New Student Art on Display
Talha Kabasakal, a second-year student in industrial design at the University of Houston, is pursuing his goal of becoming a car designer. Long obsessed with cars, he has been sketching them since childhood. “I believe that if one puts an effort into what they are passionate about, they will eventually achieve it no matter what it takes,” Kabasakal said. “I believe that challenges train me better for my future.”
“The Shortest Distance,” a series by UH student Talha Kabasakal.
Kabasakal’s artwork is currently on display in the William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library A2 Alcove, a venue that is part gallery and part lounge. The library supports UH student artists by hosting exhibitions of their work throughout the year. All displayed works are digitally documented and included in the UH Digital Library.
Kabasakal’s exhibition, The Shortest Distance, is a series of ink-on-paper works that depict the artist’s life and expectations, referencing his love of cars, his preferred color red, and his native Turkey. In one particular piece, Kabasakal has played upon the notion of a personal geographic dichotomy by juxtaposing two places, two different countries – the familiar and the foreign, the old and the new, the past and the future. Though each occupies discrete areas, isolated at opposite sides of the composition, the two are connected by a bridge. Kabasakal believes that there should always be a bridge, a connection, representing hope, remembrance, love.
“The Shortest Distance,” a series by UH student Talha Kabasakal.
The UH community is invited to visit the Architecture and Art Library for a look at The Shortest Distance, now on display.
Student artists interested in displaying work at the Architecture and Art Library are encouraged to contact Chris Conway with digital samples.
Still Life Meets Outer Space
“Radishes and Squash” in a series by UH artist Araceli Casas.
Update: Casas’ art has been added to the University of Houston Digital Library.
Araceli Casas, a graduate student in the University of Houston Master of Education Curriculum and Instruction – Art Education program, has a series of paintings on display in the William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library A2Alcove. The library supports UH student artists by hosting their work in the gallery. All pieces are then digitally captured and included in the UH Digital Library.
The series, Veggies in Outer Space, started in 2007 with an odd sweet potato that Casas found while shopping in the produce section, at a time when her focus was on still life. That sweet potato was the inspiration of her latest project and, as a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, she gave it a background based on popular images of outer space, putting a new spin on still life.
Subsequent paintings included other vegetables with inspiration from famous images of the Hubble telescope and other icons of space exploration.
In addition to the Veggies series, Casas also collaborates with Houston area non-profit organizations to produce and display Christian-themed art, and is working on a new series for other types of venues.
Creative from a young age, Casas received a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Houston, and took applied training at the Glassell School of Art, where she became well-versed in the technical aspects of art. Casas also built her knowledge by the wisdom of her classmates and contemporaries.
“It’s good to learn from artists who came before you so that you have more tools with which to build your own identity as an artist,” Casas said. Her favorites include the baroque artist Caravaggio, Van Gogh, and Cy Twombly, whose art sparked her appreciation of contemporary artists.
“Celery, Carrot, and Squash” in a series by UH artist Araceli Casas.
Casas has worked in various teaching positions with elementary school-aged children and, as a teaching artist at Texas Children’s Hospital, she enjoys inspiring children to express their creativity. Her advice to young artists is to keep at it, surround yourself with people who are supportive of your work, and build a space or environment for yourself in which to be creative.
Student artists interested in displaying work at the Architecture and Art Library are encouraged to contact Chris Conway with digital samples.
Research in the Real World
The William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library presents the second panel discussion in the Research in the Real World series on Wednesday, April 15 from 4-5 pm. Architecture and Art Library_primary
The William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library presents the second panel discussion in the Research in the Real World series on Wednesday, April 15 from 4-5 pm.
Tailored for students in the UH School of Art, the talk will feature professionals discussing their on-the-job research activities, and information skills needed for a career in the arts.
Panelists include Catherine Gonzalez of the Houston Arts Alliance; Emily Link of the Lawndale Art Center; and Tracy E. Smith of the Blaffer Art Museum.
Refreshments and a reception will follow the panel discussion.
UH Artist Blends Reality With Fantasy
Update: Latin’s art has been added to the University of Houston Digital Library.
Trevon Latin, a mixed media artist, will graduate from the University of Houston this semester. He plans to move to New York City and pursue his craft in an environment wholly different from his native Houston, a place he holds close to his heart.
“Orders from the Dead One” in a series by UH artist Trevon Latin.
Latin’s artwork was recently on display in the William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library A2 Alcove, a venue that is part gallery and part lounge. The library supports UH student artists by hosting exhibitions of their work throughout the year. All pieces are digitally documented and included in the UH Digital Library.
As a student in the UH School of Art, Latin says that his academic journey has allowed him to find what he values the most, and what to focus on in his life as an artist.
“When I put my work into motion, I really consider what it means to me to be from the South,” said Latin, whose niche is narrative art. He is inspired by those known as outsider, or naïve, artists, the untaught creatives with natural talent who didn’t pursue academic studies in the visual arts.
Latin’s work is influenced by outsider artists who nourished their craft in unconventional ways, like Aminah Lynn Robinson, who used a number of materials woven into a continuous narrative to tell her life story; and Henry Darger, a reclusive writer and artist whose epic fantasy manuscript and illustrations were discovered only after his death.
“Orders from the Dead Two” in a series by UH artist Trevon Latin.
Themes blending personal experience with fantasy are very compelling, says Latin. “I try to incorporate that into my work. If I passed, what would people find? What would I want to show them about my life?”
Latin has created a character by the name of S. Relentless, a protagonist in a fantastical body of work whose story begins in antebellum South. The narrative of S. Relentless is driven by Latin’s own modern-day experiences.
Latin’s education over the past decade has been defined by lessons in patience and keeping true to oneself. He has learned that, if the work has strong meaning to the artist, it will resonate powerfully with others.
“I want to maintain a personality in my work and do it on a level where it’s known and it has a presence,” he said. His advice to burgeoning artists: remain honest and follow your heart. “It sounds like a Disney cartoon,” he says with a laugh, “but I’m being serious. It’s the only way I can create work. People tend to take notice and connect with art on a human level, and when you really put your heart into it, that’s where the connection is the strongest.”
Student artists interested in displaying work at the Architecture and Art Library are encouraged to contact Chris Conway with digital samples.