Upon observing an image, the viewer wonders, "What is it?" and "What is the meaning?" The mind needs to make sense of the world. In order to understand, one must call forth associations and use what's already known to gain meaning upon the unknown. The viewer experiences competing perceptions when viewing an image. A person's age, beliefs, culture, educational background, experiences, expectations, interests, memories, religious background and values all drive perception to create a bias toward what one sees.

Christina Macal is a Houston native who enjoys formulas, wordplay, bad jokes and simplicity. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Studio Art Degree. In her current position at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, she research's Texas artisans from the 19th century. She has exhibited at the Visual Arts Center, Flood Gallery and Sojourn Heights, where she was a recent recipient of the Sojourn Studio Residency program.

On view through Nov. 8.