Molly McCracken

Molly F. McCracken is an Arlington, Virginia-based artist who works in mixed media collage, assemblage and acrylic painting. Often, the sentiments expressed in her work refer to current events (especially racial justice, colonialism and women’s issues), the natural world, or feelings. In her process-oriented art, Molly’s intention is to bring these issues to light in a way that is sensitive, visually appealing, potentially humorous, and always thought provoking.

She shares, “Emotion Maps is a series of mixed-media collages, created on black paper, which builds upon my Personal Stratigraphies and Memory Tracings bodies of work. My collage work is personal, process-driven and deals with issues and feelings mainly through abstraction.” Her process in art making is fluid. She says, “I tend to work and think at the same time, so whatever is on my mind comes out in the work, either consciously or unconsciously. I move pieces until they feel balanced and resolved in my mind’s eye, adding layers of paint, pen, graphite, crayon and other media along the way. I don’t throw away materials that could be reused to make something beautiful or meaningful, collecting everything that might serve a purpose in my work. I paint and draw on papers and use found images and ephemera to compose works that are layered, bold, often humorous, and meditative for me to make. This process of sifting through items on my desk and composing something that echoes an emotion feels like the right way to share what is inside of me pushing to get out.”

See more of Molly’s work at artistmolly.com