As a Texas artist, my work explores the vanishing landscape of small-town Texas, where the echoes of a bygone era linger in weathered relics and fading memories. I am drawn to Kopperl, a small community in Bosque County and Lake Whitney, where my family has deep roots and where the train once stopped before the town slowly quieted. The decaying storefronts, grain silos, and farm buildings that remain stand as silent witnesses to the passage of time, carrying stories of drought, resilience, and the changing rhythms of rural life.

Through on-site photography and memory, I gather fragments of these places—both the physical textures of collapsing wood and the melodies of family gatherings and to weave into my paintings. Working on layered clear or matte Dura-Lar sheets , I airbrush and brush transparent veils of color to create depth, blending romanticized perception with the stark reality of decay. This process allows me to merge personal recollection with historical evidence, preserving the spirit of a community while acknowledging its gradual disappearance.

The Keeping Kopperl series serves as both documentation and meditation: an attempt to keep the stories of Kopperl alive even as its buildings fade. By capturing these spaces, I invite viewers to reflect on the beauty in everyday impermanence, to consider the shifting dynamics of rural Texas, and to recognize that memory, like paint can both preserve and transform what time leaves behind.