Artist Statement
Reclamation and growth are the lenses through which my paintings reframe trauma. I delve into the intricacies of that journey of recovering agency and finding strength amidst adversity. The natural world morphs into an inner landscape of the mind, with fantastical mounds of greenery and bloom. These vibrant scenes offer glimpses of transformation among the shadows of past traumas. These brain-like bonsais search unconventionally for ways of regrowing their pathway while the spaces they inhabit gain agency from their abstraction, as if the ground and sky try to envelop the leafy growths. In giving objectivity to that physical space, I forge shifts in perception and perspective, focusing on the cycle of the world shaping us and us shaping the world. Ultimately, my work explores the somatic rebuilding of the brain and how our cognitive realities evoke ancient roots being reshaped by our memories and our scars. On an individual level, these works speak not only to the rebuilding of my brain after my own physical and emotional trauma, but also to the revitalization and renewal that can come after personal and communal trauma on a larger scale. It is my hope that these works offer solace and inspiration to those navigating their own paths toward renewal, reminding us all of the boundless potential for growth and transformation, even in the wake of trauma.
William H. Soller studied Studio Art at Corcoran College of Art and Design, College of the Holy Cross, University of California at Berkeley, Southwestern University, and Houston Baptist University. His BA in Studio Art (Painting Focus) and Mathematics was earned at Southwestern University in Georgetown (2017). He continued his pursuit of the arts while teaching in the rural communities in the United States, but has since settled back in Houston. He is currently receiving his Masters of Fine Arts at Houston Christian University. He has shown his work across the United States.
EDUCATION
HOUSTON CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY MFA Studio Art, Painting / Houston, TX / 2023
SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY B.A. Studio Art, B.A. Mathematics / Georgetown, TX / 2017
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
THE BIG SHOW 2023 / Lawndale Art Center / Houston, TX / Juried by Dr. Katrina Fletcher / Jun 2023
THESIS GROUP SHOW / HCU Contempory Galleries / Houston, TX / Selected by Calos Canul / Apr 2023
TEXAS NATIONAL 2023 / SFA Galleries / Nacogdoches, TX / Juried by William U. Eiland / Apr 2023
FLORA & FAUNA / Memento Mori Gallery / Lakewood, CO / Apr 2023
RISING EYES OF TEXAS 2023 / Rockport Center of the Arts / Rockport, TX / Juried by Tanja Peterson / Mar 2023
BOTANICAL ART / Las Lagunas Galleries / Las Lagunas, CA / Jan 2023
NO ARTIST STATEMENT / Sanman Studios / Houston, TX/ Curated by Tania Breton / Dec 2022
COLLECTORʼS CHOICE 2022 / Studio Channel Islands / Camarillo, CA / Juried by Sarah Russin / Mar 2022
8th ANNUAL JURIED EXHIBITION / Artspace 111 / Fort Worth, TX / Juried by Caleb Bell / Jul 2021
MARCH 2021 GROUP ART SHOW / Jones Gallery / Kansas City, MO / Mar2021
NATIONAL ALL MEDIA SHOW / Chico Art Center / Chico, CA/ Juror DeWitt Cheng / Sep 2016
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
DISJOINTED // MEMORY // PIECES // TOGETHER / Apr 2017 Southwestern University / Georgetown, TX
ODE TO TOULOUSE / Sep 2016 Southwestern University / Georgetown, TX