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Artist Bio

Elzie McCallister just graduated at The University of Texas at Tyler with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in 2025 with a focus in multiple different mediums. McCallister’s origins begin in Belton Texas, but currently resides in Tyler, Texas. Having started her college career at Central Texas College, McCallister has had her artwork published and recognized by local college exhibitions. Her works were also published in 2 editions of the Central Texas College’s Byways exhibition. McCallister then had the honor of getting into the student exhibition at the University of Texas at Tyler. Most recently, she was featured in a 3 person group exhibition at The University of Texas at Tyler entitled "Glass House". McCallister has found a passion in higher education, thus she has prepared herself to be a well-rounded professor through multiple jobs on college campus to better understand all the aspects of the student experience. 

Artist Statement

Regardless of the medium in my focus at any given moment, my pursuits are in exploring the universal emotions experienced by life of all forms. Furthermore, my work pushes the boundaries that define comfort in images that many would describe as uncomfortable. My body of work frequently includes imagery of the internal mechanisms of the human body paired with topics that touch on mental health.

I typically start with an emotion I want to convey and then manipulate the materials to reflect the emotion in the intensity of my own experience. A common theme in my materials is fabrics as they have flowy characteristics to them. In contrast, I use resin to harden and stiffen the fabrics to the desired shapes while maintaining the natural state of the fabric. My fascination with these elements stems from my appreciation for the shape and beauty of fabric illuminated by the illusionary power of resin. I do use various other materials as needed to support my creations.

The usage of high contrast and constant saturated colors is to invoke the viewer's senses equal to the intensity experienced in those moments. For my piece’s lacking a punch of color, I focus on stretching and exaggerating the limits of what is possible with that medium. My usage of darker areas is to create a clean and cohesive security for the viewer to take rest in, away from the aggressive reality in the coloration of my pieces. In contrast, my usage of negative space whites is to create a feeling of importance to what the piece is drawing your attention to. My goal is to give the viewer a place to push themselves to question the perspectives they might otherwise have surpassed as commonality.

portrait of Elzie
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