Texas Independence Day Festival logo, City of Navasota, Texas, March 1, 2023
This digital pattern was designed to be a repeating series of images to be printed on a variety of products and surfaces, and was originally hand drawn. It was digitized and inspired by the symbols which best represent the city of Navasota’s history, landmarks, icons and popular culture.
Manatee Illustrations
Figure 1: The four extant sirenian species and Steller’s sea cow (recently extinct). All five taxa are represented by DNA sequences. Cladogram of molecular phylogenetic relationships is a composite from Springer et al. (2015) and de Souza et al. (2021). Species distribution maps are adapted from the IUCN (2021)Red List of Threatened Species and from empirical H. gigas occurrence localities included in this study. Body size estimates are from multiple sources discussed in the OSF Data Supplement. Figured body sizes are at relative scale. Original paintings by Christine Holton.
Total evidence time-scaled phylogenetic and biogeographic models for the evolution of sea cows (Sirenia, Afrotheria)
Full article: https://peerj.com/articles/13886/
And earlier this year…
I was awarded The Navasota Artist in Residence — Horlock Art Gallery & History Museum in Navasota Texas April 3-September 5, 2022
Built in 1892 by Robert Augustus Horlock, the house is almost fully restored to the "Stick" Victorian Style with some Eastlake influence. The house was donated to the Grimes County Heritage Association in 1981 and is currently owned by the City of Navasota.
The Navasota Artist in Residence program gives two artists the opportunity to live and create art at the Horlock Art Gallery & History Museum. The house features living quarters, studio space, and gallery space, combining to create an unique experience and atmosphere for the artists.
Upon arriving in Texas, I was welcomed by the flourishing blooms of the Texas Bluebonnets, a signature spring blooming of these native wildflowers.
Token Texas bluebonnet pic! The following virtual exhibit is comprised of work created during the residency in Navasota and much of it was inspired by the unique botanical subjects of the region.
Fleld of Dreams, 36”x36” acrylic on canvas 2022 SOLD
The fields of Indian Paintbrush in southeast Texas are my new favorite color palette and my first inspiration upon arrival for painting. The expansiveness of the fields of these plants brought to mind the vastness of the neutral world and how it holds space for me to be in this new place. The brain represents my imagination, reasoning and headspace, and how the thinking and worrying mind can be soothed with visual beauty.
Lady of the Evening (Oenothera speciosa) ) 10”x10” SOLD
The Pink Evening Primrose is one of the first striking native flowers I encountered upon arriving in Texas. The colors bring to mind something delicate and yet open and inviting. I included the bones of the hand because the visual impact as I look at these commonly occurring wildflowers is almost a tactile one. Looking is like touching. I am grateful to have arrived in Texas to see them in their glory.
Jewel of the Brazos
The Brazos River is the longest river flowing entirely in Texas, with its watershed stretching from New Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico. Los Brazos de Dios, the complete name of the river, translates to "the arms of God."
While in Navasota, exploring the surrounding landscape has given me context for some of the Navasota stories and observations I’ve made in town. The Brazos River is represented as a sparkling body of water which is welcoming and sacred as its currents have carried cultures, cargo and life giving nutrients to both humans and ecosystems.
The Northern mockingbird is the Texas state bird and seen (more often heard) everywhere. I love the patterns on their feathers and can now identify them amidst other birds.
The pelvis to me represents joyfully and unapologetically taking up space in the world and exploring it without reservation.
New Sounds of Silence 24”x30”
The cochlea is the auditory area of the inner ear that changes sound waves into nerve signals. Here the subject is celebrated for its physical form, a quality of this organ which is not universally recognized. The cochlea, with its delicate canals and forms, is featured floating over a deep and still seascape, suggesting a quietness and the experience of listening for a sound. There is a quietness to the expansive landscape around Navasota that is new to me, inviting a more active listening and sensitivity to small sounds of nature.
Belonging 18x24 Acrylic on Canvas
These rain lilies were so surprising to me in May, when they would suddenly appear after a rain event, popping up in places where there was no evidence of their coming bloom. The wonder of seeing these flowers reminded me of something pure and untouched. The feeling of connection is represented by the anatomical heart.
The color purple also evokes a variety of meanings, symbols and cultural associations. In Hinduism, purple symbolizes peace and wisdom. In Catholicism, purple is closely associated with Advent and Lent. In Judaism, purple stands for redemption through God. In Egypt, purple symbolizes virtue and faith. In most African countries, it is a symbol of royalty and prosperity. In the United States, purple is the color of honor.
The purple dye manufactured and used in Tyre for the robes of Mesopotamian royalty gave Phoenicia the name by which we know it today (from the Greek Phoinikes for Tyrian Purple) and also accounts for the Phoenicians being known as 'purple people' by the Greeks (as the Greek historian Herodotus tells us) because the dye would stain the skin of the workers. Here the heart is held by Southeast Texas native rain lilies (Cooperia pedunculata), enveloping and honoring its vital energy and function within the fold. They emerge seemingly out of thin air, after a good dousing of rain.
A Memory (Gaillardia Pulchella)
This plant is also known in southeast Texas as Indian Blanket, a native flower which is at its peak bloom time from May-August. Found in fallow fields and roadsides, meadows and parks, the Gaillardia is emblematic of colorful views and botanical vitality. The skeletal hand is my symbol of what society terms “senior years” and also agelessness, emphasizing the connection between health in old age and spending time in nature.
A Loose Garment (Optic Nerve) 18x18
I have always loved the phrase “Wear the World Like a Loose Garment”. The meaning of that saying feels like a call to let go of our fears and trust that doing the Next Right Thing will get us through a challenging situation. This simple phrase has coached me through some challenges and is today a reminder to stop fearing change and to walk through it anyway. I was considering this saying while studying the anatomy of the human eye, and saw an image of the optic nerve head, which looked to me like an elaborate and glorious robe.
Sunset, McAlpine Street 24x30
On one of many evening walks around Navasota, I looked up to see this unreal sunset. It was a surprise and a delight to see such an interesting combination of colors and shapes together. The sensation of awe was there, and as I looked up at the sky I imagined my neck supporting my head and felt gratitude for its strength. My brother, whom I reconnected with while down here in Navasota, was born with fused neck vertebrae and experienced limited range of motion and visual perspectives. I felt grateful in that moment for the full range of motion in my own neck.
Our cervical spine consists of the first seven vertebrae in your spine, or the neck. It supports the weight of the head, surrounds and protects the spinal cord and allows us to move our heads in a range of motions.
Filled Up 24x24 SOLD
The view from up above this nightscape reminds me of feeling small as my child’s gaze wandered through the night sky.
This painting captures a moment of connectedness and joy experienced with a friend as we looked out from our perch on a fire tower out to a summer landscape of glittering lights in Bryan, Texas.
This moment was a time of feeling filled with a higher power or Spirit, in conversation about spirituality with my friend, and feeling unbound by my own physical body.
Choose Your Own Adventure 30x40
This landscape is a reflection on a view off LaSalle St. in Navasota. The sun was setting, casting golden hues over the spring meadow of Indian paintbrush, Texas Bluebonnets and blooming veronica. The colors were breathtaking, reminding me of hope and optimism, and for some reason kept emphasizing the need to release limiting beliefs. To let go of old ideas and open up to new ones, which felt even more possible since I was in a geographically new place without all the most familiar parts of my life.
He uterus is placed in the meadow to draw attention to the unavoidable truth that reproductive rights to abortions are no longer protected by the US government with the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Many women believe they don’t need local government to protect my non-existent unborn child, for those are personal decisions to make. The protection of my body’s health and wellbeing should be protected by the US government regardless of personal medical procedures and decisions. Here in America, everyone gets to choose how to support their body’s health and to in turn protect their bodies from patriarchal laws. For those without access to reproductive healthcare, it's especially hard.
May we all get the freedom to choose our body’s own adventures.
The Golden Memory 24x30
This imagined scene is an expression of a conversation about aging, an inquiry into personal beliefs and experiences of the process of getting older. I have explored my own beliefs and expectations about age, and shifted current perceptions of accomplishment and being a human, which allows me to find gratitude and learn new things.
The part of the brain responsible for memory and reasoning is the hippocampus, composed of neurons which fire and create synapses. Neurons do not touch each other, but where the neuron does come close to another neuron, a synapse is formed between the two. Synapse loss is the strongest correlate for cognitive decline in the human brain. Boosting synapses can happen through exercise, the foods we eat, and changing our routines.
A Winning Hand 11x14x2
This is an interpretation of acquiring money as a means of status or legacy. The colors and bony hand are meant to poke fun at the overemphasis on money as representing worth and a more meaningful life.
Unseen Garden I (Cornea) 8x10
The cornea directs light rays into the eye and helps focus them on the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eye, providing sharp, clear vision.
Each painting has been decoupaged with flowers found in Navasota. Their unique characteristics were observed and recorded through photography and sketching, and several originals are incorporated into these corneas as an affirmation of the beauty of the natural world.
Unseen Garden II (Cornea) 8”x10” SOLD
Let There Be Light (Live Oaks & Lymph Nodes) 50x57
The juxtaposition of tree forms and human lymph nodes was inspired by the looming, elegant forms of live oaks and the downward flow of leaf loss. Live oaks support microworlds of life such as resurrection ferns, insects, moss and lichens.
These majestic trees can live for over a century, keeping a record of climatic shifts and seasons in their woody cores.
Lymph nodes contain immune cells that can help fight infection by attacking and destroying germs that are carried in through the lymph fluid, which filters through all parts of the body. They cleanse the blood and prevent diseases, a biological process of purging what does not belong.
Leaves and flowers were collected from Victoria Park and neighboring areas. Funeral flowers were collected from the public trash can at Oakland Cemetery, Navasota, TX.
The unprimed canvas used for this painting was gifted to me by my late friend Dalia, an artist who painted throughout her cancer journey and lost to Lymphoma.
May 7, 2022, Kentucky Derby Party Live Painting Event- For over 2 hours I painted this 36”x36” canvas on site, inspired by the energy of the party, the beautiful hotel and the history of the art of the Kentucky Derby. This painting was later auctioned off and is now part of the P.A. Smith Hotel Permanent Collection.