Welcome to EXU

EXU was inspired by tabloid newspapers. I wanted it filled with images that have the force of classic crime scene photos as well as narrative art (prose and comics). The oversized format is designed to give the art maximum visual impact. This is why we publish one image per page with minimal text. The artists are mostly from Houston. They come out of the galleries, the street art scene, the comics world, and the magazine field.

Kelly Alison

Kelly Alison was born 1957, and in the late 70’s and early 80’s at the University of Houston she was one of the students involved with the original Lawndale Art Annex, (Houston’s first alternative space). In 1985, Alison was the youngest artist in Fresh Paint: The Houston School (MFAH and PS1). Alison is the Executive Director of the Lone Star Explosion, Houston’s International Performance Art Biennale. 

Kelly Alison has two pieces of art in EXU, including Trouble in Bugtown (above).

Seth Alverson

 

Seth Alverson received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Houston, in 2002 and his Master of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010. His work has been exhibited in Houston, Austin and New York. 

Seth Alverson has two pieces  in EXU, including this one: Landscape With a Ruined Foot.

Debra Barrera

 
Debra Barrera was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and currently lives and works in Houston, Texas. She received her Masters of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Houston. Her work has recently been included in a solo exhibitionat the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.

Sig Byrd

Sig Byrd (1909-1987) was a newspaper columnist for the old Houston Press and the Houston Chronicle. His column for the Press was called “The Stroller.” Some of these columns were collected in the book Sig Byrd’s Houston (1955), which is, alas, long out of print.

The drawing of Byrd above is by EXU editor Robert Boyd.

JooYoung Choi

JooYoung Choi was born in Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to Concord, New Hampshire in 1983 by way of adoption. While completing her BFA at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, she returned to South Korea and reunited with her birth-family. Since receiving her MFA from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Choi's artwork has been exhibited in Seattle, Chicago and Houston.

Jamal Cyrus and Walter Stanciell

Jamal Cyrus was born in Houston in 1973, where he currently resides. He earned his BFA from the University of Houston, participated in the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and received his MFA from the University of Pennsylvania. His has shown his work and performance in New York and Houston, including at Project Row Houses. 

Walter Stanciell is a native Houstonian and Third Wardite. He attended the Commercial Arts Vocational Program at Yates high school, and works as a professional sign painter.