March 29 - May 4, 2025
From Lydia Street Gallery:
“I’ve been an artist for most of my life. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to create beauty in any form, and the idea that it has the potential to make other people happy too is about as good as it gets in this world. I try to pack as much meaning and beauty into my work as I can. I am for individuality, for meaning, for purpose, for the experience of something sacred and universal. For that reason, I’ve felt an increasing pull towards creating art that is designed for the public, so that it can serve a larger audience. It’s hard to generalize, because I do a lot of different things, but some common themes emerge. I’m very intrigued by reflective and translucent surfaces, so those are things that frequently make their way into my work. I’m endlessly curious, and I’m sure that is reflected in my art. I use a lot of imagery that seems meaningful to me, in some dream-like fashion, and layer that with texts of all different kinds – Braille, music, diagrams, what-have-you – that add a level of content and contribute visual texture. I am fascinated by ancient alphabets and languages, and the connection with the world of spirit that lives within text. Geometry and pattern come to a living presence, with the realization that all of life is born from small, repeated inflections that map out to greater results.
In this particular exhibit, I also became enthralled with daily work in my journal, so you’ll see a lot of painterly ink works that grew out of that practice.
I feel that the word “artist” defines me better than “painter” or “sculptor” or “draftsman.” While those media are all things I work with, I see the art as occurring primarily in the realm of ideas rather than materials.
The ideas within my work are offered in the spirit of fascination and play, and in an effort toward beauty.
I hope you’ll feel welcome to join in that spirit.
-Jacqueline May
BIO: Jacqueline May grew up in a small Texas town, started painting at roughly age 11, and received a degree in studio art at the University of North Texas in 1988. She worked many years in the business sector of the art world, serving as Development Director and later Communication Director for Mexic-Arte Museum, and later writing the weekly “recommended” box in visual arts for the Austin Chronicle. After participating in small shows for years, she took a big risk and opened up her own art studio in 1997 following the death of her parents. Since then she has had numerous exhibitions and been blessed with a lot of great friendships both within the art community and outside of it. She has also danced and done yoga as much as possible, and has had several very magnificent cats. In between, she has traveled all over the place, picked up a couple of languages, and learned to play music. Her interest in spirituality has flowed outward from her personal life to inspire her artwork. She also likes gardening and nature, so it isn’t unusual for this type of imagery to make it into her paintings. Likewise, a bout of volunteer work resulted in an interest in the Braille text that is often seen in her art. She uses oil paint, encaustic, collage, video, and whatever strikes her fancy at the moment. Her work tends to include reflective surfaces and spiritual imagery, and she has a very fine time doing it, too.”
Reception: May 3, 2025 | 6–9 pm
1200 East 11th Street #109
Austin, 78702 Texas
(512) 524-1051
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