Ro2 Art is excited to present “Before the Darkness Settles,” a new exhibition by Texas-based artist Win Wallace, whose intricate drawings explore the relationship between humanity and the natural world. Known for his meticulously detailed pencil, conte, and charcoal portraits, Wallace creates fictional characters that exist within dynamic, surreal landscapes, blending elements of classical portraiture with contemporary themes.

Win Wallace was born in South Carolina and is currently based in Lockhart, Texas. His recent practice focuses on pencil, conte and charcoal portraits, as well as ink drawings. Since high school, Wallace played in bands and made scores of flyers for underground punk and noise rock shows. Over the years, he made posters for bands like the Melvins, Neurosis, Sleep, Helios Creed, The Jesus Lizard, DMBQ, Animal Collective, Scratch Acid, The Dead Kennedys and many others. He moved to Austin in the mid 1990’s to study drawing at the University of Texas. His drawings are influenced by history, art history, dreams, nature and pathos. The fictional portraits illuminate the unique and ephemeral beauty of the individual as an integrated part of the natural world. Wallace has exhibited his work extensively in Texas, throughout the United States and internationally. Influenced by Mexican Muralists and visionary artists, Wallace’s pieces are layered with hidden dramas and rich narrative complexity, offering viewers a sense of exploration with each detail. The depth of his work resonates with a sense of cultural richness and emotional complexity, making each encounter with his art a unique journey. "The full ecstatic bloom of a Bearded Iris only lasts a few days, which isn’t truly so very different from our own time here. I labor to depict every leaf and blade of grass with the same determination as the formal subject of all my work, because all of life endures the same cycle of flowering, faltering and finally fading away."