Maia Simone

Clark University, 2023, Psychology and Studio Art

Poker Night

acrylic on canvas

16″ x 20″

2022

This painting captures the art of deception through a poker game. First drawing the eye to the moment of placing chips on the table, the story becomes apparent that the player, with a hand of five Aces, cheats. Forced to observe the composure of those being deceived, the honesty of everyone’s hand is uncertain. However, the various expressions of the other players contrast the viewer’s inability to inspect the face of the deceiver. The artist calls into question: what is inauthenticity if cheating and trickery are part of one’s nature?

@maiasimone_art

Maia Simone

Clark University, 2023, Psychology and Studio Art

REM

charcoal, ink, graphite, and marker on paper

23″ x 23″

2022

This piece represents the phenomenon of lucid dreaming and the natural flow and repetition that one experiences in REM sleep. Inspired by her own experiences at a young age, the artist draws upon a seemingly endless search for water within her lucid dreams. Contrasting that world with a sleeping figure centered in the middle of the piece draws the distinction between daily life and the vast workings of the subconscious.

@maiasimone_art

Maia Simone

A Moment in Hardwick

acrylic on canvas

6″ x 6″

2024

This piece captures my favorite view on car rides through rural Massachusetts. Watching these big-headed creatures swatting flies, chewing cud, and sleeping in the shade has enamored me since I was a girl. This piece features a set of cows I frequently drive by in Hardwick, MA. One gazes toward the viewer, as the other two continue to eat, completely unbothered by the intruding vehicle idling by their side.

@maiasimone_art