Rockport, TX
betsy.klesse@gmail.com
https://meklesse-designs.com
Instagram: @meklesse

Representation
Galeria Azur (Miami | Paris | New York) — Represented Artist, Coming April 2026
Artsy — Artist Profile, Coming April 2026

Coast Modern Studio Gallery-2021-present 

Saatchi Art online- 2019- Present

Public Art

2026–2027 — It’s Our Pride, temporary installation, Metro Houston Midtown, Houston, TX
2021–2022 — Rockport Weathers the Storms, 10-piece installation, Rockport-Fulton, TX

Solo Exhibitions

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 — The New Normal, Coast Modern / Daily Grind, Rockport, TX

Selected Exhibitions

2026 — Salon Show, One Art Space (Artist Talk Magazine), Tribeca, NY
2025 — International Encaustic Art Exhibit, Cooperstown, NY
2025 — Wig-Out Invitational, K Space Contemporary, Corpus Christi, TX
2025 — San Antonio Art League Museum, San Antonio, TX
2025 — Wet Paint, Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI

2024 — Canadian Encaustic Conference, Ontario, Canada
2024 — Off the Walls, Arts Southeast, Savannah, GA
2024 — Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX
2024 — Elements of Contrast, Artifex Gallery, Houston, TX
2024 — Texas Artists Exhibition, Beeville Art Museum, Beeville, TX

2023 — Texas Artists Exhibition, Beeville Art Museum, Beeville, TX
2023 — Walk a Mile in Their Shoes (Featured Artist), Alta Arts, Houston, TX
2023 — Museum of Encaustic Art, Los Cerrillos, NM

2022 — Malamegi Art Lab, Rome, Italy
2022 — Boomer Gallery, London, UK
2022 — Red Bluff Gallery, CA
2022 — New York Studio School Alumni Exhibition, NY

2021 — Album Cover, Whispers from Above, Austin, TX
2020 — 500X Gallery, Dallas, TX
2020 — Pratt Institute Student Exhibition, NY

Awards & Residencies

2026 — Little Bushkill Rod & Gun Artist Residency, Bushkill, PA
2026 — Marquis Who’s Who, Honored Listee
2025 — Hammer and Sky Residency, Nova Scotia, Canada
2025 — Arts to Hearts Project, Top 100 Emerging Artists
2025 — Washington Post Advisory Panel, Washington, D.C.
2025 — Marquis Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders
2025 — 1st Place, Expressions, Art Center of Corpus Christi, TX

2023, 2025 — Millay Arts Wintertide Residency, Austerlitz, NY
2023 — Featured Artist, Zensorial, Alta Arts, Houston, TX
2023 — 1st Place, Dimensions 50th National, Art Center of Corpus Christi, TX
2022 — Best in Show, Contemporary Gallery, Annapolis, MD
2020 — Grant Award, DreamWorks/Fineline Group, Fort Worth, TX

Collections

Museum of Encaustic Art, NM (Permanent Collection)
Museum of Wayne County, NY (Permanent Collection)

Northeast Health Services, Springfield, MA
Aransas County Navigation District, TX
Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi, TX
ClearWell Dynamics Corporate Collection, TX
Private collections in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

Bibliography (Selected)

Cortez, Michael. Voyage Houston, Nov. 2025
Arora, Lisa. Women in Arts Network, Nov. 2025
Ali, E. 100 Emerging Artists of 2025, Arts to Hearts Project
Kadan, Sophie. Penn Journal of Arts & Sciences, Sept. 2025
Awara, Charuka. Arts to Hearts Project, Aug. 2025
Milne, Grant. Artist Talk Magazine, Issue 38, July 2025
Wright, James. Voyage Houston, June 2024
Brown, Samantha. CanvasRebel, June 2024
Zhang, Saranna. PaperCity Magazine, Aug. 2023
Lindner, Gina. Boston Art Review, Vol. 10, 2022

Professional Experience

2020–Present — HSVASE Judge, Texas Art Education Association State Competitions
2021–2023 — Juror & Interviewer, Watercolor Society of South Texas

Education

New York Studio School, New York, NY
Pratt Institute (SSPFA), Brooklyn, N