Kaitlyn Metcalf

Kaitlyn Metcalf is a New Orleans born painter currently based in Downeast Maine. Her recent work uses acrylic paint and air-dry clay to depict how fleeting, first impressions evolve over time into more complex, gradual understandings of the landscape and its surroundings. Each composition features a vivid central scene rendered in acrylic, surrounded by a softly textured, clay-sculpted field. This dimensional surface interacts with shifting, natural light and the boldness of the paint, highlighting a dialogue about perception, time and beauty. By bridging these elements, we slow down, engage more closely, and experience a fuller understanding of what is being seen.

After graduating from MECA, Kaitlyn ventured even further north to Downeast Maine near Mount Desert Island. She and her husband, Ryan, spend the Spring, Summer & Autumn months sailing, hiking, biking, gardening and generally exploring the nooks & crannies of the Acadia region, all of which provide plentiful painting inspiration.  Creativity abounds in her studio which is nestled in a boreal fog forest, near the sea.   Most of Kaitlyn’s paintings are based on her experiences living in rural Maine, with water often being at the center of focus.

Growing up in New Orleans, water became deeply impactful on her life, not only because of proximity, but because of all that the water means to the city.  And now living life on the coast of Maine, she finds similar connections that have become direct influences on her work.