Last year’s BIPOC Artist-In Residence at the Eno Arts Mill was Tyamica Mabry, a self-taught visual artist. Recently, she created a new exhibit titled Transcendence, symbolizing her growth as both an artist and human being. 

Though she also writes poems and makes jewelry, Mabry’s main medium is paintings. Her passion for the medium started with her daughter, who would bring home paintings she made from school. Inspired by her creativity, Mabry began drawing cartoon characters, changed her medium to paint, and her art only grew from there. 

Transcendence is an exhibit about going beyond limitations and trying new things, which Mabry did while creating her paintings. Generally, she paints more realistic pictures, but decided to make something more abstract for this project. 

“With Transcendence, it was more of just whatever was inside of my head,” Mabry said. “It’s a form of evolving and becoming a better artist, and trying new things.”

Mabry has a seemingly laid-back painting style, and doesn’t often sketch out her pieces beforehand. She starts with an idea in her head and then paints right on the canvas. 

This creative approach was used in Mabry’s many pieces featured in the exhibit, which use bright colors and abstract visuals to symbolize her growth as an artist. 

One of her paintings, titled “Be You,” features an abstract and geometric face using bright pink, blue, green and purple. Mabry said that this piece is a message to embrace one’s uniqueness.

After painting, the time came to set up Mabry’s paintings in the arts center. With the help of Carrboro Arts Commission staff and her daughter, Transcendence was curated piece by piece, in a placement that Mabry said helps tell a story to viewers.   

Carrboro Arts Commission director Katie Murray said that Mabry is an extremely talented artist. Murray helps advise local agents and municipalities through the Eno Arts Mill, and helped Mabry with figuring out how she wanted to showcase her exhibit.