Each of my oil or pastel paintings is an observation of seemingly mundane familiar places that I encounter day-to-day. I think of my art as a kind of visual journalism, where I examine common human emotions evoked by a careful consideration of the substance of light interacting with spaces or objects. The naturalistically rendered compositions are cropped and depicted in small fragments, allowing the viewer a brief glimpse into a quiet portrayal of the world. Essentially, my art allows me to share my sensibilities and to connect with others through portraits of ordinary, yet intimate, moments in time.

I make work that engages the porous and sensate body. The larger question for me is the interdependency of how we exist within our environment and how our environment exists in us. Caves, deep time, and the feminine landscape factor into my work, as well as thinking beyond a humancentered narrative to address concerns about the earth. My process involves using raw pigment, wax, rain, dirt, and the language of abstraction to point to a raw, interior space. My source material is equal parts imagination and field research, most recently into cave systems.

Brief Artist Statement by Maria Haag as part of a 2021 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Maelstrom” in the Cora Stafford Gallery on the campus of the University of North Texas on March 15-23, 2021.

Works of art on mixed media by artist Claire Kennedy as part of a 2022 MFA exhibition, entitled "Keep Me Beautiful, Keep Me Bright, Keep Me Joyous" in the Cora Stafford Gallery South, 1201 W Mulberry St, Denton, TX 76201, March 23 - March 26, 2022.

Brief Artist Statement by Augustine Uzor as part of a 2021 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Memories of the Future" at The Gough Gallery Space in the Patterson Appleton Art Center in Denton, TX on February 20-28, 2021.

Brief Artist Statement by Cosmo Jones as part of a 2021 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Green Man Action Cycle” at Cora Stafford Gallery, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas frpm March 15-21, 2021.

Artist Statement from the MFA exhibition: In my recent work, I explore my identity as a first-generation American, using my painting practice to think about early memories of living in-between two cultures. These remembered moments allow a space for me to consider how both cultures merge. Portraying vivid memories through colorful recognizable objects and body parts, memories take on a new context, showing the passage of time, and reflecting on how memories take on new meaning. My desire to save these moments relates to my wish to name what makes me belong, and what marks me as unique, within the two cultures in which I exist.

Work of art on mixed media by artist Joshua Bryant as part of a 2022 MFA exhibition, entitled "Keep it Between You and Me and the Neighbors" in the Cora Stafford Gallery South, 1201 W Mulberry St, Denton, TX 76201, from March 23rd to 26th, 2022.

Brief Artist Statement by Marianna Seaton as part of a 2021 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Golden Anecdoche” in the Cora Stafford Gallery on the campus of the University of North Texas on March 15-21, 2021.

I use the domestic as a locale to consider the function of a queer body within the “American Dream.” I frequently remove the objects from their intended uses through various methods of alterations. Breaking things down to queer identity, objects, space, and community, I consider each object as a stand-in for individuals liberated from the pressure of preconceptions and mastery. Each lends itself towards the community identity, serving individually as separate functions within the experience, but also collectively serving as an invitation for on-lookers to join this community that we would define together.

The use of copper in my work has opened up an entirely new conceptual and esthetic world. I have expanded my vocabulary of visual imagery based on the nature of how copper reacts with fire. The organic beauty harmonizes so gracefully with the manufactured material. This new material has certainly opened up a refreshing platform on which to further develop my ideas.

I want to find a balance within the juxtaposition of representational imagery, patterned fabric, stain and found objects, which effectively communicates the ideas of my work, yet still provides a visually interesting object/painting. How do my materials relate to the content and/or meaning of the work? How will focusing on a single subject affect the development and visual content of my painting? How will I choose representational images to use in relation to the aims of my subject? I was struck by the connections between the baby doll and the real baby. The baby doll became a representation of an idealized body. My interest in baby doll source materials evolved through several different stages, beginning with drawings of baby dolls, then actual doll parts, and finally to imagery of babies with genetic defects. Formally, the work was able to progress as the idea or content progressed.

Work of art in pastel by artist Kelsey Shurbet as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Counting Seconds".

Work of art in mixed media by artist Kelsey Shurbet as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Counting Seconds".

Work of art of Blue ink on found paper by artist Jordan Black as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Heeding the Underbelly"

Work of art in multi by Marianna Seaton as part of a 2021 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Golden Anecdoche” in the Cora Stafford Gallery on the campus of the University of North Texas on March 15-21, 2021.

Work of art in photo by Marianna Seaton as part of a 2021 MFA Exhibition, entitled "Golden Anecdoche” in the Cora Stafford Gallery on the campus of the University of North Texas on March 15-21, 2021.