Macey Stratton

Macey Stratton is an artist that is not confined to one medium. Born and raised in Cheyenne Wyoming, she explores media including, painting, drawing, and sculpture. Macey considers her biggest influences her instructors and peers, as they encourage her to delve into different concepts and approaches in her work.

Artist Statement

In learning about turkey vultures and seeing northern flickers within my daily life, I began developing my own symbolism surrounding these birds. Turkey vultures are crucial to the environment, they eat decaying carrion that would otherwise spread disease. Learning this sparked a personal connection to my emotional state. Like so many others, I have suffered from depression, and the negative thoughts that bury happiness and plague the mind. It was my interest in turkey vultures that led me to believe that these birds are able to symbolically purge my brain of depressive feelings and thoughts. Later, when I began therapy, the northern flicker started appearing to me, which I interpreted as a signal that I was on the right path. My series of drawings illustrate the journey of coping and living with depression, the cleansing of depressive feelings and the preservation of positive thoughts.