“Ports of Entry” by Caitlin Servilio

What does it mean to be an interloper in the natural world? I live my life indoors, at a remove from nature, so when I return to it I am like an alien exploring a new planet rather than a creature in her home. I long to feel a connection with the wilderness, but am surrounded by networks of plants, animals, and fungus that I cannot tap into. My approach to landscape painting is to amplify that dichotomy between strangeness and familiarity, childlike wonder and danger.

My process draws on tricks from modernity – flatness, drips, patterns. I take guidance from artists who verge on abstraction in their landscapes, such as the Japanese ukiyo-e printmakers and the post-Impressionist artists influenced by them, as well as the Group of Seven and Charles Burchfield. I also draw inspiration from comic books and hand-drawn animated movies from the 70s and 80s, such as The Hobbit. I see nature as an in-between place, real and surreal, full of mysteries and jokes that I am only partially in on. In some of my works, geometric abstractions seem to push through as if visiting from another dimension; in others, large areas are left unfinished or covered, suggesting processes of growth or destruction taking place beyond my comprehension.

In my most recent work, I identify places where I could go to be united with the natural world – holes or hollows to crawl into, clouds to fall through, strange spaces in which to be subsumed or vaporized. Mixed media introduces the idea of transformation; I imagine disassembling and then reassembling myself as a being that could perceive the world in alternate ways, like a bee seeing in ultraviolet or an AI interpreting data from an array of sensors. My current practice revolves around this inquiry – is it possible to truly connect with non-human nature? And if so, what might be gained or lost in the process?


size 24″ x 18″
medium Acrylic and Graphite on Arches Paper
Price $650.00


Bio/CV

Caitlin Servilio
Clinton, NJ 
[email protected]

EDUCATION
2023 (expected)
Master of Fine Art in Studio Art
Maryland Institute College of Art
Baltimore, MD

2011 Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS)
Rutgers University, School of Communication and Information
New Brunswick, NJ

2009 Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art
American University, College of Arts and Sciences
Washington, DC

RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
High School Art Teacher
2016 – present
Delbarton School
Morristown, NJ
Classes taught: Art and Visual Art (fundamentals of 2-D for 8th and 10th graders), Studio Art (11th grade), Form and Sculpture (3-D art for 12th graders) Moderator of Delbarton Artists’ Collective (visual arts club) and Photography Club

Jan – June 2016 (leave replacement)
Phillipsburg High School
Phillipsburg, NJ
Classes taught: Advanced Drawing and Sketching, Photography, Introduction to Pottery

Other Relevant Experience
2011 – 2016
Enterprise Community Specialist, (2013-16), Innovation Social Analyst (2011-13) Chubb Insurance Companies
Warren, NJ
Oversaw the deployment of Chubb’s internal social business collaboration platform and developed and delivered technology training to adult users at all organizational levels.

2008 – 2011
Research Assistant, Callahan Consulting for the Arts, LLC
Washington, DC
Acted as a primary writer on studies that articulated issues facing the arts field and evaluations that revealed the impact of nonprofit arts programs.

Jan – May 2011
Intern, Metropolitan Museum of Art Image Library
New York City, NY
Worked with online image management systems and assisted with image library clerical duties.

Sept. – Dec. 2010
Intern, Marquand Library of Art & Archaeology, Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Created online art research resources for Princeton students, assisted in the digitization of rare art texts, and helped patrons at the front desk.

EXHIBITION WORK
Solo
2020 In Cavum. M Galleries, Washington, NJ.
2018 Multiverse. M Galleries, Washington, NJ.

Group (selected)
2019 Highbridge Paint Out. Highbridge, NJ.
2019 THAT (The Hunterdon Art Tour). Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, NJ and Scout’s Coffee Shop, Highbridge, NJ.
2019 The Center for Contemporary Art Members’ Juried Exhibition. Bedminster Public Library/Curated by Jill Kerwick, Bedminster, NJ.
2018 Highbridge Paint Out. Highbridge, NJ.
2018 The Center for Contemporary Art Members’ Exhibition. Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ.
2018 Nature Cubed. (3 person exhibition) M Galleries/Curated by Wes Sherman, Washington, NJ.
2018The Center for Contemporary Art Members’ Juried Exhibition. Frontline Arts/Curated by Frank May, Branchburg NJ.
2017 Double Take. (2 person exhibition) Delbarton School, Morristown, NJ.
2017 The Center for Contemporary Art Members’ Exhibition. Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ.

SCHOLARSHIPS/AWARDS/LECTURES
2020 “In Cavum” (artist’s talk). M Galleries, Washington, NJ.
2019 Second Prize, Highbridge Paint Out. Highbridge, NJ.
2018 First Prize, Highbridge Paint Out. Highbridge, NJ.
2018 “Multiverse” (artist’s talk). M Galleries, Washington, NJ.
2011 Outstanding Scholarship Award. Rutgers University School of Communication and Information.
2006 – 2009
Dean’s List. American University College of Arts and Sciences
Allan Carney Memorial Scholarship. American University College of Arts and Sciences
Elizabeth Leon Scholarship. American University College of Arts and Sciences

VOLUNTEER/COMMUNITY WORK
2019 The Center for Contemporary Art – Fundraisers such as Good Libations and Art Throwdown
2017 Action Together Hunterdon County Environmental Committee – Events such as Hunterdon Land Trust Invasive Species Removal and the Raritan Headwaters Stream Cleanup
2016 Hunterdon Art Museum – Various show openings, community events and childrens’ classes

CERTIFICATION
New Jersey Standard (1200 – Teacher of Art)

http://www.caitlinservilio.com/

Description

 

 

Additional information

Text

Hi, there