Biography

Madison Smiley is a studio fine arts student currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Bowling Green State University. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Madison grew up alongside her twin brother and four older siblings at their family home in Hilliard.

Notably, Madison’s work has been shown in the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition, where it won both Silver Key and Gold Key Awards, as well as the Ohio State Fair Youth Arts Show, and the Annual BGSU Undergraduate Art & Design Exhibition.

With a primary focus in illustration, Madison’s most recent work is driven by her deep love of creative storytelling. The imagery is inspired by a wide spectrum of materials, encompassing both consumable media such as books, comics, and animation, and original influences like dreams and personal experiences. Madison combines these interests with stylistic information from the work of illustrators such as Alphonse Mucha, as well as contemporary artists like James Jean, to create colorful, decorative acrylic illustrations that explore the significance of visual storytelling.