Here’s How Making The World A More Artful Place Is Her #1 Goal

Portrait photography by Glen Carpenter

In a city as dynamic and diverse as Houston, where cultures collide and creativity thrives, it takes a truly singular vision to stand out. Enter Alisa Weldon, an artist whose work doesn’t whisper for attention; it sings. Known for her bold use of color, unapologetic brushstrokes, and instinctive compositions, Weldon has become a rising force in the Houston art scene and a beacon for those who believe in the emotional power of vibrant, unfiltered expression. Our artfully inclined Lance Avery Morgan, a decades-long colleague and friend, catches up with Weldon about participating in her new show, Passages, at Winter Street Studios in Sawyer Yards in Houston, August 23rd-November 8th.

Walk into her studio and you’ll feel it instantly: an atmosphere that hums with possibility. Walls radiate with kaleidoscopic canvases, each one a symphony of saturated tones and raw energy. It’s not just paint on canvas, it’s feeling, it’s movement, it’s life in technicolor. Weldon’s work defies the gray, offering instead a visceral connection to joy, intuition, and the messiness of being human. Her pieces invite you to look closer and then look inward.

Color is Weldon’s love language, but emotion is her message. Whether exploring themes of personal transformation, memory, or simply celebrating beauty in the everyday, Weldon’s art is both deeply personal and instantly universal. In a world that often asks us to mute ourselves, she reminds us of the power in turning up the volume and painting life in full spectrum.

As her influence continues to grow, one thing remains clear: Alisa Weldon isn’t just making art. She’s creating an experience, one bold, beautiful stroke at a time. That fearless approach to color didn’t emerge overnight. Weldon’s journey as an artist has been as layered and expressive as her canvases, rooted in curiosity, nurtured by discipline, and shaped by an ever-evolving relationship with the creative process. Initially drawn to design, Weldon has fully embraced fine art, always having an eye for aesthetic storytelling. Over time, her practice deepened, merging bold visual instincts with a more intuitive, emotion-led method that now defines her signature style.

A native Texan with a love for her state’s expansive skies and eclectic spirit, Weldon has long drawn inspiration from the natural energy of her surroundings. But it’s Houston, a city virtually teeming with contrast, complexity, and cultural richness, that has truly given her creative fire room to burn. “Houston’s rhythm pushes you to be original,” she’s said. “It’s a place where experimentation isn’t just allowed, it’s expected.”

Next up is her participation in the gallery show, PASSAGES, at Winter Street Studios in Houston, from August 23 through November 8. As she looks ahead, Weldon shows no signs of slowing down. With upcoming collaborations in the works and plans for more shows that explore color as a form of healing and empowerment, she’s expanding both her vision and her reach. Her dream? To create immersive spaces that envelop the viewer in a sense of feeling, a kind of emotional architecture made entirely of color, light, and texture.

Here’s a look at Weldon’s artful insight right now…

Your artwork seems to blend whimsy with profound themes. How do you strike that balance?

Alisa Weldon: I use color and gesture to invite curiosity, then layer in ideas that prompt reflection. I’m equal parts over-thinker and daydreamer. My work might reflect that tension…serious thoughts dressed in joyful colors, like big ideas wearing party hats.  It’s play with purpose. 

If your art had a soundtrack, what songs or genre would accompany it?

Alisa Weldon: Think indie folk meets emotions and lifelines. Prateek Kuhad “oh love”, Sam Ryder “whirlwind”, Joni Mitchell “both sides now”, Roy Orbison “Mystery Girl”, Maggie Rogers “Love you for a long time”, Emmylou Harris “Red Dirt Girl” or Pop Muzik “Song M” Emotional, unexpected, and full of color in its own right.

What’s the most unexpected inspiration you’ve drawn from for your art?

Alisa Weldon: I find inspiration in the tiny details, within nature, humanity, hardship, tennis, materials, and deep intuition. I see it in brands, textures, faces, and in the quiet, just as much as in the noise. There’s beauty and energy in what’s often overlooked.

As a “color magician,” how did you develop your unique palette?

Alisa Weldon: My connection to color began before I had words for it. I’ve always felt color first. Design taught me the rules, but emotion taught me instinct. I mix from memory, mood, or a moment from childhood. I don’t just choose colors as much as I gravitate to them. It’s how I feel my way through the work.

How do you handle creative blocks or moments of self-doubt?

Alisa Weldon: With “windshield” time, in new environments, quiet spaces, and by reorganizing spaces. Repetitive movement, like on a bike ride, gives me a pause for the a-ha moments. 

If your art could speak, what do you think it would say about you?

Alisa Weldon: “She notices everything. She gives attention to what others pass by. She redirects ‘negative’ into ‘positive’.”

Your studio must be a treasure trove of stories. Any memorable mishaps or serendipitous moments in there?

Alisa Weldon: My “work” that was immediately recognized and seen as ‘special’… happened one summer in an artist workshop at Anderson Ranch Arts Center. My desire to self-identify as an “artist” was discovered in a moment, freeing my mind and allowing me to paint big. The next work I painted, I didn’t use a paintbrush; instead, I used a clay-making tool I had bought for another purpose. That’s how my “LIVING JOY” work began.

How has your style evolved over the years, and where do you see it heading next?

Alisa Weldon: It started with precision and restraint (hello, graphic design) and has always been guided by meaning and a message. Aspen Heart Rock Project is where my watercolor work started. I merged found heart-shaped rocks with watercolor gifts to “share your heART” as a give-back project benefiting the American Heart Association and Anderson Ranch Arts Center. LIVING JOY was my first watercolor series based on feeling. MEMORY SERVES was the series that inspired my 8-foot pencil sculpture called “LIFE DEMANDS BOTH ENDS©, Dear Self, So what will you do today?” My work as a conceptual artist is anchored around meaning. I’m working on an artful gift bundle targeting ‘high school graduation’ with a mini sculpture and book right now. 

Your art often feels like a celebration. What emotions or messages do you hope viewers take away?

Alisa Weldon: A sense of pause. A lighter feeling, ethereal connection, and permission to dream. And the reminder that joy and meaning can live in the smallest brushstroke, sketched from a pencil or a connection made.

Let’s discuss the uh, “leaded” question in the room… your life-size pencils as art. What inspired their creation?

Alisa Weldon: The pencil is simple but powerful. “Life Demands Both Ends”© is a metaphor for beginnings and endings, mistakes and mastery, creating and refining. It highlights a simple everyday object and symbolizes life’s dualities… creation and correction, precision and possibility, boldness and humility, action and intention. “Dear Self, What will you do today?” is an invitation to live with intention, and it is what the artful pencil is based on, literally.

The best career advice I’ve received is…

Alisa Weldon: Wherever you land, connect to your community and give back. Leave things better than you found them.

Three qualities that got me where I am today are…

Alisa Weldon: Passion, confidence, and optimism.

Easiest career decision I ever made is…

Alisa Weldon: Make time to volunteer and give my time.

Due to my ongoing involvement with young artists and makers, I have found that…

Alisa Weldon: A job well done is about constant editing and loving the process. Being good at what you do means being a perfectionist in even the simplest tasks.

What is influencing me right now is…

Alisa Weldon: My studio community at Winter Street Studios in Sawyer Yards. Art materials, especially liquid mediums. Constant feeling that there isn’t enough time in a day for all I want to accomplish and make. And the constant financial pressure to pay for the work I know I am meant to create and share with the world. And always…nature’s quiet rhythms. This week, at a particular stoplight I seem to consistently hit, a dragonfly hovers in front of my windshield every time I pull up. I see all the signs.

How I made my first dollar…

Alisa Weldon: Selling painted rocks when I was seven.

First music I bought was…

Alisa Weldon: Tears for Fears, Prince, and Tracy Chapman.

Whenever I hear a Yacht Rock song, I immediately…

Alisa Weldon: Sing out loud all the lyrics.

Last thing I binge/marathon watched…

Alisa Weldon: Somebody Somewhere…a quirky, perfect balance of heartache and humor.

Book that left a lasting impression on me…

Alisa Weldon: Seven Days in the Artworld by Sarah Thornton.

My favorite fiction character is…

Alisa Weldon: Amélie Poulain. She finds joy in the smallest things.

My real-life hero has got to be…

Alisa Weldon: My grandmother. She made up with me what she couldn’t be to my mom. She always listened, wanted to have fun, sang and danced to country music, and made connections everywhere she went. She held court in a local Shipley’s donut shop and told me I was #1 and The Champ in everything that I did.

If I lived in a foreign city it would be…

Alisa Weldon: Korcula, Croatia. The food, the ocean, the people. The simple, beautiful life.

What everyone should try in their lifetime is…

Alisa Weldon: Making something with their hands and then, give it away.

If I could compete in an Olympic sport, or create one, it would be…

Alisa Weldon: Racket art: with a tennis racket in your hand and colored balls coming at you… (during the length of a tennis match). You’d have to create a mural against the wall by hitting the balls against the wall and calling out colors from ball machines with indicated color categories. The subject of the work is based on the Olympic theme and location. Best work wins.

If I weren’t doing what I do, I would be a…

Alisa Weldon: I would choose 20 careers that really interest me and spend six months in each of them over the next decade. 

A celebrity I would prank phone call, and what I would ask them is…

Alisa Weldon: Jeff Bezos, “Could you create a ‘back to the basics’ promo and for the most creative way someone can place an Amazon order with a pencil and paper?” 

My hidden talent that most people might not guess is…

Alisa Weldon: I can juggle… many things in life, including juggling balls. But I do make damn good spring rolls and gluten-free ginger molasses cookies.

If I had a superpower, I’d want it to be…

Alisa Weldon: Time pausing, just long enough to hold onto those special moments.

A simple way to get people to laugh is easy. Just…

Alisa Weldon: Own the mistake in a quirky way and make light of the serious.

A phrase I might overuse would be…

Alisa Weldon: At the end of the day…

My motto? Easy. It is…

Alisa Weldon: “Connect to the positive.”

Favorite scent these days is (because)…

Alisa Weldon: Fresh-cut grass. It reminds me that I’m alive and grounded.

My style icon is…

Alisa Weldon: Pixar meets Georgia O’Keeffe.

My personal style signifier is…

Alisa Weldon: Black Wilt shirt, black Kooniez pants, with colorful Dansko and a bright colored bandana. “Uniform.”

The classic designer I wish was still designing today would be…

Alisa Weldon: Elsa Schiaparelli. Surreal and fearless.

The last meal that truly impressed me was…

Alisa Weldon: Clean, impeccable flavor, and simple. At our house with… Grilled Copper River salmon, basmati rice, grilled broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

In my fridge, you will always find…

Alisa Weldon: Siete tortillas, a homemade 12-ingredient protein bar, pickled jalapeños, and Kerrygold butter.

My perfect day would end…

Alisa Weldon: Walk with my girl and dog at my side, homemade dinner and sketchbook in front of me, with a show and something sweet to end on.

What’s next? 

Alisa Weldon: Where God takes me… I’m listening without an agenda. I aim to inspire and offer an intentional pause to stay a little longer, whether you are drawn to my work or pondering its meaning.

The title of my autobiography will likely be…

Alisa Weldon: Go Ahead… Underestimate The Underdog. Or, The Pencil Was The Point.