{"id":1680,"date":"2025-04-18T03:57:41","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T03:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/art\/?page_id=1680"},"modified":"2025-04-21T23:07:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T23:07:17","slug":"peripheral-samara-mclain","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/as.vanderbilt.edu\/art\/peripheral-samara-mclain\/","title":{"rendered":"Peripheral – Samara McLain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Peripheral<\/strong><\/em>
\nSamara McLain<\/h3>\n
\n
\"\"
Samara McLain with her painting “Peripheral” \u00a0(Senior Show 2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0 Samara McLain<\/strong>, a sculptor and painter originally from Southeast Iowa, is currently pursuing degrees in Studio Art and Earth & Environmental Science at Vanderbilt University. She has had work featured in publications such as The Vanderbilt Review and on display at the Iowa Governor\u2019s Mansion, Iowa State Fair, and Vanderbilt University gallery spaces.<\/p>\n

While grounded in traditional realism, McLain\u2019s work is marked by acts of erasure and distortion. Her art explores the connections between the natural world and the inner workings of one\u2019s mind, often drawing inspiration from the human figure, landscapes, and personal experience. By reflecting upon fragmented experiences and abstract thoughts, McLain walks the line between precision and obscurity, creating a world that is not quite here nor there and invites viewers to determine for themselves where the real world ends and the mind begins.<\/p>\n

About the work:<\/strong><\/p>\n

My work is influenced by personal experiences and the natural world around me, utilizing imagery sourced from my own photographs and memories with which I feel deeply connected. This work serves as both a personal meditation and an open dialogue. It explores memory, perception, and the ways in which we navigate life\u2019s complexities. Through it, I seek to bridge the gap between the seen and unseen, the real and uncertain, and, in doing so, offer viewers a reflection of their own shifting worlds.
\nPeripheral<\/em>, my piece for the senior exhibition, is on a scale larger than any I\u2019ve ever attempted, moving from an intimate window-like size to an expansive life-sized canvas. This shift is intended to transform the viewer\u2019s experience, pulling them into the scene rather than subjecting them to an outsider\u2019s perspective.
\nThe image is a landscape. A place of personal significance where I often go in moments of isolation, when the world feels distant and obscure. The painting depicts soft reflections glittering on the water\u2019s surface, gently swaying willow branches, and a grey, overcast sky. There are no figures in the composition, reinforcing a sense of solitude. The muted palette, dominated by neutrals, blues, and greens, contributes to an overall tone of serenity and self-reflection.
\nThe painting is executed in a highly realistic style, emphasizing intricate detail and precise rendering. However, my recent work has shifted away from strict realism. Rather than simply replicating an image, I began intentionally distorting or entirely altering completed works. This change stems from a frustration with perfectionism, an internal struggle between control and letting go, and a conflicting desire to be both seen and hidden. In this piece, the initial landscape, meticulous and laboriously detailed, will be partially obscured, mirroring the way the inner workings of one\u2019s mind can warp perceptions of reality. The act of blurring and covering the image reflects the dissonance between outward appearances and inner struggles.
\nThe meaning of this work continues to alter, both for myself and others. Fundamentally, however, it explores the contradictions of feeling present yet disconnected from the world. It represents the tension between clarity and obscurity, certainty and uncertainty, reality and dissociation. Moments of deep engagement with the world are followed by detachment, as if looking at life through a veil. By translating these feelings into visual form, I hope to create a way for people to connect, not only with my perspective, but also with their own experiences of distance and disconnection.<\/p>\n

\n

The work:<\/strong><\/p>\n