Artist Biography
Born in Middletown, Connecticut, and raised in Mason, New Hampshire, Drew Hodges is an interdisciplinary artist who works with both two-dimensional and three-dimensional mediums, including painting, drawing, diorama models, and digital illustration. Hodges’s work seeks to reframe the natural world and create spaces that are not entirely based on reality. He focuses on emphasizing the details we often overlook in our day-to-day lives, believing that these moments can not only highlight a scene’s beauty but also convey artistic intent.
Recent projects include his Senior Capstone Project, which features a diorama and multiple paintings acting as an interpretation of the diorama. This break from reality allows Hodges to not be limited to what is real and can present to the viewer the exaggerated beauty of the natural world through painting and the typical scene of nature through a diorama in the round to complement each other.
Hodges recently exhibited his diorama series at the Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show in December of 2024 and another one in January of 2025 at the New England Model Train Expo. These conventions attracted over 27,000 attendees combined. Additionally, he has completed an internship with the Glen Urquhart School in Beverly, Massachusetts, where he served as an assistant art teacher for grades K-8. Currently, Hodges is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. He maintains an active studio practice and is expected to graduate in May 2025.
Thesis Abstract
This capstone project will navigate through how we view the natural world, that even in typical instances of nature, there is beauty to behold. By shifting our perspective, we can discover details in a new light or even notice new aspects that were not yet seen by the viewer. The project features a wall-mounted diorama of a typical river scene alongside three impressionist-style paintings inspired by that diorama. Together, they offer two different perspectives for the viewer to behold. The diorama depicts a conventional sense of nature, but it encourages the viewer to adopt a broader “God like” perspective, allowing them to see nature in a new light. In contrast, the paintings glorify the details of the diorama, exaggerating certain appearances to reveal hidden beauty that would often be overlooked. This capstone intends to demonstrate that, through a different perspective, we can gain a deeper understanding of how we observe and appreciate the natural world.