Stan State Art Space is proud to host the top three artist from the Stan State Alumni Exhibition. The Alumni Exhibition featured the most comprehensive exhibition of Stanislaus State Art Department alumni ever assembled with artists whose careers began after graduation between 1960 and 2024. Over 500 alumni were contacted to participate in this special juried exhibition.
- Exhibition May 29, 2025 – June 27, 2025
- Reception Thursday, June 12 from 6:00 — 8:00 pm
- Artist Talk at 6:30pm
Vivian M Patton - First Place
My art practice started seriously when my husband and I started a graphics business. I worked as an illustrator doing design, illustrations, creating business brands, murals, and prepared art for carved and etched glass. When the economy went into a recession, I went to college. While I was working on my B.A. in fine art, I was teaching art classes through a local art supply store. I also worked in a Stanislaus County program called STARS where I taught mural classes. My students worked together and made a mural for their school. During the summer, I worked with Gifted Student programs teaching art. After receiving my B.A. in fine art, Magna Cum Laude, at CSU Stanislaus, I realized I loved working with children. I changed my goal and got my teaching credential for elementary education. During the 22 years, I taught I worked with Kindergarten through Sixth grades. Including art in my curriculum was a special way for my students to learn and retain the information.
At retirement from education, I went back to doing artwork. Over the past 14 years, I have been working on my own. I am working on my projects and commissions. The commissions are steady work and the art projects allow me to share my experiences, thoughts, and stories. I work on collections for exhibitions and fundraisers for causes important to me. I am always surprised how fresh and new my time making art is even after all these years. Art has always been my source of strength and peace at the same time.
Artists Statement
When looking at my work as a whole, there is not one style because there is not one way that I think I can express what I want to. I am drawing my perspective of the reality that I attempt to understand. Reality is hard to hold onto, and I am not sure it even exists. I believe that is the reason why I am constantly bouncing back and forth from realism to altered realistic images. The realistic images are set on a foundation. The layered images deal with movement, sound, and the passing of time spiritual energy feels and looks soft and blurred in my view so that is what I use for those pieces. The art I make is what I am passionate about and what I want to begin to discuss visually with my images. I often feel self-centered but making art is an inside job.
I was the quiet daughter in a loud family. From an early age, art was my way to cut through the noise and chaos. Others were able to see what I drew. They never wanted to hear what they were about. I spent a lot of time alone drawing and as I got better my family and teachers began to notice.
Being around many people can be exhausting for me but I have learned that everyone has a story and people are very interesting. People, animals, places, and times are all excellent motivation for art possibilities. My studio is my sanctuary and drawing is my therapy.
Those who view my work come from different circumstances. My intentions are different for the different situations such as commissions, fundraisers, personal statements, etc. Portraits can be very personal for the person I am drawing and I want them to see themselves in the work but also the subtle nuances that I see in them as well. Some of those who are in my work have stories that may connect with viewers. When I am making a self-portrait, the message is mine but I am hoping for a reaction of understanding even if they do not like what they see.
Other pieces of work that relate to a more abstract subject are my way of trying to understand the unknown. The viewer and I go to a time or space that is foreign and unclear. I can only guess what was in another time and encourage them to imagine as I do.
I have experimented with many methods and found drawing to be the most authentic way for me to make art. Pastels are the most versatile medium I can use in drawing. Even though pastels are a drawing medium, they can be used as a watercolor, thick like oil paint, and have the ability to blur or be transparent. I can make very small details or a swath of soft blurry color. Charcoal and graphite are also favorite mediums I like to use. Sometimes the artwork will require different kinds of materials that fall into the collage category. The subject I am working on is unique in what it requires to be finished. Often, when I am working, it becomes clear, what to use and how to use it. The artwork has an energy that guides me to the next step. Every piece is a lesson for the next piece.
Cristal Tadeo - Second Place
Cristal Tadeo is an artist residing in the rural central valley of California. She earned her B.F.A in Art from California State University, Stanislaus, her M.F.A from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at Maryland Institute College of Art and a Masters in Education and single subject credential from National University. She currently teaches beginning 2D and 3D art at Golden West High School. Cristal enjoys working with processes and mediums that include needle felting, fabric and the use of mixed media. She is inspired by healing practices to mitigate unresolved triggers, vintage toys and soft textures.
Artist Statement
I have developed a new style recently of needle felted works and soft sculptures that lend itself to childhood memories that capture an innocence, wonder and a vibrancy of color that brought me immense joy. These sculptural relics are frozen in time to encapsulate and emphasize a gesture of feeling nurtured and inspire a reflection of growth that in turn acts as a means to healing the inner child. The process of needle felting such as poking the wool over and over again is like a meditative practice for me because it allows me to be mindful as to what I am doing so I don’t poke myself as well as creating a sense of emotional relief and self awareness.
Amanda Trask - Third Place
Amanda Trask is a mixed media artist based in Modesto, California, whose work explores the emotional complexities of the human experience. Working primarily with acrylic paint and mixed media, Amanda creates layered, figurative imagery that captures vulnerability, resilience, and introspection. Her pieces often feature idealized figures marked by emotional scarring—visual metaphors that challenge viewers to examine the tension between sorrow and strength.
Amanda holds a BFA in Mixed Media with a minor in Art History from CSU Stanislaus (2017) and an MA in Humanities with Honors from CSU Northridge (2022). Her work has been exhibited in galleries throughout California’s Central Valley and in national online art shows. In addition to her personal studio practice, Amanda serves as the Cultural Arts Marketing Coordinator at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts in Tracy, California. She is also an experienced educator, having taught art to students of all ages and abilities across a range of media, including ceramics, fused glass, drawing, painting, and digital art.
Artist Statement
My work is a reflection of personal and shared emotional experiences—moments of sorrow, longing, and resilience that connect us as human beings. Through figurative forms and intentional scarring created by layered techniques, I aim to depict the complexities of inner strength and vulnerability. The figures in my work are not just representations—they are emotional vessels, shaped by the moral and existential questions we face as individuals and as a society.
I gravitate toward acrylics and mixed media as primary materials, allowing for a balance between control and spontaneity. These mediums help me build texture, emotion, and depth—each layer becoming part of the story I’m telling. The process itself is an exploration of healing and identity, leaving behind marks that invite curiosity and evoke empathy in the viewer.
Ultimately, my art is meant to be a space for introspection—for recognizing the scars we carry, and the beauty that can still emerge from them.
Updated: May 13, 2025