November 3, 2021 441 PM
ALPINE — Have you ever wondered what the peacock symbolizes? What is the spiritual meaning behind a crab? What a tarantula could possibly represent? According to Kendall Lopez, a Sul Ross senior completing her capstone art project this month, animals can provide so much more beyond their physical beauty. To discover the myths and symbolism behind these creatures, Lopez invites viewers to the upcoming art exhibition, Beneath the Beasts at Sul Ross.
The exhibition opens November 8 and is on view through December 10, with a special reception on Saturday, November 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. Regular open hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Studio Gallery in the Francois Fine Arts Building at Sul Ross State University.
In her practice, Lopez creates oil paintings of a range of animals and their symbolic meaning, and many of her paintings illustrate each animal’s personal uniqueness and purity in their natural habitats through the unique filter of her interpretations. These depictions of animals and their individual symbolism is something she has always been passionate about exploring through her art.
“Finding metaphors and symbolism through my art helps me tell the stories that I want,” Lopez said.
The young artist is a wildlife painter originally from Fort Stockton, currently working for her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at Sul Ross State University. She is a senior and won the 2020 and 2021 People’s Choice Awards at the Juried Art Exhibitions at the Ellen Noël Art Museum in Odessa. She also has some of her work at Gallery on the Square in Alpine. Lopez volunteered at Chinati and Art Walk for the past few years and helped paint several murals in Alpine with Carol Fairlie and other art students.
For more information, contact Lopez at (432) 360-6627, visit her website beneaththebeasts.com or follow @kickstartart21 on Instagram.
