University of Houston-Clear Lake | Four artists commended at UHCL BFA Exhibition

Four University of Houston-Clear Lake graduating seniors were singled out for their bodies of work in the juried 2017 Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition, now showing through May 11.

The exhibition includes a variety of mediums, all created by graduating or recently graduated art students. The exhibition was juried by Dennis Nance, curator of the Galveston Arts Center.

First place and a $200 cash prize went to Natasha Dewar of Pasadena. Dewar’s portfolio includes digital photographs that blend realism and surrealism, deploying effects that pay homage to traditional film darkroom techniques.

“I’ve always admired traditional film photography, despite the fact that I’ve never had the opportunity to learn darkroom techniques and practices. That interest is what has inspired me to try and replicate those techniques and gain those same feelings through a digital approach,” she said.

Dewar is a student graphic designer with UHCL’s Office of Student Life, responsible for design of digital and printed marketing materials and promotional items. She also manages Student Life’s social media. She is the current president of UHCL’s Communication and Digital Media Association.

Viridiana Navarro of Houston took second place and a $125 cash prize. Navarro sculpts her projects in wax before casting them in bronze. With aluminum pieces, she adds a water-absorbing polymer before the casting, which makes each sculpture unique regardless of the mold.

“I understand that I do not have complete control of the ‘damage’ I am making,” said Navarro. “There is a juxtaposition of destruction and creation that I work with while trying my best to balance both and create visual movement.”

Navarro has also exhibited in the Surreal Salon 9 at the Baton Rouge (La.) Gallery (2017); The Big Show at the Lawndale Art Center in Houston (2015), and the Houston Area Community Collage Student Exhibition at UHCL (2013).

Amanda Varela of Pearland won third place and a $75 cash prize. Varela creates portraits using various forms of media to express the range of human emotions.
“We can never expect what life has to throw at us, whether it be something good or something bad. Sometimes we can control it, but other times, we can’t. When you see my art, I hope you see what’s I’ve seen and hopefully feel what I’ve felt,” she said. “My work grabs the viewer's attention and allows themselves to look at their own lives to see what they have to deal with, that is holding them back.”

Varela has exhibited in the 2017 UHCL Art Association Show, the Fall Graduates Show in 2016 and the 2013 Student Art Show at San Jacinto College South in Houston.

Dawn Hailey of Friendswood won honorable mention. She sculpts in ceramics and metal to convey her social-justice passions.

“I make metal and ceramic work that expresses and connects the viewer to my political activism,” she said. “I intend my work to get people to stop and think about the social, economic, and environmental justice issues in our current world and perhaps encourage others to become activists themselves. I want the viewer to pick up my work and see the world the way I see it.”

In 2016, Hailey exhibited at the San Jacinto College Alumni show. In 2013, she was awarded a scholarship from Houston Metal Arts Guild.

The winners’ works and the works of 16 other graduating artists are on display until May 11 in the UHCL Bayou Building Art Gallery, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Houston.
The exhibition is free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m. – noon. For more information, call 281-283-3376 or visit www.uhcl.edu/artgallery.

Four artists commended at UHCL BFA Exhibition

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