On View: Rock Paper Plastic
New Works by Melinda Laszczynski & Erika Whitney
Rock Paper Plastic presents sculptural paintings by Melinda Laszczynski and Erika Whitney that embrace tactility, color, and material exploration. Having attended graduate school at the University of Houston together in the early 2010’s, Laszczynski and Whitney are often in conversation about painting and their studio practices. Both are interested in how paintings can act as portals and reflect lived experience. The new, small-scale works in the show offer an intimate view of each artist’s dialogue with chance, immediacy and process.
Melinda Laszczynski Price List
Melinda Laszczynski Bio
Melinda received her MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Houston and her BFA in Painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art. She is a Professor of Studio Art at Houston Community College. Laszczynski was a resident in the 2016-2017 Lawndale Art Center Artist Studio Program, the Spring 2021 Artists-in-Residence program at the Printing Museum, El Sur in Mexico City, and the Vermont Studio Center. Laszczynski has shown her work extensively across Texas. Recently, her work has been at exhibited at the Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Gallery at UTA in Arlington, Point of Contact Gallery in Syracuse, NY, and Survival Kit Gallery in Cleveland, OH. Her work
has also been exhibited at Pablo Cardoza Gallery, Galleri Urbane, Pulse Miami, and the Amarillo Museum of Art 600 Sculpture Biennial. Laszczynski’s work is included in the collections of UTSW (Dallas), Toyota (Dallas), and Lester Marks (Houston). She lives and works in Houston, TX with her partner John and their cats Agnes, Krudler, and Ira.
www.melindalaszczynski.com
@mlaszczynski
Erika Whitney Bio
Born 1991 | Houston, TX, Erika is an artist and educator based in Houston, Texas. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Houston and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The University of Texas at Tyler. Whitney’s artistic practice centers on nonobjective painting and sculpture, with a focus on the exploration of materials. Her work examines the relationships between texture, form, and space, often utilizing unconventional mediums and techniques to challenge traditional artistic
boundaries. Whitney’s work has been exhibited nationally, including a recent exhibition at the Golden Foundation in New Berlin, NY. Whitney's artwork is housed in various collections, including those of MD Anderson Medical Center, Galveston Lending Library, and Tyler Junior College.
About the show
In this series of small works, I explore texture and the act of framing—both within the composition and through the presence of one painting within another. These portals draw the viewer in, much like life itself, where the mundane and the complex intertwine. Through layering and abstraction, I reflect on how everyday moments hold both repetition and depth, inviting contemplation within these non-objective forms.