GRIT AND GRACE
OPENING RECEPTION: THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2025
EXHIBITION ON VIEW: JANUARY 16 – FEBRUARY 8, 2025
William Campbell Gallery is thrilled to announce the upcoming exhibition, Grit & Grace, showcasing the works of a diverse group of artists who masterfully blend resilience and elegance in their creations. This compelling exhibition will be open to the public from Thursday, January 16 through February 8, 2025.
Rooted in tradition, Grit & Grace reflects the hard work, strength, resilience and beauty embodied in cowboy culture through an array of artistic expressions. The featured works capture both the raw and refined aspects of their subjects, offering a dynamic and thought-provoking visual experience. Hyper-realistic drawings depicting cowboys and ranch life celebrate the rugged beauty of the land and the determination required to thrive in wide-open spaces. These pieces evoke themes of labor and survival, offering a timeless portrayal of strength and character.
At the same time, the exhibition juxtaposes the allure of the rugged lifestyle and rodeo culture with contemporary perspectives on identity, resilience, and transformation. Themes of solitude, acceptance, and adaptability emerge, emphasizing the enduring spirit required to navigate life’s challenges while embracing change.
The works on display encompass a range of styles and mediums, focusing on the interplay of color, shadow, texture, and composition to capture both the grit and grace of the human experience. Through compelling narratives and striking visuals, Grit & Grace invites reflection on the resilience needed to navigate life’s challenges, highlighting the beauty found in struggle, strength, and transformation.
Join us for the opening reception on January 16, 2025, from 5 PM to 8 PM CST, to meet the artists and experience their extraordinary work.
Click here to preview the exhibition.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
WHITNEY AVRA
Whitney Avra is a contemporary mixed-media artist working with vintage portraiture photography to explore phases and facets of feminine identity. Each piece is a process of layering, listening, and learning about the ways women give and receive, love and hold space, bond with sisters, and shed societal constraints to step into their wild power.Avra’s first series of work, “The Matriarchs” was inspired and influenced by modern women. She is a contemporary mixed-media artist working with vintage portraiture photography to explore phases and facets of feminine identity.
WOODROW BLAGG
Woody Blagg was best known for his large-scale, hyper-realistic graphite drawings depicting cowboy culture. Mr. Blagg was also an accomplished photographer and inspired his younger brothers, Daniel, Dennis, and Doug to pursue the arts. He attended the Dallas Art Institute and later the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia. His work was deeply influenced by his travels and experiences on ranches in Texas.
REAGAN CORBETT
Currently based in Houston, TX, Corbett’s career has taken flight, fully immersing herself into the Texas art community and furthermore deepening her study of art and worldly perspectives. In the wake of the current feminist and social revolution, Corbett is heavily influenced by social dilemmas and how they affect our society. Both her visual and conceptual focus are rooted in American pop culture; Corbett’s work, while simple at first glance, offers open-ended questions for the viewer to contemplate.
MARSHALL HARRIS
Born in San Antonio, Marshall K. Harris spent his childhood growing up in various cities and states across the United States while his father was in the armed forces. Harris received his BFA in Graphic Design from Texas Christian University in 1979, when he was drafted by the NFL (1979) by the New York Jets. His work is known for its meticulous detail and thought-provoking content, often exploring themes of identity and the human experience. Harris has received several awards and his work is held in numerous collections.
MAXINE HELFMAN
Maxine Helfman is a self-taught photographer whose work focuses on the intersection of history and contemporary issues of race and identity. Her portraits, inspired by painting, are reminiscent of the works by Dutch Masters, while her narrative work draws from works of fiction. Helfman’s photographs have been exhibited internationally, featured by CNN, Telegraph UK, British Journal of Photography, and are part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Art Houston, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Tweed Museum.
MAURICE PACIUS
Maurice Pacius is a Haitian American photographer originally from Virginia. He began his photography journey at an early age while traveling with the United States Navy. Pacius skillfully combines storytelling with artistic expression across various photographic genres. Currently based in Fort Worth, Texas, his work captures intricate details and tells compelling stories, showcasing a high level of craftsmanship and creativity.
RANDALL REID
Randall Reid’s artwork is the result of his constant exploring, processing and responding to the world. His reclaimed wood, tin, and steel paintings reflect a sense of renewed life with ties to the process of aging, antiquity, and historical memories. His modular collages of found objects offer meditations on the passage of time, the effects of chance and the plastic nature of memory. He deconstructs, transforms and freezes materials into new incarnations – objects extracted from the past and imbued with its presence.
LUTHER SMITH
Luther Smith, a distinguished photographer based in Fort Worth, is renowned for his captivating landscape photography that intricately explores the beauty and complexity of the natural world. Smith’s photographic journey began with a focus on capturing the people in his immediate surroundings, including friends and family. In 1983, Luther Smith’s move to Texas marked the beginning of a series centered around High School Rodeo, evolving into a broader exploration of landscape photography using large-format cameras.
BOB WADE
The inspiration for Bob Wade’s paintings is derived from his extensive collection of vintage photographs and postcards of Tex-Mex, Hollywood film stars, rodeo stills, and undeniably unique subject matter. By employing uncharacteristic, whimsical hues reminiscent of Technicolor films, Wade celebrates the spirit of the legendary characters depicted throughout his works and gives them an enduring place in history.
TORI WHITE
Tori White is an American painter based in Teton Valley, Idaho. White’s work draws from her background in storytelling as a writer and an actress. Her paintings often feature lonely characters and objects that allow the hint of a larger story but leave the viewer to wonder. The depth of oil over wood panel creates movement and emotion using clouds and shadow to create ominous energy. Each piece tells a specific story from a different character, or maybe the artist’s alter ego.
CAMILLE WOODS
Camille Woods is a self-taught contemporary figurative painter. Woods’ work explores the day-to-day human experience through the lens of her own life and journey, creating paintings that explore themes of solitude, belonging, acceptance, and resilience – capturing the emotional depth of our capacity to adapt to the ever-changing terrain of life. Through the interplay of color, shadow, and composition, Woods aims to evoke a strong sense of place, drawing inspiration from the diverse tapestry and cultural richness of the Southwestern and Appalachian regions.