Painting Faculty & Administrators within the Fine Arts 2D Department

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Painting

Painting students pursue artistic excellence, experimental expression, and technical mastery through rigorous work and a deep sense of dedication.

In a world steeped in imagery and new technologies, painting is timeless. It connects us to history, culture, and humanity, while grounding us in the present through deep observation and reflection.

MassArt also offers an MFA in Studio Arts, in which students can choose to concentrate in Painting. Our full-time, two-year (60-credit) MFA Studio Arts program encourages students to experiment and explore, while refining the technical and conceptual strategies in their work.

Featured Work

The painting depicts a woman lying in a bathtub with water, wearing a white dress reminiscent of baptism. Her long dark hair spreads around her, and she crosses her arms over her chest. The artwork, evoking the solemnity of fall, is on an unframed canvas with a black background.

Francesca Santiago, ’25 BFA, Painting Fall: Baptism, Oil on canvas, 2023

A painting of a table scene with black and red

Kady Whynott, ’24 BFA, Painting Time is Fed, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 2023

An oil panting of a man and a woman sitting on a couch with somber looking faces.

Benjamin Henson, ’24 BFA, Painting Ben and Isabel, Oil on canvas, 2023

News & Features

Toni Elka (BFA Painting ’86), Founder of Future Chefs
Toni Elka ’86 BFA, 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

Alumni Relations

Painting

President’s Office

Gaby Moreno ‘25 BFA Painting, working in her studio.

From First-Gen to Aspiring Art Therapist
Gaby Moreno ’25 BFA Painting

Artward Bound

Fine Arts 2D

Painting

A person wearing a colorful floral dress beams with creative passion while standing beside an abstract art installation made of vibrant mesh, fabric, and netting. The background is a mix of purple, blue, and red hues, sparking wonder in a lively and artistic atmosphere.

Cicely Carew on transforming one’s creative passion into a fulfilling career — and maybe sparking a bit of wonder along the way.
Cicely Carew ‘05 BFA Painting

Alumni Relations

Fine Arts 2D

Painting

Toni Elka ’86 BFA, 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

Gaby Moreno ’25 BFA Painting

Cicely Carew ‘05 BFA Painting

Community Canvas Mural on Life in El Salvador

Gabriela Moreno, BFA ’25, was recently selected by GBH’s Community Canvas for her mural reflecting everyday life in El Salvador.

A Painter Famed for Recreating What She Lost, in the Spotlight

New York Times feature on MassArt Alumna, Ann Craven, BFA ’84.

New York Times

Meet Eric Standley (BFA ’94)

MassArt alum Eric Standley (BFA) pushes artistic boundaries with intricate, laser-cut paper sculptures that explore paradox and perception. Discover his unconventional journey, from self-proclaimed “failed painter” to visionary artist.

CanvasRebel

Pollination Mural Explores Interconnectedness on GBH Community Canvas

Fourth-Year Colomba Klenner’s artwork selected for GBH Community Canvas.

Rising Stars: Alumna Monica Srivastava

MassArt alumna Monica Srivastava (BFA ’19) shares her journey of artistic growth, overcoming obstacles, and finding her voice as a contemporary artist in a CanvasRebel Q&A.

This Artist’s Vibrant Beachside Scenes Create Endless Summer

Alum Erin Clark’s paintings featured in Boston Magazine: This Artist’s Vibrant Beachside Scenes Create Endless Summer

Boston Magazine

In ‘La Toilette,’ four artists shift narrative of bathing scenes at LaiSun Keane

MassArt painting alum Isabelle Higgins explores themes of intimacy, self-perception, and mental health. With bold, saturated hues and a fearless gaze into her own experiences, her art invites viewers into an introspective dialogue on shame, confrontation, and healing.

Featured Artist Kristen Palana

MassArt alumna Kristen Palana blends sacred geometry, meditation, and visualization in her mesmerizing artwork. Discover how her global journey shapes her creative process and artistic mission.

Painter, printer, sculptor Elizabeth Mooney to talk journey, process for Chautauqua Visual Arts Lecture Series

MassArt Associate Professor Elizabeth Mooney is scheduled to give a presentation for the Chautauqua Visual Arts Lecture Series at 6 p.m. July 17, 2024 in Hultquist Center.

The Chautauquan Daily

Floral Reverie – Unveiling the Hidden Canvas of Rachel Morrissey

A student sits at a canvas in his painting studio

22 sec

The Joy of Painting featuring MassArt student Nasiri Guzman ’22. Filmed by Piyu Somani ’23 MFA Film/Video. Directed and edited by Daisy St. Sauveur ’19 BFA Printmaking.

Our students enjoy progressive guidance and freedom to explore and strengthen their personal visions, focusing on technique, tradition, and innovative experimentation. Cecilia Vázquez Chair, Fine Arts 2D

Featured Faculty

Cecilia Vázquez

Chair, Fine Arts 2D

Faculty

Kayla Mohammadi

Program Area Chair, Painting

Faculty

James Stanley

Associate Professor, Painting

Faculty

Painting Studios Explore our Studios

Once you declare your major in Painting as a sophomore, you’ll have access to personal studio space, which increases in size throughout your junior and senior years.

18 UNIQUE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS. A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY.

Apply Undergraduate

All MassArt news

State Of The Arts: 9 Visual Artists Leading The Cultural Conversation Right Now

Alumni in the News
Painting

Learn more about Cicely Carew, a MassArt alum, and her miraculous return to art.

Building 100 Years of Wonder! Artist Lakwena Maciver Unveils Giant LEGO | Disney Mural in London

Alumni in the News
Painting

To celebrate the launch of the new Lego Disney Castle and Disney’s 100th anniversary, MassArt alumna Kristin Texeira, ’10 BFA Painting, worked with Lakwena Maciver and Amy Jones to create four giant castle window murals. The murals are made of Lego brick and are inspired by storytelling. The first of four murals was revealed at Tower Bridge, in London, UK and is over 4.5m high and constructed of over 220,000 LEGO bricks.

Read full story

Lego

More News

A Longtime Art Dealer Looks Back

Meet Claudio Eshun

Canvas Rebel

Annabel Lee talks about her Boston homecoming show and music inspirations

Melodic Magazine

Boston’s ‘Eternal Presence’: MFA exhibits the works of local art legend John Wilson

Huntington News

Ekua Holmes and Autumn Allen at MassArt: “Connected Legacies”

The Horn Book

William Wegman, The Artist Who Transformed Canine Photography

Harlem World Magazine

Spotlight on Webster Landscape—sustainable design from the ground up

The Berkshire Edge

A Painter Famed for Recreating What She Lost, in the Spotlight

New York Times

Meet Emily White

Bold Journey

Rhode Island Native Creates Poster for Boston Leg of 2026 FIFA World Cup

Rhode Island Monthly

Alumna’s ‘We Are Family’ Mural Featured on Community Canvas

Meet Essa Baird

Bold Journey

A surreal painting of a brothers room with four identical figures in various stances. The vibrant space is adorned with sunflowers, puzzle pieces, and a stuffed bear on the bed. Eclectic decorations grace the walls, while windows draped in blue curtains complete the whimsical scene.

Carolyn Guerin, '23 BFA, Painting My Brother’s Room, Oil painting with silkscreen and stencil prints, 2023

All MassArt news

‘Between You and Me’ is a portrait of two portraitists

Alumni in the News
Painting

So much flows between self and other, painter and subject, and even individual and collective in “Between You and Me” at LaMontagne Gallery.

The show features work by Boston-area portraitists Isabelle Higgins, a self-portraitist, and Barbara Ishikura, who depicts friends and family. Their portraits share high-keyed palettes; graphic depictions that echo the punch and pathos of Alice Neel; and patterns and accents that make scenes hustle and jump, à la Henri Matisse.

Read the full article

The Boston Globe