Five Young Artists Pull Together "Art Intermission" Exhibit

“One show is not enough,” says the sentiment of five young artists working within a variety of mediums. Little over a year after their first themed exhibit, the group of ASU graduates has come together again to display their works in “Art Intermission”, a three-day exhibit beginning today at the Coop Gallery in the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.

Though they otherwise don’t have much in common, all five of the show’s coordinators graduated from Angelo State University’s art department in 2013.

“Even though some of our views about the world may vary and our art is very different, we blend together well as a group,” said participating artist Sean Halstead.

The photographer, ceramicist and three painters were acquainted while attending college together and have known each other about four years.   

“We met through classes at ASU and Bret was the one who initially approached us to do our first show with him,” said Stacey Mata, an abstract and realism painter.

Bret Christopher explained how he wanted to have a show in order to let other artists know there is a capacity for art exposure even if its not in a museum or well known gallery.

“We all can appreciate each others styles and interpretation of art without judgment,” Christopher said of his collaborative art show.

In February of 2014 Christopher, Halstead, and Mata, along with Jessica Garrido and Horacio Casillas, hosted Contrasting Concepts at the Coop Gallery.

“We tried to do an all black and white show, but it proved to be too difficult,” Halstead said of last year’s event.

Horacio Casillas, the sole ceramicist in the exhibition, explained that rather than having a theme for their show, they arrange the art so that each piece compliments the others within the gallery.

Jessica Garrido stated, “Each person in our group has their own style and their own medium that they work with, which makes this show more unique.”

Although the five artists did not labor on their pieces being thematic, Mata does point to a deeper relationship within their art. “Without having a specific theme, we are allowed to maintain our individual style in its purity. The connection is that it's a direct reflection of us,” she said.

While the artists no longer live in the same city, the show is a chance for them to take an intermission from their daily lives.

Mata said, “Simply, we are just five artists, who for three days, want to share our work with the community.”

The Art Intermission exhibition and art sale is free to the public. The show will commence March 26 and conclude Saturday, March 28. Due to the artists’ participation in the 16th Annual Stribling Art Show the opening reception for Art Intermission will be held on Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Coop Gallery.

Bret Christopher

Current Location: San Angelo

As a transplant to San Angelo Christopher says he has seen a trend within  art communities.“Not everyone is what they seem or say to be in the art scene which I find sad but exists in all scenes. You can see the difference between artists who create out of passion and talent or therapy versus the ones who focus on profit and self image first.”

He describes his work as a progressing process for himself.

“I'm a simple person. Paint, draw, skate, create and watch movies.”

Jessica Garrido

Hometown: Cheyenne, Wyo.

Current Location: San Angelo

Occupation: Studio Educator/Graphic Designer

Degree: BFA Fine Arts: Graphic Design with Teaching Certification

Garrido, an art educator at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, spends her time teaching art to students and families as well as creating art for the public and instilling creativity.

“My work is mostly minimalistic,” Garrido said. “For this show, I focus on logical information or statistics, and turning it into art. The information controls the outcome of the artwork. In the end, each person involved is learning something, me while making the art and studying the information, and the viewer as they interpret the art.”

Stacey Mata

Hometown: Muleshoe

Current Location: Lubbock

Occupation: Freelance/Graphic Designer

Degree: BFA-Graphic Design

“I am very appreciative of the education I received at ASU,” Mata said. “As an artist, as well as a human being, learning the good, bad and ugly aspects of visual communication are things I am constantly aware of and try to improve on.”

Mata describes her work as delicate, complex and in some cases, dramatic. Mata says, “I enjoy being detail oriented in my realism pieces and more expressive in my abstract pieces. Each piece is composed of primary, black, & white pigments.”

Sean Halstead

Hometown:  Rosenberg

Current Location:  Valera

Degree:  BFA Graphic Design from ASU, BS Wildlife Management from Tarleton State

Halstead, an Army veteran who likes to spend as much time as he can in the Big Bend region, says that his education from ASU has taught him the basics of art and has inspired him to continue to learn more about the art world. “An artist can never stop learning,” he said.

“Most of my work is composed inside of a digital camera,” Halstead said. “Whether it is my full frame DSLR Canon 6D, or my iPhone, the emotion that I see thru the lens is the same. I try to capture my mind, body, and soul’s perception of this great world. And then I have my images infused onto aluminum to give them an unique appearance.”

Horacio Casillas

Hometown: San Angelo

Current Location: San Angelo

Occupation: Linguistic Tutor

Degree: BFA Ceramics

Casillas said participating in the show gives him experience in putting together an exhibition of his work, while also providing an opportunity for his friends and family to check out what he has been working on.

He will begin a masters degree program at the University of North Texas in the fall, specializing in ceramics.

“A lot of my work is made to look organic and, given that most of my pieces are wheel-thrown, they are made up of curvilinear shapes,” Casillas said.