Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

Art

First Advisor

Jenn McNamara

Abstract

Artist Statement:

Maddy Gaffney’s thesis exhibition, Transfigure, examines the passage of time through a mythical lens, exploring how the personification of fate, seasons, and lunar cycles can explain natural occurrences through visual narrative. Working in oil paint, Gaffney personifies elemental natural cycles as living figures, emphasizing the interconnectedness of humans and nature and how these cycles act as catalysts for transformation. Figures appear where they would not normally exist—within landscapes, across skies, and as embodiments of fate. Through large-scale oil paintings, Gaffney constructs immersive compositions that weave together myth, nature, and transformation, presenting time as a living, shifting force. Layered imagery, patterned backgrounds, and saturated color make cycles of change tangible, while life-size scale enhances the viewer’s physical engagement with the work. Figures and environments are developed simultaneously, collapsing the boundary between inhabitant and environment.

Artist Biography:

Maddy Gaffney is a senior at SUNY Cortland pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a specialization in Painting. While at SUNY Cortland, she work studied under Professor Vaughn Randall and has been deeply engaged in the campus arts community. Her work was featured in Student Select exhibitions at Dowd Gallery, organized by the Art Exhibition Association, where she also served as Vice President. Additionally, her artwork has been featured twice in the Best of SUNY Albany exhibition.

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