Student spotlight: Luke Carlson, Studio Art M.F.A. (Painting)

Master of Fine Arts student Luke Carlson likes to make paintings that are playful but “also a little dark thematically,” he explains. Homeschooled in upstate New York with lots of exposure to the outdoors and his mother’s ceramics studio, Carlson spent his undergraduate years at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before eventually enrolling in the M.F.A. program at the Eskenazi School, where in December 2024 he was recognized as a recipient of the Friends of Art Pegram Harrison Memorial Award. Carlson will present his thesis exhibition in the Grunwald Gallery this spring. In this conversation with Eskenazi School marketing intern Forough Sehat, Carlson reflected on the opportunities IU has presented for teaching, making connections, and exhibiting on the local and regional art scene.  

Forough: I'd like to start by learning more about your background. Could you tell me about yourself? 

Luke: Sure. I was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grew up in upstate New York, a little bit west of Albany, in a smaller city called Schenectady. I had my creativity nurtured from a young age. Growing up, I was homeschooled by my mom, along with my brother. Our curriculum allowed for a lot of freedom to learn about our environment though visits to nature centers and going for hikes, as well as having some choice in what we would study.  

Forough: How did homeschooling shape your approach to art? 

Luke: It helped me realize there was no one right way of doing things. Through my mom’s example of choosing to homeschool us, I realized that there were benefits to a counter-culture lifestyle. The idea of being an artist was nourished and valued. It gave me a foundation of creativity and curiosity that has endured. My mom had a pottery studio in our house and watching her throw and glaze vessels was inspiring. It's crucial for artists to listen to their own voices. Homeschooling encouraged me to trust my gut.  

When I decided to go to public school, I experienced a culture shock. I didn’t know the slang, music, or cultural references, and I was hesitant to ask about them because it would highlight my unfamiliarity. I was even confused about how to order lunch from the cafeteria.  

For college, I went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and graduated with a B.F.A. in 2014. That experience was intense and rewarding. The professors I worked with were primarily painters, and working artists. Since SAIC is connected to the museum, I was exposed to a wide range of modern and contemporary artists. After finishing my degree, I stepped away from school in order to let my work develop outside of an institution. I worked random jobs, went to some great exhibitions in New York, took a solo trip to western Europe, and lived in Burlington, Vermont for three years. I made sure to keep a consistent studio practice, even if that at times that consisted of me drawing in my sketchbook. It was at times isolating. Luckily, Instagram existed as a virtual artistic community. 

In 2020, I decided to apply to graduate programs. IU offered me a spot and I was extremely excited to accept. The faculty here really stood out during the interview process, and they have been great to work with.   

Forough: Your work feels imaginative, almost dreamlike. Can you walk me through your process? 

Luke: My process starts directly on the canvas. I begin by drawing on the canvas with charcoal, oil stick or washy paint. I work intuitively to create a scene that usually involves humans and animals doing something ambiguous. My decisions are guided by questioning what the painting is about. I am trying to create a painting that is playful and also a little dark thematically.   

Forough: Are these characters based on real people? 

Luke: No, they are fictional. My goal is that they become real enough to communicate a story. 

Forough: That makes sense. Your painting in the FAR Center exhibition in December (“The Frog Kicker”) definitely had that dreamlike quality. I noticed you've received a few awards. Can you tell me about them? 

Luke: Through the Eskenazi School, I received the Mary Jane McIntire Endowed Fellowship, and the Friends of Art Pegram Harrison Memorial Award. Last year I was a recipient of the Chautauqua Visual Arts Teaching Fellowship, which allowed me to teach two sessions of one-week painting and drawing classes at The Chautauqua Institution last summer. This is in addition to the teaching I’ve done here at IU. Currently I am teaching Painting 1, Drawing 1, and Creative Core: Drawing. 

Forough: How has teaching influenced your work? 

Luke: It's been exciting and rewarding to work with artists who want to develop skills in drawing and painting. Teaching forces me to get organized, find ways of demonstrating techniques, introduce a range of artists, and deliver feedback in a way that students will respond to. It's also taught me that there's no such thing as a bad idea; any concept that excites you is worth pursuing.  

Forough: Let's talk about Expo Chicago. I understand that you and other students are trying to raise funds to be able to participate in this event. 

Luke: The FAR Center of Contemporary Art generously provided our [M.F.A. painting guild] with gallery space to showcase our work in December. The show, ["Figurative Painting Today"], was a fundraiser for us to cover the cost of renting a booth at Expo Chicago. The Expo is an annual international contemporary and modern art fair being held in Chicago April 24-27, which features commercial galleries, and nonprofit institutions from around the world. It's mostly painting-focused but includes other mediums like ceramics, photography, and fiber-based work. The Eskenazi School has connected us with donors in past years to go as a group, and it's been a positive experience. It's a hub for art collectors, and anyone interested in learning about contemporary artists.  

Dominic Mangila, assistant professor of painting here at Eskenazi, encouraged us to participate in the Expo this year by showing our work in a booth. In the past, our painting group has attended the fair simply to observe and experience it, but this year have applied to be exhibitors and represent what we're creating here in at IU, especially since we are close to Chicago and part of the Midwest art community.  

Other schools have presented M.F.A. work at the Expo in the past, and we're enthusiastic to join that stage. Of course, it's a challenge to create work that feels like it belongs in that context, but it's also a motivating opportunity for us to push ourselves and our art. Visiting Assistant Professor in Painting Meris Drew will be curating our Expo Chicago booth. 

We raised about $2,000 at the FAR event, but we will ultimately need $6,000 for the booth fee and more to cover the booth fee and shipping costs. We're planning to launch a website to sell work to a broader audience to continue raising funds.  

Forough: Wow that's very exciting! I hope you will be able to attend the Expo and that we hear from you soon about it! How much time do you spend in your studio, especially with your thesis exhibition and Expo coming up? 

Luke: It's hard to put a number on that, but I am here as much as possible. That said, I do try to keep a balance because it's easy to overdo it and get burnt out.  

Forough: How do you find Bloomington compared to other places you've lived? 

Luke: Bloomington is nice. It's similar to Burlington, Vermont, where I lived before, in that it's a college town. I appreciate the hiking trails at Yellowwood State Forest, and trails around Lake Monroe, the art museum, and that it is bikeable.  

Forough: Do you feel you have enough freedom to express yourself in the M.F.A. program? 

Luke: Yes, It's very self-directed. That being said, M.F.A. students are evaluated based on how clearly we explain our work, how it connects with our ideas, and what our work contributes to the discipline of our medium.  

Forough: Any other advantages of studying painting at IU? 

Luke: At IU I was able to take a class in the folklore department, which would not have been available at SAIC.  

Forough: Thank you, Luke. It was a pleasure to learn more about you and your work. I look forward to seeing more of your paintings! 

Luke: Thank you, it's been an honor to talk with you!