Desiree Vaniecia is a contemporary painter who is a McMurry Alum, and lives and works in Dallas, Texas. Raised in a matriarchal home, her work pays homage to her family and their legacy, her distinctive personal style challenges a stereotype of black women constructed by society and the media.

Vaniecia uses posture, physical interaction, or compositional format. With these elements, it helps her to evoke both vulnerability and strength of her figures and portraitures. Gesture and poses are presented as powerful, whether through sexuality or assurance. At the same time, facial expressions and anatomical detail are left reduced and neutral within empty or vague settings.