By Adam Blanchard
Lillian Gilroy’s affinity for the outdoors and her love for her family have shaped her into the artist she is today. With a concentration in drawing and a minor in art therapy, Gilroy has discovered the art she can make the most impact with.
Gilroy is involved in a number of extracurricular activities at SUNY Plattsburgh. From being an officer for a nonprofit organization combating mental health stigma, Morgan’s Message, to sliding down mountains in the Plattsburgh Ski/Snowboard and Outdoors Club, Gilroy’s hobbies and interests are apparent through her media.
Like many artists, her passion for art was discovered at a young age. Gilroy’s sister would open up the creative world of illustration. The then 8-year-old Gilroy would watch her sister create art and become infatuated with it.
“At first I was just copying her, but then I really took a liking to it and stuck with it,” Gilroy said.
She considers her art to be contemporary, citing influencers on social media and the internet as points of reference.
“Art can be anything,” Gilroy said. “Contemporary art is all about how it makes you feel. It’s not just one specific genre or process.”
With family being dear to her, Gilroy’s current series focuses on both her distant and close family. She uses her refined skills with graphite to create sharp portraiture of old family photos. Fittingly, Gilroy sits down with her family and sifts through a box to decide what photos to revive as grayscale drawings.
“I’ll pick ones that either remind me of a good memory or bring forward those real feelings of nostalgia and closeness,” Gilroy said. “I have to carve out a lot of time for those sorts of things, but it’s always worth it to me in the end.”
Gilroy’s art wasn’t always influenced by her family. Before honing in on portraits, her preferred subject matter was landscapes. She found comfort in the environment, so replicating the outdoors came naturally to her. However, Gilroy found herself feeling distant from her art. She decided it was time to mix things up.
“I feel like over the past four years I had a little bit of a disconnect with my art,” Gilroy said. “My junior year I was able to do a portrait of my grandparents. That’s what sparked my interest in doing portraits.”
Gilroy has a concentration in drawing, but has recently branched out into graphic design and found a hidden love for it. Over winter break, Gilroy created designs for Clarkson University’s Rail Jam at the request of her cousin.
Her accomplishments don’t stop at this, as Gilroy has sent pieces to be in the Best of SUNY Art exhibition in previous years. She has also been featured in the Studio Select exhibitions, a collection of SUNY Plattsburgh art from students, located in the lobby of the Myers Fine Arts Building.
Her adoration for graphic design and skiing have influenced her career path, leading Gilroy to consider attending graduate school in pursuit of a degree in graphic design. She hopes to have a future designing ski graphics, integrating her pastime and art.
Gilroy also holds the treasurer and social media manager roles for Morgan’s Message. She creates most of the graphics for the organization’s social media posts, stating that she enjoys using her creativity to spread awareness on mental health.
Gilroy believes art serves as a means to begin difficult conversations as well as connect with others. She wants art to continue serving this purpose as time goes on.
“Art is going to stay kind of broad and revolve around starting difficult conversations, or conversations that people can relate to, if that makes sense,” Gilroy said.
