The work of Cara Jackson, B. Shawn Cox, and Layla Luna span media from acrylic and flashe paint to origami and fabric. Brilliant color and simplified subjects are common threads amongst all three artists. While the themes behind their work may vary, each has established a method of breaking down imagery then isolating and rendering elements most important to their individual concepts.
Jackson, Cox, and Luna were scheduled to exhibit during the West Austin Studio Tour in May of 2020. Due to COVID-19, the Dougherty Arts Center is closed to the public and their shows have been postponed. Please support our exhibiting artists by exploring the virtual content on this page including virtual exhibits, studio tours and more! Be sure to also visit their websites and Instagram accounts to discover what else each artist has to offer!
CARA JACKSON
ICONIC TEXAS
Acrylic paintings depicting landscapes are inspired by the plants and animals Jackson has encountered while hiking and camping in the public parks of Texas. She draws upon her graphic design background to define abstracted forms, and explore color relationships with flat areas of paint, leaving hints of texture for interest when viewed at a close distance. She celebrates our parks and wildlife, and seeks to remind locals and visitors alike that access to nearly one hundred state parks is available. Each offers its own unique character and inhabitants.
B. SHAWN COX
WESTWARD, FAUX!
Cox creates from personal or found vintage photographs and aims to capture, reinterpret, and share a moment in time. He is visually inspired by vintage images, advertising, architecture, magazines, 80’s pop music and literature. Narratives such as humor, cliché, irony, color and texture add layers of and meaning to his multi-faceted art practice. With his series Westward, Faux!, Cox delves specifically into iconography and subtext supporting and challenging the myth of manifest destiny.
LAYLA LUNA
FAST & FORWARD BUT STILL
This series of tranquil paintings by Luna are inspired from photographs taken on road trips through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona and honor experiencing the present moment. When moving forward, a person leaves familiarity behind while simultaneously rushing toward the unknown. Luna asks her viewers to stop and be captivated by the present. A defining aspect of her work is her multi-series studio practice. Each body of work may differ from one to the next in regards to materials used and specific themes, but two recurring interests serve as a common link: our interaction with nature and the attachments we place on objects, spaces, and architecture.