Meet the Artist: Shayla Thornton

Finding Solace by Way of Wonder

As part of Triangle Community Foundation's focus on regional cultural arts, our office space also serves as a rotating art gallery to support and foster local artists and to encourage our community to connect and engage in meaningful conversation inspired by art. The Foundation is grateful to host new art exhibits every six months through our partnership with Durham Art Guild's Art@Work program.

The current exhibit is by Shayla Thornton, a mixed media artist originally from Maxton, North Carolina. Currently living in Durham, Shayla earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from East Carolina University with a concentration in painting and drawing. We invite you to read on to learn a bit more about Shayla and experience their art alongside fellow local artists in person next Thursday, August 27^th from 5:30-7:30pm.

1. You shared in an IG post that you were around arts educators who nurtured your creativity. In what ways was the early exposure to the arts so important?

I believe you can become an artist at any age, but to experience identifying as an artist in my adolescence gave me a level of confidence that I don’t believe I’d have if I started later. It’s an essential part of my identity as much as being black and being a woman.

2. How did your career as an artist begin?

 It started when I began engaging with different art communities in Durham around 2021. After the first round of the COVID-19 pandemic, I almost gave up on art due to my anxieties about the state of the world and my livelihood.

3. Who inspires you as an artist?

I’m mainly inspired by the words and actions of my family and friends. I love to draw and paint Black faces that are familiar to me.

4. Tell us about your current exhibit on display, Solace by Way of Wonder.

This exhibition is the beginning of me building the realm in which my art exists. I see my abstract line work, soul atoms, as a detailed interpretation of my reality. By inviting viewers into my narrative of a hyperactive comfort zone, I hope to foster curiosity and invite introspection on who we are as people in proximity to the material and immaterial world.

5. What is one thing you'd like people to take away from this collection?

I want people to expand their perspective of reality and notice the detail in nature and their communities.

6. Why are local community art organizations important to you as an artist?

Art organizations in Durham are the reason I got back into making art after the pandemic. It’s hard to navigate when and where to display my work, and local organizations make it feel accessible.

7. What about the Art@Work Program partnership between Durham Art Guild and Triangle Community Foundation has been unique or helpful?

This partnership has helped get my name and art style recognized throughout the Triangle.