Alumni explore different life experiences at TXST exhibition

Mohnot graduated from Texas State in 2019 with a bachelor’s in fine arts. Around this time, she experimented with different mediums such as oil pastels and acrylic, as seen in her ‘In Between These Moments‘ series of oil pastel illustrations.

In 2021, Mohnot furthered her education and get her masters at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, where she worked in the fiber department. There, she discovered a computerized weaving technique called jacquard weaving, a textile production method allowing for complex designs in fabrics, which she used to create her piece for this exhibit.

‘Shifting Forms Mind Map Series #11’ blends Mohnot’s painting expertise with her weaving skills to create a unique abstract artwork. It combines many warped shapes of varying colors with lines of different length, width and intensity meant to make people look deep into their subconsciousness.

“I have been a painter for as long as I can remember, but shifting to a different material was a process for me,” Mohnot said. “Having that control in my hand, just like a brushwork, inspired this piece and many other pieces. The inspiration has always been to bring my painting and my love for textiles together.”

Jacqueline Overby, member of the advisory council at Co-Lab Projects, presented a series of needle-felted paintings in the exhibit titled ‘A Departure In Design.’ Using a combination of foam, rubber, wool, bristles and wood, she crafted a series of soft sculptures for the exhibit, bridging the gap between 3D and 2D works in the exhibit.

Overby graduated from Texas State in 2016 with a bachelor’s in fine arts and a focus on painting. Similar to Mohnot, she would branch out and experiment with other mediums, eventually developing a love for needle felting. She used her background in painting to aid in her needle felting projects, which she got into around 2019.

“I worked with raw wool fibers and needle felting needles, and I felt in the shape and then used some other contrasting textured materials alongside it, specifically some rubber tool dip, and also some brushes with some bristles and a plastic ball,” Overby said. “[I was] interested in a basic design approach and exploring some of these textural relationships,” Overby said.

Overby’s body of work largely consists of soft sculpture — many vibrant, round and colorful — while others contain more rigid shapes and monochromatic colors.

Benjamin H. McVey, a community art instructor at UTSA, submitted three works entitled ‘A Glass Vessel Inside Another Inside Another III, VI and I.’ These are still-life paintings, which are paintings of real objects as opposed to paintings conjured up from imagination, created using oil on linen.

According to his website, McVey was initially drawn to the glass vessels because of their “beauty and how quiet and calm they appeared to be.” They existed with intention and sureness, two attributes he wanted in his life. The paintings became a part of his personal search for simplicity, focus and purpose.

Part of his process is arranging the glass vessels he paints to find the right combination of colors, shapes and textures. This attention to detail is clear in his final pieces, as the artworks strike a great balance between the simplicity of the glasses themselves and the complexity of the arrangements.

“My drawing approach is very architectural and design-based,” McVey said. “That’s part of the graphic design influence I have brought into my paintings.”

McVey graduated from Texas State in 1995 with a master’s in communication design. He spent over 15 years working in advertising before shifting his focus to painting and studio art, with his past corporate career influencing his current art one.

Returning to TXST for the exhibition and reception, McVey said he enjoyed the entire process, as the artists could make connections, hang out and bond with one another.

“My favorite moments were dropping off and discussing my work with Rebecca [Marino],” McVey said. “I was able to show her some newer paintings that I didn’t submit. Then the actual opening itself was wonderful … and the after party at Zelick’s was lots of fun where I was able to talk to people more one-on-one.”

“Letting the River Spill” will remain at [TXST] Galleries until Nov. 9.