By Adam Blanchard
Carbonneau’s adoration for the arts may not be readily apparent, but once Carbonneau starts speaking, their knowledge of the arts paints a picture of their appreciation for media.
Originally from Florida, Carbonneau moved to Plattsburgh in recent years to be closer to their grandmother, who lives in Laval, Montreal. After researching colleges in the North Country, SUNY Plattsburgh seemed like the perfect fit for Carbonneau.
Carbonneau found passion in painting, choosing it as her concentration. She finds herself using oil paint, as she enjoys the colors and texture she can draw from the medium. Recently, Carbonneau has experimented with different subject matter and ideas, receiving guidance from Assistant Professor of Art Bright Kontor Osei.
“This semester with Bright, I wanted to go into a different direction because I was stuck,” Carbonneau said. “I decided I wanted to just go for it. Whatever my mind created, I’ll just slap that down onto that canvas.”
Through this experimentation, Carbonneau created “Serenity,” a large-scale painting that depicts a yellow serpent leaping through a green sea. The piece uses oil paint to create a scaly, shiny texture. The piece was displayed in the 2026 B.A. Art and Design Senior Show, where it was bought by SUNY Plattsburgh President Alexander Enyedi. Carbonneau found out about the purchase through Associate Professor Drew Goerlitz.
“I am very grateful and very happy to have something of mine speak to president Enyedi,” Carbonneau said. “He found and saw emotion within my piece that I put into it.”
Despite the material and time put into “Serenity,” Carbonneau sold the piece for $210. Prior to the exhibition, Carbonneau had talked with their peers about how to price their artwork.
“My thought process behind it is that I want to get my art out there and make art affordable for people to enjoy,” Carbonneau said.
According to Carbonneau, “Serenity” is part of a series that focuses on the beauty she has seen in nature, which she textualizes onto the canvas. She then adds a fantastical or mythological creature across each piece to connect them. Carbonneau has worked on large canvases throughout her series, enjoying the texture that she can create with oil paints.
“Going bigger gives you more area to work with,” Carbonneau said. “Doing tiny textures can get very frustrating very easily, and I like to be happy when I paint.”
Much of Carbonneau’s inspiration is drawn from contemporary artists. According to Carbonneau, American contemporary artist Sydney Swisher has influenced Carbonneau’s textural choices and experimentation. Carbonneau cites Swisher’s “The Meaning of Enough” as inspiration, a painting that uses a pearl necklace hanging off of the canvas to create depth. Carbonneau grew up watching cartoons and animations, with “Avatar: The Last Airbender” being particularly impactful.
“Seeing, watching and growing up on animated shows about people putting their heart and soul into art, whether that be, like flat 2D work or animated stuff. I knew that was something I wanted,” Carbonneau said.
Carbonneau found interest in curatorial work during her time working under the Nina Winkel Internship. Working under Kara Jefts, the manager of collections and academic engagement, Carbonneau would work within the Rockwell Kent Gallery and around campus curating displays.
After graduation, Carbonneau plans to take time to obtain Canadian citizenship in order to move to Quebec City. After moving to Quebec City, she hopes to attend graduate school for curatorial studies, with Concordia University being her first pick. Carbonneau hopes to continue experimenting with textures inspired by different animals while pursuing the curatorial studies certificate.
Carbonneau has welcomed art into every part of her life. She believes that art is in every person’s life, whether they realise it or not. Carbonneau said she understands not everyone can make appealing art, and pushes people to keep creating art in any capacity.
“Even if it’s just designing a poster or creating a bulletin board, that’s just creating art,” Carbonneau said. “As long as we keep being creative, I think that is what will keep humanity going as well.”
