instagram.com/whaleyfineart
Zachary J. Williams [email protected]
Zachary J. Williams is a visual artist specializing in traditional oil painting. In 2003, he received his B.A. in Art from San Francisco State University. After graduation, he returned to his hometown of Sacramento, CA, to further pursue his studio practice; simultaneously curating exhibitions with a local art gallery while also managing an art studio. In 2009, he moved to Chicago and began an evolving series of works regarding children and gun violence. He has just recently relocated to Houston where he will continue to expand the parameters of his art practice. Throughout his career, Zachary has had the opportunity to engage in various forms of artistic outreach, received several artist grants, and has exhibited his work in galleries and museums across the U.S.
www.zacharyjwilliams.com
Adriane Wiltse [email protected]
During a decade long career as an engineer, Adriane R Wiltse, developed a close relationship with metals, plastics, and other materials. Eventually, this love, together with a lifelong dream of self-expression led her to a path in jewelry making, painting, and mixed media sculpture.
Her jewelry line, ARW Jewelry, is handcrafted with the intention of empowering the wearer to tell their story. This is accomplished through playful yet structured design and the incorporation of natural gemstones. Each gemstone carries its own metaphysical energy and supports the wearer.
Wiltse recently began revisiting mixed media in 2 and 3-dimensional forms. She is creating works which explore transformation and the expression of less societally acceptable emotions and experiences such as vulnerability and resiliency. With continuous themes of community building, empowerment and a connection to nature, Wiltse plans on dedicating her work to include interactive public art and collaboration with other artists. www.adrianerwiltse.com
Heather Wobbe [email protected]
Heather Wobbe is a Houston-born multi-disciplinary artist and entrepreneur. Working with oils, graphite, metals, and found objects, she explores qualities of light on different materials while creating contemporary artifacts inspired by totems, icons, reliquaries, and other sacred objects. Whether creating vibrant works of art or fabricating pieces for her jewelry brand Modern Artifacts, she pulls inspiration from her interest in history, science, gender roles, and her experiences working on archaeology digs and in museum basements. Adornment and the female form play an important role in her work, exploring the power objects have over ourselves. As she creates, she seeks to explore the strengths we have naturally, those we give up, and that which we seek out to feel empowered. www.modernartifacts.design
Artist INC Houston 2018 Alumni
The class of 2018 was carefully selected by Christine West (Houston First), GONZO247 (Aerosal Warfare Gallery), Matt Detrick (Apollo Chamber Players), and Roberta Paixao Cortes (Group Acorde dance group).
