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Story and photos by Noah McLane
Middle Tennessee State University senior Greer Wilkins is the embodiment of calm. The soft spoken, hare-obsessed realist painter possesses a unique combination of dedication, imagination, introspection — and a keen eye for the eerily beautiful.
In her most recent series, and the subject of her senior thesis, “Blue Paintings,” Wilkins alludes to her personal development through pieces that evoke loss, longing and even death.
She blends the brutal nature of reality with surreal motifs — using an unnatural blue space to encompass each object in her otherwise realist “Blue Paintings.”
“The process of creating paintings gives me an avenue to ‘talk it out’ with myself and discover the source of unease deep inside that I may be inadvertently unaware of,” Wilkins wrote in her thesis.
The studio arts major discovered her aptitude for introspection shortly after COVID-19 upended her life in Virginia where she was studying mechanical engineering.
She used her time in quarantine to become reacquainted with an old hobby — painting.
The rekindling of a past love unlocked a hunger that she hadn’t felt previously, and she felt encouraged to chase that feeling. It led to her return to the classroom in 2021 when she enrolled at MTSU, majoring in studio arts.
“I got so much happier and excited to do things, I had an intense history of depression and anxiety and through this,” she said while proudly motioning to the array of paintings and projects dotting her workstation. “I have been able to cope so much better.”
In 2023, Wilkins made a shocking discovery that changed the course of her artistic career. She was introduced to, and subsequently charmed by, oil paint.
Concealed in the gloop, a creative energy hid, patiently waiting for Wilkins’ arrival.
Before she knew it, she found herself in love with the dynamic medium.
Its lengthy dry time means Wilkins can tweak every detail to her high standards and create texture. The details masterfully demonstrate the breath of life in pieces like “Leveret” or “Presage,” which feature hares so real one may be tempted to reach out and pet them.
Enter the Hare
Many of Wilkins’ recent creations have featured one specific critter: the hare.
“At first they just popped up,” she said with a soft giggle, “but they started to stick around.”
She figured since they didn’t seem to be going anywhere, she might as well investigate the furry speedsters and their connection to humans.
Wilkins found that the hare has been an undeniable piece of Western mythology and folklore, appearing in Greek, Celtic, Roman and Christian myths.
“They’re little tricksters,” Wilkins said, her hare earring bouncing as her laugh changed to a smirk. “Not always a good sign. They have ambiguity because they are cute, but they come with a price.”
Much like the hare, Wilkins’ paintings also come with a price: time and self-analysis.
Wilkins’ works are captivating and elegant — but behind the paint and hand-stretched canvas sits hundreds of hours of meticulous work.
Wilkins often finds herself painting for eight to 10 hours a day. She’ll sit uncomfortably close to the canvas, brows furrowed, her intense brown eyes only breaking concentration when their owner rises to clear her mind or refill on coffee — a vital tool in Wilkins’ arsenal.
Her works share a commonality: they portray moments of uncertainty where the subject is on the edge of doing something that is only limited by the viewer’s imagination.
Her piece “Leveret” teases and challenges viewers by showing the subject of the painting leaving something undisclosed behind. The woman in the painting appears ageless, without place in life. The only certainty in her future is uncertainty.
“Aging is inescapable, yet so much fear accompanies this mundane process because the evidence exists in everyone,” Wilkins said about the painting.
“Leveret” thrusts that realization onto the audience but allows them to decide what to do with it.
The senior hopes to be able to stay in a creative environment after graduation.
“Ideally, I would just paint all day every day. Realistically, working around the art world, maybe in a gallery space or a communal creative space–anything that keeps me immersed in creativity.”
Wilkins’ art is a window to her heart, a glimpse of her personal crossroads. Much like the subjects in her paintings, she is at a moment in life often fraught with uncertainty, existing on the edge of something intangible as she prepares to enter the creative workforce.
Wilkins carries something magnificent within her that she shares with the world through her art. Much like the choice she gives her audience, Wilkins too is only limited by her imagination.
