$800.00
22"x22"x5", glazed ceramic
In this series of glazed ceramic wall works I use color as a meditation on time and its relation to light and landscape. Light, intimately linked to color and perception, becomes a metaphor for invisibility, to illuminate the things often overlooked. Situated on the wall these shallow vessel forms are reimagined as landscapes, stilling life as the sun sets or rises. The surface of these works are covered in a repetitive act of sculpting, one of suspending time. The intricate surface of these works draw a viewer close. This experience of close looking is a reflection of the intimate relation between the vessel and the human body. These works are a memento to the everyday, a reminder of the foundational role the vessel plays in bringing people together.
27.5"x33.5", Charcoal
$500
Like some other self-portraits I’ve worked on, this one focuses on the objects and symbols I surround myself with in hopes of finding comfort and stability. Not wanting to be too “on-the-nose” with Christian symbolism, but still wanting to portray certain aspects of it, I chose to include three sheep stuffed animals, styled after ones I own. I collect a variety of sheep nick-nacks and iconography. This shows my tendency to surround myself with reminders of my Faith and how the Holy Trinity is a constant presence in my life. The lily-of-the-valley flower that I’m clutching is a symbol of innocence that must be protected and how our Faith should be child-like and pure. The fleece blanket texture is a nod to my personal preferences of comfort and soft blankets, but it also suggests that when I’m in the presence of these soft reminders, that I’m also secure and safe.
23.75"x35.25", Pastel
$800
The second self-portrait in my series that explores personal symbols I focus for my faith. Through the storms in life, I’ve always been one to look at the bright side. In this pastel drawing, it shows my disciplined mind-set to enjoy and be thankful for what I have and what’s to come, even amidst turmoil. My favorite color is yellow and I chose to include yellow mementos of sentimental value into the design to further show things that give me joy. I’ve included a gold ring on my right hand, gifted to me from my mom whose ring it used to be and I also am wearing a cetirizine necklace gifted to me from both of my parents for Christmas. I wear my bright yellow raincoat, not afraid to stand out for my beliefs, and I stand with a handful of my favorite flower, sunflowers; a symbol for loyalty.
16” x 20”, Acrylic
$265.00
I was diagnosed in January of 2022, with stage 3 metastatic breast cancer. I am a patient of MD Anderson in Houston, and have what seems like a million doctor appointments. One day when I was driving to one of the locations for the appointment, I noticed a section of the downtown area that had buildings with beautiful architecture and greenery. Since that day, I would look for that same space to have something else to think about, rather than the battle I was facing.
36”x 24”, Oil Paint
$800
The objects/items I chose for this painting will live with me forever and remind me of the following memories. The easel reminds me of the very first "real" easel I've been gifted by my girlfriend, Hayley. The easel is my passion (painting) which I sacrifice (hence the cross) every day to show my daughters that I am a positive leader and that dreams can be their reality. The painting within the painting of the squares reminds me of the very first piece of Art that symbolizes me and my daughters which truly helps/reminds me to keep walking forward. The red square is me leading my children (small squares) to the top, and to me, that means taking small steps each and every day to create your happiness and at times we may need help and it requires us to be interdependent which may create happiness for others. The Cross, whenever I see it or think about it, it reminds me of positivity and a man or woman who will do whatever it takes to live a beautiful life with integrity, authenticity, morals and values. The arm (my younger daughter's arm) was put in the painting to create a giving gesture and an illusion.
35"x14", 20 lbs., Mixed
NFS
This piece brings my thoughts to the roots of my work ethic. The base is an old table that my Grandfather (Gang-Gang to my twin brother and me) made. This table reminds me of memories made helping him at his filling station (learning to count money, make change, chop ice, slice watermelons) watching his work ethic. When I see the pins in the old phone book that sits on top of the table I’m encouraged that although I’m a procrastinator, when I get after it, I get after it. Each pin in this phone book represents one pair of jeans I hemmed at our jean store. In the ‘70s fashion jeans came in one length, 37-39”. When a customer decided on a pair I would hem them, usually by the time they checked out. I’m reminded that if I keep going, bit by bit, I can accomplish a lot.
22”x28”, Valspar paint on 3D carved plywood
$320
"Lola and the boys" is a heartwarming reminder of last years 4th of July family reunion. It takes me back to Chino's cabin in Georgia. Nestled amongst the trees, it overlooks the creek down below the field. The cabin was filled with cousins, aunts & uncles, brothers & sisters, nieces and nephews and four fur babies. There was a warm feeling of unity, peace, love and happiness shared by all. My niece, Jennifer, brought her beautiful German Shepherds, Hans and Mats, AKA “The Boys”. My wife, Rocio, and I brought our mini Aussie, Lola. They soon became best friends. Watching Lola and The Boys chasing and flirting was entertaining and good for the soul. Lola’s smile expresses the the general mood and feeling of everyone there and reminds me of this amazing time with family.
17"x23", Valspar paint on 3D Carved plywood
$200
This painting of “Rocio” is a memento of a fun evening at a banquet, at the Stone Palace, sponsored by “Mujeres Latinas”. After dinner we were having fun with the props and backdrop for photos. Time stood still as the warm, dim lighting dripped across her face ,featuring her elegance and beauty. In this moment, nothing else mattered, nobody else existed. This painting of my wife is that unforgettable moment in time.
18” x 24” x0.75”, mixed textile media
NFS
“Worry Wart” is a memento of my anxious high school experience. I was plagued with worry after experiencing the death of seven family friends in a tragic plane accident when I was 10, and diagnosed with a panic disorder when I was 14 after a math test gave me a panic attack. I was given a prescription to Xanax, which I became addicted to pretty quickly. During my addiction, I was in a bad relationship that left me worried constantly. This piece, made in 2014 when I was 17 and in active addiction, represents the heartache I felt during that time, blue skinned and barely breathing, heart bleeding out, blinded by the drugs.
24”X24”, Acrylic
NFS
This is an acrylic painting of my son, who happens to have autism. We would walk in the field by our home after school. He had a difficult time in school. He never complained. We never knew at the time, the teacher that thought all special needs kids were “just spoiled entitled children needing disciplined” was also his substitute and would incite his fits deliberately. We also didn’t know because he never reacted or told us that being in a school cafeteria, or sometimes his classroom was “like an ice cream headache.” We didn’t know until much later how much he kept to himself. How much he wanted to please everyone around him. This was a picture I took of him at peace on our walk. I didn’t know how much my son carried on his shoulders and I think how strong he is. I call this painting Solace.
24"x36", Acrylic paint on canvas
$350
As a child, I had a pedal car much like this one, that I happily drove around on many a sunny afternoon. On one such carefree day, my feet became entangled in the chain that connected the pedals to the back wheels, and could not free myself. Panic stricken, I began calling for my Mama, who rushed outside and freed my little feet from the chain. As I told her that she rescued me, she replied, "I will always be here to help you". She is gone now, but she is still helping me with her teachings, her lessons and her memory.
24”X20” , Mixed Media
$350
When I was 3 years old my natural mother left never to return. I learned later that she was bipolar and schizophrenic. I never saw her again, and she died when I was 11 years old in a car accident. The original negative of this photo was in my father’s things, and he took this photo of me at the shore of a lake when I was one. I developed the negative and superimposed my own eyes in the background in a dark room. I then painted my bonnet pink with oil paint. I feel that I gave it the oomph it needed to represent the delight of my father with his unconditional love. The eyes represent my mother watching over me all these years with love and concern. This piece of art brings me full circle back to the love of my parents. It is entitled “Watching Over.”
16”X20”, Mixed Media
NFS
When we are young we don't appreciate the families we are part of, it just is. I didn't learn to appreciate the blessing I received in life just by having the mom I had, until adulthood. Mom brought so much goodness and grace to the world and was taken too soon. I placed all these special mementos she kept, that made up the grounding forces of my mom's life, and made a shadow box to honor my mother, Elise Lynne Maestaz. Her Christening bonnet, pictures and items of 1st and Solemn Communion, a portrait of a beautiful baby and the dress she is wearing, a set of pearls to celebrate her graduation from college as a newly single parent of three young kids, and items from her memorial mass and her obituary notice makeup my "Mom"entos theme
36” x 36”, Oil on Canvas
$250
Haunting (November 2017) is a painting about finding small moments to cherish during times of grief. In 2017 a close family member of mine was on hospice and I would routinely buy flowers at the grocery store as an attempt to bring some small joy during an otherwise bleak time of life. After their passing in October, it was a habit that I felt compelled to continue with. I can remember feeling so strange during these trips and it's a memory that stuck with me so hearing the theme of 'Memento" I immediately thought back to this moment. And I view both the flowers as the Memento and the painting itself that materializes this moment that has been living within my psyche for so long.
9" x 7", acrylic on 100+ year old medical journal text page
$550
These story-telling pieces describe the unexpected crisis of living through the initial onset of the coronavirus pandemic. There are a total of nineteen artworks in this series. While using metaphorical images to create absurd associations, a cacophonous, disjointed, irreverent and eclectic dialogue is formed. This method mimics an emotional response that resulted from observing conflicting and varying behavioral reactions. The work is constructed by initially printing electron microscopy photographs of the Covid 19 virus on 100+ year-old pages from a medical text. Some compositions are painted onto vintage/antique book covers. A range of subjects from familiar sources – antique and vintage ephemera, fairy tales and children’s stories, dictionaries, encyclopedias - narrate the dynamics of opposing bodies of humanity. The figures are painted with acrylic and interact with the printed layer of virus illustration.
9" x 7", acrylic on 100+ year old medical journal text page
$550
These story-telling pieces describe the unexpected crisis of living through the initial onset of the coronavirus pandemic. There are a total of nineteen artworks in this series. While using metaphorical images to create absurd associations, a cacophonous, disjointed, irreverent and eclectic dialogue is formed. This method mimics an emotional response that resulted from observing conflicting and varying behavioral reactions. The work is constructed by initially printing electron microscopy photographs of the Covid 19 virus on 100+ year-old pages from a medical text. Some compositions are painted onto vintage/antique book covers. A range of subjects from familiar sources – antique and vintage ephemera, fairy tales and children’s stories, dictionaries, encyclopedias - narrate the dynamics of opposing bodies of humanity. The figures are painted with acrylic and interact with the printed layer of virus illustration.
11"x11"x2", clay, slips, glazes
$450
My comfortable world was changing. I was slowly losing my friend, my lover, my companion for the past 13 years to dementia … and there was nothing I could do to stop his decline. The best solution was to have him go live with his son, a health professional, who could give him the care that he needed. But, my heart was broken, torn to pieces. I felt raw, exposed to too many emotions. This wall sculpture was born of my despair. It has a myriad of torn pieces as well as a section where there’s no protection for the internal structure. As if the kiln gods knew my pain, the back of the piece broke during the final firing. But, it held together, proving that there is a strength that defies brokenness. “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen
14”x11”, Acrylic on panel
$225
A couple of years ago, I was sitting in my backyard with a friend when a heron flew low over my house. To me Herons seem like such wondrous and exotic creatures and to have one fly over my house was magical! It reminded me of stories I’ve read about birds flying over dwellings and depending on the type of bird it could be a good sign or a very bad omen. I took my heron as a very good sign and waited for something wonderful to happen. Nothing seemed to come of it, though. But, that memory of hanging out with my friend and then the surprise and bizarreness of that huge bird flying over…well, it’s a lovely memory. I think the memory itself was the boon of the heron.
12”x16”, acrylic on panel
When I was 19 years old I got to spend a month in Italy with my family. We went to Ravenna, Rome, Venice, and Florence among other smaller cities. I saw a lot of really famous art that at the time I didn’t know much about. I just knew that I got kinda tired of seeing religious art. Then a decade later, I majored in fine art and had the pleasure of taking several art history classes, and then I even taught AP Art History for a bit. With education, came a deep appreciation and fascination for religious art of all cultures. This painting in particular is inspired by medieval European triptych altarpieces. I’ve painted wildlife in place of the usual Biblical figures. I’d like to think that if my 19 year old self were to see this painting, she wouldn’t be bored to tears, ha! I am kind of joking, but I do think that switching things up a bit can make us see, think, and feel differently about things that we might have otherwise found to be boring.
SOLD
9”x12”, Acrylic on wood
A keepsake that is passed down to the women of each new generation. A simple, yet beautiful keepsake filled with memories of a woman with a story of life. With each generation, the story of her life is given as the necklace is handed over. Each new granddaughter holds to the necklace until she has her own daughter to pass it on down too. Again telling the grandmother's story of her life.
SOLD
20”X14”, Photo on metal
$225
My great grandfather Ollie was a wildcatter. Tall, lanky and charming, his confidence opened doors and broke hearts all over the southern USA. His journeys led him to Houma, LA where he happened to meet petite, young Eleonor. They were wed soon and she followed him as he worked his way through the oil fields. They finally settled in Wichita Falls after the birth of their daughter Joan, my grandmother. A baby boy came years later but did not survive. Stricken with grief, Ollie gifted the Sessions Clock to Eleonor as a memento of the baby boy and as a reminder that there will be a time when they see him again.
16”x20”, Acrylic
NFS
“Garnet” is a memento of a dream that younger me wished I could obtain. When I was younger, I struggled a lot with body images and confidence. I envied people who loved themselves as much as others did. I wish I could've been that way. What I didn’t see was that they too went through the struggle of building themselves. They also went through self image complications. They also went through a period where they didn’t realize their self-worth. I wanted to replicate this hazy view of looking through a glass cup.
19”x 15.25”x 2.5”, Watercolor on glass, gold leaf, silver leaf, and embossed paper.
$450
It is my belief that messengers are sent to us after a loved one passes. On the day my father passed away, a hummingbird was sent to me. My father had a hard battle with brain cancer. At the age of 19, his passing changed the course of my entire life. This piece is a memorial to my father. He is represented as the hummingbird painted on glass. Transparent and muted, but also vibrant and present. The reflective glass surface shows the face of anyone who peers into it. This brings you closer to the one that has been lost, for me, my father. The golden halo represents continuity of the soul and the infinite unknown. Displayed in a shadow box to keep the memories of my father with me.
Dimension: 12”x 12”, Encaustic Collage
$300
Anxiety has a tendency to hide really well and then show itself at inopportune times. Painful thoughts have a tendency to rise up from the unconscious. The things I have struggled with in my life sit below the surface waiting to reappear. During these moments, I struggle to catch my breath. I feel as if I am trapped underwater surrounded by the painful sting of those thoughts replaying in my mind. Eventually, I resurface and am cleansed by the water that once held me under. I can catch my breath. I can breathe again.
16" x 20", Mixed Media (acrylic, collage, and embroidery on netting”
$350
Afternoon Stroll is based on a beautiful memory of a scene I witnessed in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge. While working on my Master’s and Ph.D. I led a field trip to this spot three times a year. The Mt. Scott granite is a beautiful shade of mauve with yellow and white lichen growing on it. The colors are very clear, and the entire experience is like visiting a time capsule of how the world looked when the bison were the dominant species. I wanted to capture this memory in a piece of artwork and try to translate it through my visual language of stitch and paint stroke. The piece harkens back to the tinted postcards from the early years of car travel in the United States.
10 “ X 22”X 3”, Paint, paper, glue, resin, print materials, cremains, glitter
NFS
When your person dies, all the ordinary items you used to create your private world and language begin to die without both of you to keep it alive. This piece seeks to preserve some of what I lost when mine died. The imagery in the background is from a shared love of The Dark Tower books by Stephen King. The references to the series are accomplished through the use of the color red and the background images. The half face in the colors of the setting sun is his. He loved beautiful sky pictures he referred to as sky porn. Down the left side is a prayer for him to move on and be happy. The right side is a series of letters we created. They were a way to express our love to each other via text. Some of his cremains are also in this piece.
24” x 24”, Mix media (acrylic paint and found objects)
$400.00
This mixed media piece reflects some of my earliest childhood hairstyling memories. Once a month the dreaded Ladies’ Home Journal magazine would arrive to my house. It always featured the latest 1960s hair styles. My mother would test out the newish hair torturing techniques on Saturday nights. She would place the curlers and twisted rags all over my head. I then had to wear the curlers or rags all night long. Just imagine how difficult it was to fall asleep. I would pretend I was on my bike riding like the wind to escape. Morning would arrive and I would eat my breakfast and wait for the moment of freedom. She would remove the curlers and exclaimed how beautiful I looked. I could care less about my hair and just wanted to go outside and play. I would jump on my bike and ride down the street. My curls would fly in the breeze and I would proclaim…free at last. (until next month)
16” x 24”, mixed media
$300
This is a 1986 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic! To me this is a symbol of my youth. This is a reminder of a time when I rebelled against almost everything my parents wanted for me. When I was 17 I was dating a young man that was 20. He rode a Harley, had a tattoo, smoked pot, used drugs, and hung out in bars. We were together for 5 years. We separated one year before this motorcycle was manufactured. Even though he and I didn’t work out, I will never forget how it felt it ride on the back of a bike like this, feel the wind in your hair, and just feel free!
14”X11”, Water soluble graphite and tinted graphite
NFS
My father died 50 years ago this summer. I was only 22 years old, so I have never known him as an adult. In the early 1930s, he took a self-portrait of himself on the ranch where he worked in the Texas Panhandle. He tied a string to his toe and used it to click the shutter. It is one of my favorite photos, one I treasure because there is so much of his personality in it. Creating this drawing ignited my memories and helped me feel closer to him.
12.5"x 15.5”, Pigmented Ink
$300
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori: It is sweet and honorable to die for one’s country. Arturo Mendoza Lara: Panel 32 E, Line 88; Home of record: Los Angeles, CA; Service Branch: United States Marine Corps; Grade: E2; Rank: Private First Class; MOS: 0311, Rifleman; Unit: 3rd PLT, E CO, 2nd BN, 3rd Marines, 3rd MARDIV, III MAF; Start Tour: 09/28/1967; Casualty Date: 12/28/1967; Age at Loss: 21; Location: Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam; Remains: Body Recovered; Casualty Type: Hostile, Died Outright; Casualty Reason: Ground Casualty; Casualty Detail: Gun or Small Arms Fire. “Turo,” My Friend, My Brother
13”x13”x9”, Mixed Media
$2,500
Nascentes Morimur: Being born, we are dying. This is the pathos of entropy—the constant decline of life-source energy, resulting in the inability to sustain existence over time. We deny, nevertheless, we are on the same inescapable path. As I reach the nadir of life, I remember my vibrant youth, full of vigor and promise; now, I stare into the withering carcass of my mortality, thus, objects, once succulent, are now desiccated and decayed—Mementos of the fleeting passage of time, and reminders that Life is transitory.
24”x24”, mixed media
$400
I grew up in Harlingen, Texas in the deep Rio Grande Valley. The dirt was black and rich and everything grew beautifully there. We had a Hibiscus bush outside that was taller than me even in high school. I used to go outside and just stare at it. It brought me so much joy. Things inside my house were not joyful. Inside was sadness and fear and pain. I would even climb up to the rooftop to hide. That Hibiscus bush was a constant comfort to me. I chose to use color mixed with black and white to represent those two parts of my childhood. Hibiscus flowers are my favorite to this day.
12" x 9", Mixed Media (wire, metal, plastic, found objects)
$350
"Man on Fire" marks the beginning of a period in my life when what I built and thought was mine was stripped away. It felt like I got set on fire, from the inside out. The rage, the fury, the desire to destroy was so overwhelming that I could not be around other people for a while. I knew that violence was not the answer; so, I locked myself in my studio and created, and allowed myself to express from depths of emotion, that up until this point, I did not know existed.
24”x36”, Oil on Canvas
$1881.00
It’s a memento to the time I spent in college in the marching band and how every few years, sense graduating, I go back to Tuskegee University for homecoming to visit with old friends and participate in Alumni Band. Being in the Marching Band was one the best things to ever happen to me in my whole college experience.
20"X20", Mixed Media
I love getting buzzed! It happens six months a year, April through September. These are the months, that through many years, I have fond memories of hummingbird visits and all the beautiful flowers purchased in springtime to entice their visits.
I have been flown at up close and personal in my face, poked at on my clothes and had my hair dive bombed. I love their buzzy antics and miss them in the winter, but I know when spring comes, I'll be getting buzzed again!
SOLD
15.5" x 17", screenprint
$140
We tend to forget about the extension of people that exist when a relationship with a person is built. Deep into a friendship is when I finally met my friend’s Aunt. We went over one day and talked the day away. Up until that moment, I never realized that a friend’s aunt is not just a friend’s aunt, she is also her own person with her own friends, experiences, and memories. This piece serves as my own personal memento of that day alongside as a memento of Aunt Natalie and her memories.
24" x 24", acrylic on panel
NFS
I enjoy the intimacy and security of being in a loved one's house. There are moments when I am with these people in these spaces and everything just makes sense. I often wish I could stay in these moments longer and remember every minute detail, but time passes and eventually, I will leave. The mark that was left by our time together will be cleaned. It is a representation of my longing to never leave the company of the people I cherish spending time with and wanting to capture these rooms because they are temporary even though it does not feel as such at the moment.
34”x27”, mixed media
$500
I got my first pair of Jordans after I had been sick and in the hospital for five days. With the Prednisone and Iron, I was getting better. But it felt like it was the Jordans that were making me faster and stronger. I wore them on the court, on the dance floor with a suit, through everything. When I was 17, I was as quick and as tenacious as I’d ever be, I just didn’t know it. My heart could keep up, my stamina could scale walls. Hours and hours in the gym. When I was 30, I did mud runs but my body was nothing like it was at 17. At 41, even if I got in the shape of my life, I would not be what I was at 17. Durable. Fast. Full of breath. Was it the shoes or was I just 17?
Two frames in one piece (13x13 and 5x8), Mixed media
$150
Everyone has a relative with a famous dish. This is universal and transcends time and space. My father had many such dishes but in my opinion none could surpass his famous pea salad. Made from simple ingredients, it was far greater than the sum of its parts. In 2015 my father died, and with his death so died his famous pea salad. He had shared the recipe many times sure, but never again would we experience this conglomeration sprinkled with the magic spices of experience and skill. I present to you an altar to my father. Though we didn’t always have the healthiest of relationships, I miss him greatly. He is accompanied by a vacuum sealed pouch of his remarkable pea salad. This may be a pale imitation of the original but stands as tribute to the best memories I have of my Dad, Joe Welch.
Audio recording of essay
9”x20”, fabric and resin
$250
This piece began as a found-fabric embroidery project that took a hard left. It became a great reminder for me that the way we put ourselves back together is sometimes better than how we started.
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