ARTIST BIO

Grace Worley is a painter from Akron, Ohio. She graduated from Wittenberg University in 2020 with a BA in art education and earned her MFA in painting + drawing at Ohio University in 2023.

Worley’s work has been exhibited throughout Ohio and across the United States. Since 2021, her work has been featured at the Swope Art Museum, Riffe Gallery, Medici Museum, Manifest Gallery, and the Springfield Museum of Art. Worley was awarded the People’s Choice Award in 2020 by The Contemporary Dayton Gallery and was a nominee for the Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship in 2022. She has been featured in several interviews including Hyperallergic, Mineral House Media, and Canvas Rebel, as well as published in numerous publications such as Arts to Hearts Studio Visit Book (Vol. 1), Suboart Magazine (August 2023), and the Nitram Charcoal Inc. blog.

ARTIST STATEMENT

As a visual artist, I am dedicated to harnessing the power of art to perform as a catalyst for collective reflection and dialogue that transcends individual perspectives. My liquid charcoal paintings delve into the intricate interplay between memory, the natural environment, and sentimentality, as well as nostalgia and solace. Drawing on the expressive power of charcoal, I explore the nuances of memory and the profound connection we have long shared with the natural world. Through a synthesis of representation and abstraction, my paintings capture the elusive and shifting nature of memories, evoking a sense of familiarity and emotional resonance while making a point of the ephemeral qualities that connect both the environment and memory. In doing so, my work seeks to invite viewers into a time of reflection, offering space to create new connections to nostalgia surrounding the natural environment as our memories withstand the grip of the digital age.

Akron, OH / United States