FALON MIHALIC

ARTIST STATEMENT 2026

I am a sculptor based in Houston, Texas working in ceramics, painting, and environmental installation. I take ephemeral natural systems and hidden ecologies like local weather and water bodies and I give them form by mapping, making, and building their fleeting qualities into permanent sculptures and paintings.

I take my studio materials through a magical alchemy of transformation: clay is fired in the kiln, I formulate glazes from powdered glass, and mold making for casting involves a radical transformation of forming a liquid into a solid shape through a chemical reaction. I see similarities between clay and watercolor painting for their organic, flowing manipulation of water. Working with my hands helps me navigate a space between my artistic vision and what the material can teach me. I find that dialogue between my hands and the medium very satisfying. I’m often trying to convince a rigid material into a kind of flow state. A precise resin wave, a perfect color gradation in polycarbonate, a steel structure that feels light.

My studio is my laboratory. I rigorously test the colorful, moody and emotional qualities of ceramics, glass, and pigments to transform how we experience color.

My public art commissions tell the stories of fluctuating patterns and hidden ecologies. With my monumental artworks, I am revealing hidden ecological qualities and placing them at the forefront of the public’s imagination.