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About Maddie

Madrigal (“Maddie”) Stansell is a contemporary oil painter hailing from Denver, Colorado who explores the beauty and magic of the human experience through her paintings. However, her journey hasn’t always been focused solely on art. After graduating from Northern Arizona University with a concentration in studio art, Maddie pursued a career in nonprofit work. Her passion for organizations that need help led Maddie to work as an Executive Director at a small consulting agency, working with clients ranging from tiny non-profits to international organizations.

In 2020, Maddie felt it was the right time to pursue her love of art and began dedicating her time to growing her art career. She developed and released an art game called Art unBlocks to help artists create through guided play. She quickly landed her game in the large, immersive art company Meow Wolf as well as with the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. In 2022, she debuted her first solo show “Myths and Old Magick,” at Blue Tile Gallery in Englewood, Colorado with a wonderful reception, selling 75% of her work on opening night.

Maddie’s work continues to evolve as she studies all facets of art and works with mentors like Nicolas Uribe, Carrie Stanley, and Julian Tejera. Her love for storytelling and capturing the essence of life in all its complexity remains a constant in her work.

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

// 2022, “Myths and Old Magick,” Blue Tile Gallery

Group Exhibitions

// 2023, Dairy Arts Center, Portrait Exhibition, Boulder, CO
// 2023, Center for Contemporary Arts National Exhibition, Abilene, TX
// 2023, LAA National Fine Art Show, Louisville, CO
// 2023, EDGE Gallery, “ON EDGE”, Denver, CO
// 2023, Core New Art Space, “Once Upon a Time”, Denver, CO
// 2023, Shockboxx Gallery “Not! An Art Fair”, Hermosa Beach, CA
// 2022, SPACE Annex “RISE”, Denver, CO
// 2022, Schoolhouse Gallery “What I Love”, Parker, CO
// 2021, Core New Art Space “Beyond the Surface”, Denver, CO
// 2020, DAB Art Gallery “Art in the Time of Corona” Global Exhibition (Exhibition Here)

Awards

// 2023, Artistic Achievement Award – LAA National Fine Art Show
// 2020, 1st Place, Art and Photography – From Whispers to Roars

 

Education & Memberships

Education, Workshops, and Mentorships

// Northern Arizona University – Studio Art – 2009
// Pushing Colored Dirt – 2021
// Mentorship with Angel Ramos – 2022
// Workshop with Tracey Russell – 2022
// Mentorship with Julian Tejera – 2022
// Nicolas Uribe Workshops – January – April 2023
// Mentorship with Carrie Stanley – 2023
// Misha Gollo Workshop – 2023
// Amy Dury Workshop – 2023
// Jennifer Pochinski Workshop – 2023

Memberships

// Board of Directors, Women’s Caucus for the Arts Colorado – 2021-2022
// Member, Parker Arts Guild
// Member, Boulder Arts Association

 

Publications

// 2022, ShoutOut Colorado, Meet Maddie Stansell (Read Here)
// 2022, Voyage Denver, Inspiring People
// 2021, Create! Magazine, Art Queens Member Feature Here
// 2020, From Whispers to Roars, Best in Category, Volume 3, Issue 1: 2020

 

Artist Statement

In 1995, the family Labrador, Greta, escaped and got lost in the middle of a massive snowstorm.  I made flyers and looked for nearly three weeks and finally found her—warm and happy at a home about two miles away. The son, a young boy who was on the autism spectrum, had bonded with Greta. Although he had been completely nonverbal, he was speaking to Greta and was opening up to the family in ways his mother had never seen. I was only nine at the time, but it left a huge impression on me. Over the next 6 years, I found myself, too, turning to animals. However, for me it was to cope with an increasingly abusive and traumatic childhood. Animals gave me a sense of purpose and an understanding of unconditional love.

In my new series, “Animal Nature,” I explore this special dynamic between humans and animals through the ages. Each painting tells a story of connection—the direct connection we have with our pets, the connection animals give us to nature, and the connections they can help us forge with each other. I start with a combination of found photos, my personal family photographs, and photos I take to tell a specific story. I use color as a tool for communicating emotion and give each painting its own, unique palette. I discovered that my approach needed to be loose and playful. Although most works in this series are painted with oils, I also play with spray paint, charcoal, and a variety of mediums to build texture. I want a physical representation of the complexity of humanity and choose to do that by painting many layers. I don’t overly blend my work; instead, I love to paint with thick, decisive brushstrokes that tell their own story on the canvas.   

A young Maddie with her cat, Falcore

Maddie Stansell – Mad Ideas Design LLC © 2023. All Rights Reserved