Carrie Shiffrin (Denver, CO)

My work explores surreal moments that exist within ordinary life, and normal moments that exist within surreal compositions. I like to create a visual experience that challenges the boundaries of what is familiar while also suggesting a story or feeling that the viewer can relate to. I think of the figures in my paintings as characters. They start as archetypes that I then disrupt, creating something unexpected. The result resembles a film still from a movie that’s never been made. Lately I’ve been drawn to painting older women, usually in pairs. I want my work to challenge the broadly accepted opinion that as women age they become increasingly invisible, or watered-down versions of their former selves. The women I’ve known have become more interesting, textured and bold as they’ve aged and my paintings represent a future I aspire to. I received my BFA in Studio Art from New York University in 2009, and my MAT in Art Education from the School of Visual Arts in 2012. I’ve taught visual art in public schools for about 10 years in both New York City and Denver, CO where I live currently.

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  Title: Old Friends
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  Title: Birds of Paradise
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  Title: Snowbirds
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  Title: Nirvana
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  Title: August Forever
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  Title: Hell of High Water
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  Title: Ouroboros
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