CROSSLEY GALLERY

February 20 - 21, 2026

Artist reception: February 20th
 

Ringling College of Art and Design is pleased to present When the Cloud Comes, a focused exhibition of recent work by Anastasia Theofanous, a New York–based mixed-media artist currently completing her senior year in the Fine Arts Department.

 

Theofanous’s practice investigates the intersection of architecture, nature, and time. Drawing inspiration from transitional environments—abandoned structures, weathered surfaces, and places where natural growth begins to reclaim the built world—her work embraces decay as an active, ongoing process. Using layered materials such as image transfers, oil, and dirt, she constructs textured surfaces that echo erosion, accumulation, and renewal.

 

In her current body of work, Theofanous turns her attention to dappled light cast across sidewalks. Soft, irregular patterns of shadow and illumination drift across concrete-like textures, creating quiet studies in tonal variation. Subtle shifts of gray and raised surfaces bring depth and movement to each piece, evoking the fleeting moment when sunlight filters through leaves and settles on the ground.

 

When the Cloud Comes highlights Theofanous’s continued exploration of environments in flux—spaces shaped equally by human touch and natural transformation. Each painting operates as its own layer within this ongoing cycle, simultaneously documenting and reimagining the persistence of time.