Payton Cahill

Artist Statement

Nature has a process for everything that is created and understanding that process helps her to understand her own purpose in making. There is a natural method of inquiry that drives the work; a methodology to the way she investigates and organizes the world around her. Cahill explores human experience through the lens of the natural world while calling attention to preservation and its changing role. Encrusted with crystals her work explores fossilized fragments of our everyday world that speak to our current place in time and our connection to nature.

Committee

  • Mark Zirpel, Chair (3D4M: ceramics + glass + sculpture)
  • Doug Jeck (3D4M: ceramics + glass + sculpture)
  • Jamie Walker (3D4M: ceramics + glass + sculpture)
  • Emily Zimmerman (Jacob Lawrence Gallery)

Commentary

Read the interview with Payton Cahill by Nicole Seisler

At the beginning of my conversation with Payton Cahill, the artist told me that Mother Nature and human nature are the core of her work. As our discussion unfolded, however, I became increasingly convinced that it is specifically the forest that is the heartbeat of Payton’s practice.

— Nicole Seisler

Bio

Payton Cahill is a multimedia artist from Northern California. Through her work in glass and sculpture she explores a fascination with the natural world. Cahill obtained her Bachelors of Fine Arts from California State University, Chico, in 2018 and is now pursuing her Masters of Fine Arts at the University of Washington. Cahill has worked at the Pilchuck Glass School over the past 9 years. She has worked on notable projects such as a glass installation at University of Miami’s Medical Center and has displayed her work across the West Coast. 

Education

  • Master of Fine Arts, University of Washington, Seattle, 2021
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts, Glass/Sculpture, California State University at Chico
Installation of three white wingback chairs covered in crystals
Payton Cahill, Universal Solvent, 2021, chairs, grown crystals, 7.83Hz. Photo: Jueqian Fang.
Detail of white chair covered in crystals
Payton Cahill, Universal Solvent [detail], 2021, chairs, grown crystals, 7.83Hz. Photo: Jueqian Fang.
Installation image of three oval objects hung on a pink and black patterned background and three white chairs covered in crystals
Jake Fetterman [left] and Payton Cahill [right], 2020–2021 University of Washington MFA + MDes Thesis Exhibition [installation view]. 2021. Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle. Photo: Jueqian Fang.
White wingback chair covered in crystals
Payton Cahill, Universal Solvent I, 2021. Chairs, grown crystals. Image courtesy the artist.
Broken white chair legs covered in crystals
Additional work: Payton Cahill, 90 Day Notice. Broken chair legs, grown crystals. Image courtesy the artist.
Three cyanotypes of vegetation and a cluster of test tubes with dark material within
Additional work: Payton Cahill, Lay My Bones At Nolan Creek, 2021. Cyanotype prints on cotton, architectural salvage, test tubes, mirror. Image courtesy the artist.