The Art
My practice explores the psychological aftermath of trauma, both personal and collective, through a multi-sensory, interdisciplinary approach. At its core, my work is an inquiry into the moral and emotional fractures left in the wake of social and political violence. I am particularly drawn to the silent, internalized struggles of both survivors and perpetrators: the dissonance of guilt, the residue of repression, and the mind’s quiet labor to reconcile damage inflicted or endured.
Emerging from this terrain are multi-sensory “artwork clusters” that weave together painting, sculpture, assemblage, and poetry. Each cluster originates in the emotional and psychological atmosphere surrounding its inception, allowing the work to act as both artifact and conduit. My oil and cold wax paintings, formed on unstretched canvas, mounted on rigid substrate, and floated within clear acrylic, offer a subtle dimensionality that echoes their layered emotional content. Sculptural forms, built from recycled plastic waste and finished with plaster, metal, and plant fiber, address themes of transformation, decay, and renewal. Encaustic works on board or cork incorporate botanical and fiber elements to create textured, tactile meditations on fragility and survival.
Music is integral to my process. As I work, internal compositions surface as auditory manifestations of emotional states, which crescendo during each piece’s completion. These compositions are often included in exhibitions, extending the work’s affective presence. In some installations, handcrafted ceramic “scent tubes” diffuse curated olfactory notes, further deepening the emotional and psychological dialogue between viewer, the object and the subject.
By integrating visual, tactile, auditory, and olfactory elements, I aim to construct immersive spaces where complex experiences, of damage, memory, guilt, resilience, can be more fully encountered. My work invites not only observation, but participation. It asks viewers to engage not just through perception, but through empathy.
Emerging from this terrain are multi-sensory “artwork clusters” that weave together painting, sculpture, assemblage, and poetry. Each cluster originates in the emotional and psychological atmosphere surrounding its inception, allowing the work to act as both artifact and conduit. My oil and cold wax paintings, formed on unstretched canvas, mounted on rigid substrate, and floated within clear acrylic, offer a subtle dimensionality that echoes their layered emotional content. Sculptural forms, built from recycled plastic waste and finished with plaster, metal, and plant fiber, address themes of transformation, decay, and renewal. Encaustic works on board or cork incorporate botanical and fiber elements to create textured, tactile meditations on fragility and survival.
Music is integral to my process. As I work, internal compositions surface as auditory manifestations of emotional states, which crescendo during each piece’s completion. These compositions are often included in exhibitions, extending the work’s affective presence. In some installations, handcrafted ceramic “scent tubes” diffuse curated olfactory notes, further deepening the emotional and psychological dialogue between viewer, the object and the subject.
By integrating visual, tactile, auditory, and olfactory elements, I aim to construct immersive spaces where complex experiences, of damage, memory, guilt, resilience, can be more fully encountered. My work invites not only observation, but participation. It asks viewers to engage not just through perception, but through empathy.
The Artist
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M. E. Klesse is a multi-sensorial artist based in Rockport, Texas, whose work has been exhibited internationally in cities including New York, London, Rome, Ontario, and many additional US major cities. Several of their pieces are part of permanent museum collections. Born in New Jersey, Klesse holds degrees in Philosophy from Rutgers University, as well as in Nursing and Management. Their professional background as a registered nurse and decades of volunteer work with alternatively advantaged individuals have deeply informed their understanding of the human psyche. This insight is further enriched by formal art studies at The Pratt Institute and the New York Studio School. Klesse's artistic practice encompasses oil, cold wax, and encaustic painting, along with tactile works in sculpture and assemblage. They create 'artwork-clusters', multi-sensory installations that integrate visual, tactile, and auditory elements, to engage viewers in dialogues about psychological trauma, survival, and the societal issues that contribute to these experiences.
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Public Installations:
Metro Houston: It's Our Pride
2026-2027 Midtown Houston TX
Rockport: The New Normal
2021-2022 Rockport TX
Solo Shows:
2025 Realms: Solace for the Silent Scream
Coast Modern Gallery
Rockport TX
2023 Binge Watch
Coast Modern Gallery
Rockport TX
2022 From Somewhere in the Middle
Ardest Gallery
Magnolia, TX
2021 Rockport Weathers the Storms
Rockport TX
Select Awards:
2026- Little Bushkill Rod and Gun Artist in Residence- Bushkill, PA
2025- Washington Post Advisory Panel- D.C.
2025- Arts to Hearts Project, Top 100 Emerging Artists 2025
2025- 1st Place- Expressions, Art Center of Corpus Christi, TX
2025- Marquis Who's Who of Emerging Leaders
2025- Hammer and Sky Artist in Residence. Nova Scotia, CAN.
2025- Wintertide, Millay Arts, NY
2023: 1st Place- Dimensions 50th National- Corpus Christi TX
2023: Bronze Award- Global Painting Conclave
2023: Wintertide, Millay Arts, NY
2022: Malamegi Lab Art Prize finalist, Rome Italy
2022- Talent Award- "6th Abstract"- Art Show International. L.A.
2022- Best in Show- "All Abstraction". Contemporary Art Gallery, Annapolis MD
2021- Gallery of Dreams - grant award
Collections:
Museum of Encaustic Arts - permanent collection, Cerillos NM
Museum of Wayne Co. - permanent collection, Lyons, NY
ClearWell Dynamics Corporate, Bryan TX
Catholic Dioceses of Corpus Christi, TX
Aransas Co. Navigation District, Rockport TX
private collections in U.S., U.K., Canada
Select Group Shows:
2026- Salon Show with Artist Talk Magazine- One Art Space- Tribeca NYC
2025- Salon Spectacular- K-Space Contemporary- Corpus Christi, TX
2025- International Encaustic Arts Exhibition- Cooperstown, NY
2025 YICCA International Contest of Contemporary Art, Participant- Venice, Italy
2025- small group, members- San Antonio Art League and Museum- S.A. TX
2025- Marfa Invitational- social media blitz
2024-Canadian Encaustic Conference- Ontario Canada
2024- South Texas Art League- Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX
2024- Museum of Encaustic Art- museum acquisition-Cerillios NM
2024: Arts Southeast- Off the Walls- Savannah GA
2024: Elements of Contrast- Artifex Gallery Houston
2023- Dimensions International- Corpus Christi- 1st Place
2023- Museum of Encaustic Art- Global Warming is Real - museum acquisition-Santa Fe NM
2023-The Alta Arts- Featured Artist- Houston, TX
2023- Red Bluff Art Gallery, Red Bluff, CA
2023- Beeville Museum of Arts - Texas Artist's Exhibition, Beeville, TX
2022- Cal Spring, California Art Club, virtual
2022- The New Artist II- Boomer Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2022- Malamegi Art Lab- Rome, Italy
2022-Bella Botegga- Magnolia TX -Guest Artist
2022- Spring -SVAC Manchester VT
2022- 56th Annual National Drawing and Small Sculpture Show- Del Mar College, TX
2022- Artsy: New York Studio Schools Alumni Show, NYC, NY
2021- Mil Milagros- K-Space Contemporary, Corpus Christi, TX
2021- Brushes on the Beach- G. Lee Gallery, Galveston
2021-3 person printmaking show at Diebel Studio- Rockport TX
Select Bibliography
Arora, Lisa, Women in Arts Network, Inside the Artworld of M.E. Klesse, Nov. 2025.
https://womeninartsnetwork.com/a-studio-visit-and-interview-with-artist-m-e-klesse/
Cortez, Michael, Voyage Magazine, Voyage Local Highlighter Series, https://voyagehouston.com/interview/m-e-klesse-of-richmond-on-life-lessons-legacy-highlight. Nov. 24, 2025.
Kadan, Sophie, Featured Profile M. E. Klesse, Penn Journal of Arts and Sciences, Sept. 2025. https://www.pjasmag.org/featured-profile/m-e-klesse
Ali, E., 2025, 100 Emerging Artists of 2025- Women's edition. Arts For Hearts Project Studio Visit Book. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/100-emerging-artists-of-2025-charuka-arora/1148587405?ean=9788198819482&fbclid=IwY2xjawOO0zdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF1aWdYa1hYVDZjUXFTWDhnc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhUpu_MRMOKj2_ZFJKNqjlgLMEFrf9VacWy2AwqofAF461SWxFcFa0ou_FfX_aem_04UPBv02OwRhsKSDZRFWaQ
Awara, Charuka, "Merging Research and Psychology in Art.", Arts to Hearts Project, August 24, 2025, https://artstoheartsproject.com/merging-research-and-psychology-in-art-m-e-klesse/
Milne, Grant, M.E.Klesse, Artist Talk Magazine, UK, Issue #38 July 30, 2025. https://www.artisttalkmagazine.com/issue-38
Wright, James, Voyage Houston, Meet Tenacious, https://voyagehouston.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-tenacious June 25,2024
Brown, Samantha, CanvasRebel, https://canvasrebel.com/meet-m-e-klesse/, https://canvasrebel.com/starting-your-creative-career-14/ June 21, 2024
Wright, James, Sensing Change, Voyage Houston Magazine, https://voyagehouston.com/interview/meet-tenacious-artists-artists-creative-connection-m-e-klesse-of-houston/
Zhang, Saranna, “Please Do Touch- This Houston Art Exhibition Defies the Usual Expectations”, Paper City Magazine, August 2, 2023.
Ellis, Brittany, “Multi-Zen-Sory Art Show”, Create Magazine Pod Cast, July 31, 2023.
Lindner, Gina, “Bosscrit Critique and Curatorial Club”, Boston Art Review, Vol. 10, Nov. 2022.
artwork sales: Coast Modern Gallery- Rockport TX. https://www.saatchiart.com/MEKlesse https://www.artpal.com/meklesse