SHOP New Works on canvas by Abby Houston
Seasons Come & Seasons Go
Curated by Emily Elizabeth Wise
Now on view at Albina Press SE in Portland, OR
(work will be shipped in March 2025)
In Seasons Come & Seasons Go Portland-based artist Abby Houston explores the intricately woven parallels between nature's life cycles and human development. Drawing from her professional background as a Licensed Art Therapist, art educator & parent of three creative daughters, Houston's pieces navigate the delicate intersection of growth & transformation, life & death, dormancy & awakening to life as they are woven through the journey of the emerging self.
Houston's visual process mirrors many themes: bold sweeps of color across the canvas, she embraces layers of chaos before methodically softening and clarifying these spaces through selective concealment of imagery. This layered approach creates a visual dialogue between disorder and harmony, reflecting both her artistic journey and the natural way clarity emerges from life's complex seasons.
The collection, featuring works like Goodnight Tulip, I'm Only Happy When it Rains, & DayGlow I & II, reflects Houston's deep connection to the rhythms of the Pacific Northwest and her ongoing evolution as both artist and mother. Working in the chaos & quiet of her home studio, she transforms her experiences from nature and nurture into abstract expressions. This reflective body of work plays with emotion, drawing inspiration from the profound beauty of the life & death cycle of change and renewal.