Little Memories

Zoee Xiao is showing Little Memories at the Dougherty Arts Center from July 6 through August 15. The paintings are in the Julia C. Butridge Gallery, which is inside the center at 1110 Barton Springs Rd. in Austin.

The collection comes from the childhood memories Xiao shares with her own children. She describes it as a whimsical look at childhood, celebrating the beauty of simplicity, the magic in the mundane, and the kind of boundless optimism that colors a child's experience. The whole thing is meant to invite adults to slow down and rediscover a bit of that childlike curiosity. If you've got kids of your own, that shared part of the work might hit close to home.

Xiao is a Texas-based painter whose work pulls from two different worlds: she grew up in China and spent later years in the United States, and she brings those together by pairing the minimalist elegance of Eastern aesthetics with the bold, colorful expression of Western styles. Outside of this show, she's collaborated on the Microsoft 'Piano in the Park' public art project and taught a watercolor course with Etchr Studio.

There are two good times to catch her in person. The opening reception is Wednesday, July 8, from 7 to 9 PM, and she'll give an artist talk on Wednesday, August 12, also from 7 to 9 PM. Otherwise, you can drop by the gallery anytime between July 6 and August 15.