Tucked behind some oak trees in a neighborhood cul-du-sac sits the converted garage studio of Austin artist Xochi Solis. Youthful in appearance, enthusiastic yet unhurried, she is quick to welcome you into the white-walled space full of paint supplies, collectibles, and scrap paper that serves as the birthplace of her layered, colorful compositions.
Solis thinks of herself as a painter first. Her organically shaped, bold and dynamic work — piles of mixed media and sometimes color applied directly to a wall — has earned her a devoted fan base, from art blogs to collectors.
Her process begins with paint, exploring colors and organic “blob” shapes, emphasizing brushstrokes with gouache. Then, following her color instincts — and mixing materials like house paint, acrylic, acetate, colored paper, mylar and found images on museum board — she layers. She steps back, then repeats until it feels right.
“I synthesize whatever I see into what I’m making,” Solis says. “I just want to see and experience everything.”
Solis, a second-generation Mexican-American, grew up with a graphic designer mom and a musically minded educator dad in a colorful home that reflected their heritage. She affectionately recounts being surrounded by cantaloupe-colored walls and music as a kid.
But she credits a middle school art history lesson for having the most impact on her future work. Learning about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera was the first time she saw art and tradition merge.
Today, she listens to music while she creates, and experimenting with color continues to be a common thread. From her heritage to music to exploring her surroundings, Solis finds inspiration everywhere. On the surface, these compositions seem like simple mixes of found objects and paint, but they’re also an abstract reflection of her experiences.
“The interconnectivity of being an artist isn’t different than other professions,” she says. “It’s all tied together, tied to your vision of what you want to do in the world. It all comes back into your work. Everything you see is something you can use.
“I synthesize whatever I see into what I’m making. I just want to see and experience everything.”
Along with a thriving art career, Solis also has worked as an art instructor and gallery assistant, and she was the executive director of the 2009 Texas Biennial. Currently, she acts as the director of events and public programming at the Visual Arts Center at the University of Texas.
She describes her job as “getting to do all the fun stuff,” like running new media series, lecture series and planning parties. She’s the catalyst between the VAC and the Austin community, continuously encouraging, connecting and energizing.
In addition to her own career as an artist and a full-time job, Solis is a member of MASS Gallery, an artist collective founded in 2006, which recently relocated to a new location primed for experimental art, musical performances and openings. She also recently mentored a young artist in The Contemporary Austin’s (formally AMOA) Advanced Young Artist Program.
Currently her work is showing in a variety of spaces across Texas, including the Advanced Young Artists Teen Artist + Mentor Exhibition at the Jones Center in downtown Austin through September 1. July 27 marked the opening of a solo show called “Volcanic Eruptions” at the Murphy Street Raspa Co. in Alpine, Texas.
Solis’ work may be a playful exercise in color and form, but it’s also intentional. This summer, Xochi is taking three weeks off from her busy life to attend a short residency program to learn about natural pigments and paper and cloth dying techniques through the Arquetopia Oaxaca program in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Those three weeks will undoubtedly add even more rich, colorful layers to her art.
Xochi Solis in her Austin studio.
Miranda Lambert, right, with rodeo queens onstage at the 45th Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon at Dickies Arena. Photo by Ashley Gongora 