Madelyn Goodnight

MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE:
I draw upon my childhood experiences, and traditional Chickasaw stories and imagery to create my paintings. Since moving away for my artistic education and then returning back home, I’ve created work that has specifically represented Chickasaw culture and my heritage, as well as flora and fauna that are native to Oklahoma, where the Chickasaw reservation resides. I primarily use acrylic, oil, markers, and oil pastels on stretched canvas and wood panels. A portion of my work also incorporates gouache, carandache crayon, and pastels, which are matted, and framed. I always start with a rough study of an idea, and after transferring it to the canvas, I use numerous materials to find the final image. I'm most inspired by traditional Chickasaw children's stories, and I like to marry these classic symbols with more contemporary and vibrant color palettes, as well as varying textures, patterns, and motifs.