Madeleine (Maddy) Baird is a 21-year-old artist from Pembroke, Ontario. She has just completed her fourth year of the Fine Art program at Queen’s University, and will be graduating with her Honours BFA in the spring. Madeleine is an emerging artist specializing in silkscreen printing and figurative oil painting, with a current focus on self-portraiture and narrative pieces. She is inspired by the styles of Valeria Duca and Caroline Absher’s portrait work and incorporates aspects of their style into her own techniques. Her work aims to explore themes of self-reflection, vulnerability and personal growth. Her work has been exhibited in galleries across Ontario, including Union Gallery in Kingston and Gallery 1313 in Toronto.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

My recent work for my fourth-year BFAH thesis titled Metamorphosis explores themes of self-reflection, vulnerability and personal growth in relation to the metamorphosis cycle of a moth. These pieces show my “past” and “present” self going through the process of learning to love and accept myself alongside the story of a caterpillar becoming a moth. I’ve always been fascinated by moths and butterflies, and the complicated physical process that these insects endure to transition from caterpillars into moths. The process of a moth’s life cycle is gross and uncomfortable - but it results in a remarkable transformation. Not only is the insect visually captivating, but their physical abilities have completely transformed. Although the two bodies look so different, the process of metamorphosis in insects and humans share similar characteristics in the way that they show both the discomfort and beauty found in growing, as well as the incredible possibilities that come with growth.

Being a young queer woman from a small conservative town, I was apprehensive about growing into myself and the thought of changing as a person was something that scared me. Despite challenges over time, I was able to reconcile with myself and appreciate the beauty that comes with growing into the person that I am meant to be; I now feel more comfortable with the ever-changing nature of being human. I aspire to connect with viewers of my work by showing vulnerability in my practice and hope that those who feel represented in my artwork are able to feel uplifted by this representation.