Maude Studios

ARTIST ALLEY BOOTH D-8

Currently based in West Michigan, Maude has been creating and teaching 2D art since

receiving her BFA in 2013. Originally a digital artist, she has experimented with mediums such

as fashion, sequential art, digital 3D modeling, mixed mediums, oils and acrylics. Throughout

her explorations she has found unifying threads of interest in themes of transitioning states, and

of fantasy leaking through our perception to the mundane. These ideas transcend the mediums

she puts to use, unifying her body of work. At this time Maude’s primary mode of creation

utilizes jewel toned oil colors, usually painting into a surface prepared with gold acrylic or

leafing. She observes and depicts her various subjects through a lens of fantasy and whimsy,

with the hope that seeing the world through a fantastical lens will bring us not just joy, hope and

light, but better equip us to face our own and the world’s shadows.

Artist Statement:

There is a certain peace to be found when losing oneself in fantasy that I find wholly unique. A

feeling of wonder that is often lost to us, as we take on the mantle of responsibility that comes

with adulthood. The magic you feel while undertaking your first adventure into Narnia, Hogwarts,

Tatooine, or any number of beloved worlds as a child is as precious as it is singular. I don't think

this magic comes simply from the escapism some find in stories, though indeed the ability to

escape we find in the pretend of our youth is valuable. Instead I find the magic to stem from a

feeling of hope, of newness and purity and otherness that we find in the worlds of our own

fantastical making. By immersing ourselves in complete fantasy, we can come back and see our

own world anew and with brighter eyes. Through the lens of make-believe we can look at both

the joys and sorrows of our lives in new and illuminating ways. We may appreciate anew the

light in our world and, perhaps, find better solutions to our darkness. This is the magic of

fantasy. I use this fantasy as the lens through which I view the world around me. I overlay the

fantasy worlds with my reality, and create the result. I find simply replicating reality a misuse of

my paint, and leave that complex practice to the world of photography. My work is infused with a

whimsy and a lightness that I hope brings that peaceful calm you may have lost since your

childhood.

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