ARTIST STATEMENT
My art is an exploration of my own emotions and sensitivities projected onto the world around me. My past work navigates feelings of grief and loss, questions gender dynamics, and reminiscences in childhood nostalgia through referencing old photographs. The harsh flash photography lighting mixed with soft oil paints or grainy graphite pencils blends these physical art mediums with digital photography, breathing new life and sensitivity into these images. My goal is to connect with the subjects I am depicting, as well as my audience by capturing these universal yet personal emotions we feel when looking at family photos.
The current body of work I am exploring has taken on a new direction. I am interested in the concepts of the inherent magic in mundanity while also deeply contemplative of our human existence in this world. Through my art, I explore how our environment both harmonizes and clashes with the natural world around us. Tall winding trees in sprawling suburban streets and families of deer sitting in neatly manicured front lawns create feelings of beauty and tension between these two worlds. I aim to call attention to this contrast, allowing us to be present and truly engaged with our own environment.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Madolyn Jewell is an artist from Missouri, now based in Chicago, who primarily makes oil paintings and graphite drawings. Madolyn graduated with a BFA at the University of Missouri School of Visual Studies in May of 2024. Her work has been shown throughout the state, in the cities of Columbia, Kansas City, and Joplin Missouri. Madolyn’s high-detail works are inspired by the aesthetics of both digital and physical photography, using those visual techniques to explore the complexities of human relationships, emotions, traditional gender roles and familial dynamics.
© Madolyn Jewell