Artist Biography
Born in Boston, MA, and raised in Hopkinton, MA, Selia R. Potas is currently completing a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Studio Art with a concentration in Art Education and a minor in Creative Arts Therapy at Endicott College.
Depicted through a variety of large-scale two-dimensional oil paintings, gouache paintings, and colored pencil portraits, Potas creates powerful statements through portraiture that reflect the importance of female leadership and authenticity and defy ongoing misogyny and sexism. Potas is the recipient of Endicott College’s Dean’s Choice Award at The 2021 Art Invitational. Her work, “Wise, Old Grammy” received 3rd Place at The 2022 Art Invitational. Potas has completed five art education internships at both public and private K-12 schools in the Metrowest and North Shore areas of Massachusetts. In the summer of 2020, Potas was the Art Counselor at the Metrowest Hopkinton YMCA, where she organized and facilitated art lessons and projects for students of all ages. At Endicott College, Potas provided guidance and leadership to fellow students by serving as an orientation assistant for incoming first-year students and as President of Endicott College’s chapter of Her Campus. Potas’s artwork is included in private collections located in Massachusetts, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Artist Statement
As a current student leader and an art educator, I want to make an impact on future students and young adults by creating artwork that evokes conversation about female representation. To do so, I created a series of artwork that honors female leaders, including friends, educators, family members, and politicians who influenced me to become who I am today.
Depicted through a variety of two-dimensional, these nine mixed media paintings and drawings convey the vitality of female empowerment through portraiture.
Reflecting on my personal experiences, I chose nine females, including myself, that I wanted to highlight for this series. Starting with an original image, I sketched a rough composition of what I envisioned each portrait to look like. Then, I selected either oil paint, gouache, watercolor, colored pencil, or a combination of mediums to add depth and dimension. Using a variety of materials allows me to emphasize the importance of diversity in female representation.
Through this exploration, I combine my love and respect for each of my role models and my passion for studio practice. I find confidence in my ability to educate others as a strong, female artist. Going forward, I will be attending graduate school to pursue my Master in Art Education to prepare me for my future profession.