MFA Art Adventures

March 2022 took me to Atlanta with the University of Hartford Low Residency Illustration Masters of Fine Arts program. Each fall and spring, we travel to a different US city for a week to meet, share our work and meet local guest artists. In October 2021, we traveled to Philadelphia for a week and the assignment that followed was to compile all of our inspiration and make an illustration in reaction to the trip.

One of the places I visited in Philadelphia was the Philadelphia Magic Gardens, a mosaic installation that was started (by artist Isaiah Zagar) at one location but now spreads throughout the city. I replaced some of the existing mosaic pieces with things I saw throughout the trip. During that week I amassed so much inspiration, all pretty quirky and random, and I thought this would be the perfect way to compile it all. This piece is also meant to serve as a reminder that you can make beauty out of seemingly random things that you find along the way, you can find inspiration everywhere and the way you translate it is what makes it your art.

Below is a collection of photos of the finished image, some progress photos and just a few of the references I used.

The next time we meet for the MFA program, we'll all be sharing our reactions to the Atlanta trip and while I haven't settled on an idea yet, I thought I'd show some of the inspiration I found in Atlanta! Click on the photos below for brief captions.

Every time I'm with this group of artists, I'm endlessly impressed by what I learn from them and how supportive everyone is. It's also amazing to meet the guest artists who have such a range in interests and careers. Now, time to get sketching for my next reaction piece! Stay tuned on Instagram and Facebook to see what I make of my time in Atlanta!

If you want to keep up with some of the artists in the MFA program, we're embarking on a 100 Day Art Challenge starting April 1st. We could use any and all support as we make and post a drawing/ painting a day for 100 days (leading up to our next contact period). Follow the hashtag #uhartmfa100 to see our posts as we go!