Skip to Main Content

Lydia Farrell ’12

Littleton, Colorado

Major, Year: Painting, 2012

Lydia Farrell '12 delivered an artist talk in support of their exhibit Weathered, which is being featured in Borzello Art Gallery through the end of Fall Term.

"It’s been important to have a lot of patience, be persistent, keep applying to things, keep making work, and keep making it better. When you get out in the world, you realize how big that world is. It’s not as easy to get noticed." – Lydia Farrell

During Homecoming week, Lydia Farrell ’12 returned to Knox College to talk about their time at the College and their process of painting. Farrell gave an artist talk inside the Round Room of the Ford Center for the Fine Arts. Afterward, their exhibition Weathered, was presented inside Borzello Art Gallery. Weathered is up now through the end of Fall Term 2026.

Farrell earned a BA in painting from Knox, a post-baccalaureate certificate from Brandeis University, and an MFA from Boston University in 2015 before returning to Colorado. Farrell has participated in residencies in Beijing, China; the Vermont Studio Center; and the Art Students League of New York’s Vytlacil Residency. Their work has been reviewed in publications including Southwest Contemporary and DARIA Art Magazine. Farrell’s paintings transform familiar suburban settings into scenes charged with a blend of humor and the macabre.  Drawing from their experiences growing up along the Front Range, Farrell uses fluorescent color, crisp detail, and layered compositions to recast everyday spaces as theatrical stages where the ordinary tilts toward the uncanny.

Personal reflections—including themes of sobriety—merge with references to folklore, horror tropes, and the exaggerated logic of urban legends. Spectral figures, cryptic symbols, and mischievous creatures inhabit driveways and front yards, mingling with pets and domestic objects in strange, unexpected ways. Even at their darkest, these scenes hum with humor and vitality. Farrell’s neon palette and cartoonlike distortions keep the work balanced between dread and delight, blurring the line between the real and the surreal.

What is it like not only being back on campus, but also being on the other side of the podium giving a lecture?

It’s nice in some ways and kind of intimidating in others. It’s nice to see there are still some things about Knox that are kind of the same. Knox is still encouraging students to be uncomfortable.

Have you been back to campus since graduating in 2012?

I did come back in 2013, but since then this is my first time back. It’s wild how long it’s been. I saw Professor Emeritus of Art Mark Holmes. It was great to see George Appleton Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor of Art History; Director, Art History and Art Museum Studies Programs Greg Gilbert, and I saw Associate Professor of English Chad Simpson, who I took some writing courses with. 

What is it like to see some of the landmarks of your artistic journey still at Knox as part of your legacy here?

It is kind of embarrassing, just because it’s nothing like I would make today. But, it is also nice to see it’s up somewhere, they are still somewhere and know that something I did might make an impact.

What has your journey through the world of art been like and what advice would you give aspiring artists?

It’s been important to have a lot of patience, be persistent, keep applying to things, keep making work, and keep making it better. When you get out in the world, you realize how big that world is. It’s not as easy to get noticed. It's important to be as encouraging as you can. It's really about your own personal journey. It comes down to growing up and figuring out your priorities.