AS: Can you tell us a little bit about your work.
MB: My artwork 99% of the time consists of dark and/or neutral colors. I gravitate toward neutrals not just in my paintings but also in my everyday life. My clothes and bedroom furniture also consist of neutral colors. I do not like the chaos that bright colors emit. I like to create chaos in my paintings with the use of material.
AS: Did you have work in the Spring 2020 Undergraduate Exhibition? Would you like to share it with us here? Do you have an Instagram page you would like us to share?
MB: I did have work in the BFA show! I will send you images of the two paintings.
Hit a Brick Wall
(BFA Show Piece, I)
AS: How long have you been in Advanced Painting?
MB: This is my second semester in advanced painting now.
Riptide
(BFA Show Piece, II)
AS: Has your work changed a lot through your time in Advanced Painting?
MB: Yes! My paintings used to be derived from pure emotion. I would love to put a lot of paint on a canvas and just move the paint around until I was satisfied with the result. My craft slowly evolved into focusing more on the process of surfaces. I now love to layer many different types of surfaces on my canvas. I also now find specific sources of inspiration for my artwork whereas before it was just at random.
Roots
AS: What would you say to a student on the fence about applying to Advanced
Painting?
MB: I was on the fence of joining Advanced Painting because I had other interests other than painting and I knew it was a big commitment. I also had very little inspiration for my paintings. Joining Advanced Painting was an amazing decision for me because I feel like I truly found myself as an artist in that class. The first few weeks I struggled to find my voice within my artwork but eventually, it clicked.
Advanced Painting gave me the opportunity to keep working on my craft and learn my likes and dislikes within the painting. I always had a plan to pursue fashion photography once I graduated but after being in this class that plan has changed. I now want to pursue painting as well as fashion photography.
Battle Scars
AS: What has been your favorite part of being in Advanced Painting?
MB: Definitely having my own studio.
AS: How has the transition to a home studio affected your practice?
MB: It has definitely been a challenge trying to adjust to my new situation. In my studio at SAIC, I had a lot of space to work on my practice. Whereas now I have a small tarp laid down in my family room which is considered my “temporary studio.” I have to be more careful not to make a mess because I am in my house and not in my actual studio.
Growth
AS: Why painting? In an interdisciplinary program like SAIC, how did you land on painting?
MB: I have always been interested in drawing but I didn’t start painting until the end of my senior year in high school. My painting interest was short-lived because I decided to go to Columbia College Chicago majoring in Fashion Design. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I had a fashion class with an instructor who also taught at SAIC. I showed her my art portfolio from high school and she told me I should transfer to SAIC and pursue painting instead of fashion design. It was the best decision I ever made.
Eye of the Beholder
(This is a text-based interview, and the content has been lightly edited.)