Poetics of the Mundane and Empty Bowls

Silvia PintoSouza and Jeff Forster Exhibition

May 2 - June 4, 2026

Archway Gallery artist, Silvia PintoSouza, and Department Head-Ceramics at The Glassell School of Art, Jeff Forster, are focusing their dual exhibit on the transitory nature of life and of the scenes and objects that fire their imagination, capturing both a sense of permanence and of transition through their artistic media.  Work can be seen for purchase on the online store.

PintoSouza’s work transforms the common objects of our lives into something more lasting and meaningful. Starting with “real” subject matter, she creates an increasingly abstract work by simplifying or stylizing colors, shapes, and textures, often using many layers of much-diluted acrylic paint to build different tonal values. This permits her to push dark areas to the background and light ones to the foreground, evoking the many translucent curtains on a stage. PintoSouza chose to work in small formats, allowing her to use a wide variety of techniques that highlight her technical skill and attention to detail. “Small works of art offer flexible, practical, and stylish ways to make a statement and add color and texture to compact spaces,” comments the artist.
 
Forster’s work repurposes materials oftentimes inspired by cast-off agricultural and automotive parts he encountered in so-called “junk piles” during his childhood. Also, he often uses cast-off items during the building process, for example using packing materials as press molds, exploiting the negative spaces to make industrial-looking objects. In addition, he repurposes ceramic materials, such as kiln furniture, glaze waste produced in his studio, and pieces of clay from the reclaim barrel or wastepaper basket that he sees as having inherent aesthetic value. Forster is mindful of the environment—both in the sense of repurposing human-made detritus and of the profound impact of nature as a sanctuary and inspiration.

Silvia PintoSouza, a native of Colombia, received her Art and Design diploma from Byam Shaw School of Fine Art and Design (now known as Central Saint Martin’s School of Art) in London, UK. While in London, she met her husband, Marco, and moved with him to Rio de Janeiro, where she continued her training in metal printing, lithography, woodcut, and silkscreen. For the last 30 years, she has lived in Houston and has devoted herself exclusively to painting, with some sporadic escapes into ceramic. PintoSouza has exhibited her artwork in many solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe, and South America, and her artwork is included in collections all around the world. She joined Archway Gallery in May 2016. This is her fourth solo and two-person exhibition at Archway.

A native of rural Minnesota, Jeff Forster serves as head of the ceramics department at The Glassell School of Art, while maintaining an active studio practice. He has a BA from St. John’s University and an MFA from Southern Illinois University. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, winning awards including the Juror’s Choice Award in Ceramic Object/Conceptual Material and the Luis Jiménez Award for first place in Sculpture on Campus at Southern Illinois University. Forster was awarded the Helen Drutt Studio Fellowship with his residency at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and completed residencies at Atelierhaus Hilmsen in Germany, Lone Star College–North Harris in Texas, the Armory Arts Center in Florida, and Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center in Denmark. Forster has served on the Artist-in-Residence Committee at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the ClayHouston board, and the Fresh Arts Artist Advisory Committee. He also has been a board member for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts for the 47th annual conference in Houston.

Empty Bowls 

May 2 - 30, 2026

Archway Gallery, which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary as the oldest-artist owned gallery in the state of Texas, is once again honored to host a special exhibition to raise money for Empty Bowls Houston.  More than 30 artfully crafted, one-of-a-kind bowls by guest artists will be displayed along with work submitted by both 2D and 3D Archway Gallery artists. The Empty Bowls artwork will be available through the month of May with proceeds benefiting the Houston Food Bank. There is a special opening reception on May 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Archway Gallery to meet the artists and view these unique works. The bowls may be purchased and taken home the same day! The Empty Bowls artwork will be available as well on the Archway website online store.

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