Fresh off her recent art excursions in New York and Spain, Hexton’s Art Consultant Christina Grace Roig returned feeling recharged and deeply inspired. With summer on the horizon, she’s thoughtfully selected a roster of artists who will captivate collectors and audiences in the months to come.
Maureen Dougherty, Portrait, 2025, Oil on linen, 30 x 24 in
Maureen Dougherty
Maureen Dougherty’s portraits radiate an intimate theatricality, where bold femininity is softened by a dreamlike palette and gentle distortion. Within these works, the figure’s direct gaze is anchored by an interior world of patterned wallpaper and painterly florals, evoking both stillness and quiet tension. Dougherty’s sensual immediacy in her handling of paint — flattened forms, softened shadows, and saturated lips — offers a timeless subject viewed through a lens of memory and emotion. The work holds your attention not by what it reveals but by what it carefully withholds.
Rachel Garrard, Descending, 2024, Quartz and rock powder pigment on linen, 32 x 26 in
Rachel Garrard
In Rachel Garrard’s paintings, there is a quiet clarity. Layered mineral pigments and symbolic geometry come together like a map of the unseen. Though abstract, her forms subtly gesture toward the natural world — a landscape, a body, a portal — yet they remain tethered to something beyond perception, as if revealing a frequency just outside our visible range. Composed from hand-collected natural materials and guided by meditative intuition, Garrard’s work offers a sense of both grounding and transcendence. It invites us to consider that reality extends far beyond what the eye can hold.
Rodrigo Valenzuela, Airstrip 6, 2020, Ceramic, 15 x 20 x 5 in
Rodrigo Valenzuela
Rodrigo Valenzuela’s work at first appears industrial, evoking the weight and texture of rubber or repurposed machinery. But as one looks closer, the true material is ceramic, which completely upends expectations. This subversion invites deeper reflection on labor, artifice, and perception — a reminder that not everything is what it seems. Valenzuela’s sculptures channel a formal rigor rooted in modernist abstraction, yet they are grounded in his unique perspective on class, industry, and cultural memory, recalling the monochromatic assemblages of Louise Nevelson.
Carlos Rolón, Te Necesito, 2024, Fabric and printed canvas on repurposed tarpaulin, 40 x 40 in
Carlos Rolón
Carlos Rolón’s Te Necesito seduces with its lush embroidery and floral abundance, but its surface beauty masks a far more intimate story. The work is built on a FEMA-issued tarp once used as emergency shelter after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, transforming this utilitarian material into a site of memory, survival, and tenderness. The phrase “I need you” feels urgent and poetic. Recently exhibited at the Newfields Museum, the piece was acquired for their permanent collection — and it’s easy to see why. Every time I encounter it, I am moved.
Phillip K. Smith III, Sky Lozenge - Variant 2:3 (White), 2024, Aluminum, glass, automotive paint, electronic components, unique color choreography, 42 x 18 x 6 1/4 in
Phillip K. Smith III
Phillip K. Smith III’s light-based sculptures are less like traditional objects and more like experiences — meditative portals that evoke the atmosphere of a sunset, the breath before dawn, or the golden serenity of twilight. With subtle color progressions inspired by natural light phenomena, his work reminds us of the source we often forget: nature itself. This particular sculpture, rendered in white glass, diffuses light with an Impressionistic softness. Many viewers describe it as a kind of “heartbeat of their home,” a calming, uplifting presence that recenters their space.
Each of these selections reflects a deep commitment to a well-rounded collection — one that thrives on thoughtful engagement with a range of materials and dimensions. Whether through sculpture, textile, light, or paint, the common thread across these works is a shared softness in palette, form, and feeling. Together, they introduce new textures and emotional registers, enriching the sensory and conceptual resonance of any collection. A truly exceptional collection isn’t just varied; it resonates.
