Muddyum is an artist based in Brooklyn, New York who explores the endless combinations of shapes with colors. Both mesmerizing and mystifying, Muddyum’s intricately linear compositions immediately bring to mind the patterned representations seen throughout ancient cultures of the Maya, Inca and Aztec civilizations. However that initial association quickly evolves into a unique set of experiences that begin along an outlying, linear boundary.

For the artist, each empty surface appears as a metaphor for a platform that eventually shows an endlessly pleasing array of abstractions. Colors appear as compliments to one another. A dark shade of blue, for instance, is offset with a lighter shade while red and yellow begin to mix, portraying an energetic group of representations that simmer, swirl, leap and dive across the picture plane. Despite the engaging play of forms, none are intended to convey specific narratives. Rather, Muddyum’s drawings pull viewers’ minds through depths of personal associations.

When speaking with the artist about her work, she describes these drawings as doodles because they carry a sense of playfulness. Moreover she is prolific and utilizes paper as well as canvas and wood surfaces. In breaking away from rendering highly realistic forms, viewers are instantly immersed into the substance of her art. Muddyum received her BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2007. In 2010, she received her MFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design, located in Savannah, Georgia.