Of the Sun I Meredith Pardue & Lucrecia Waggoner I Laura Rathe Fine Art I May 2

Laura Rathe Fine Art (LRFA) is pleased to announce the opening of, Of the Sun, opening Saturday, May 2, from 6:00 - 9:00 PM. This will be the third show pairing the talented, Texas-based female artists, Meredith Pardue and Lucrecia Waggoner. Meredith Pardue’s atmospheric, gesture-driven paintings evoke the quiet poetry of the natural world, while Lucrecia Waggoner’s porcelain sculptures and installations bring a tactile, sculptural lyricism to that same organic sensibility. Together, their works exist in a harmonious dialogue - Pardue’s ethereal surfaces unfolding like a landscape for Waggoner’s delicate forms, each enhancing the other in a pairing that feels both intuitive and exquisitely composed. Meredith Pardue presents a luminous body of new large-scale paintings that fuse the grounded essence of minerals and gemstones with an airy, fleeting sense of breath. Her layered compositions move effortlessly from rich, saturated jewel tones to soft, opalescent veils of color, catching and reflecting light as though each surface holds a subtle, living energy. Within these works, intricate chromatic fields and densely built textures unfold in dynamic, overlapping forms, creating expansive compositions that feel as though they extend far beyond the edges of the canvas. Lucrecia Waggoner’s porcelain sculptures transform a traditionally delicate medium into richly dimensional works. Composed of individually handcrafted vessels - whether presented as singular forms or gathered into intricate groupings - her pieces draw inspiration from organic elements such as flowers, landscapes, and celestial forms. Enhanced with materials like 22k gold, palladium, and layered pigments, her sculptures capture a luminous interplay of light, texture, and movement. The result is a refined and versatile body of work that brings elegance, depth, and a sense of quiet beauty to any space. Pardue and Waggoner's artwork can be found in various prestigious collections through out the globe. Pardue, based in Wimberly, TX, is an acclaimed contemporary painter whose work is widely held in prominent private, corporate, and institutional collections, including the SCAD FASH Museum, the University of Texas at Austin, and major corporate collections such as J. Crew, ExxonMobil, and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Her paintings are also featured in hospitality and healthcare collections ranging from The Ritz-Carlton and Norwegian Cruise Lines to New York-Presbyterian and Baylor Scott & White, reflecting broad appeal across both cultural and commercial spheres. Lucrecia Waggoner's work has been acquired into a range of private, public, and corporate collections internationally. Her collectors include major corporations and institutions such as BBVA Compass, Wells Fargo, W Hotels, UT Southwestern, and Halliburton, underscoring the architectural and design-driven resonance of her sculptural practice. The exhibition reception takes place Saturday, May 2, from 6–9pm at our Downtown Austin location: 907 W 5th St and is on view through June 6, 2026.