“Though liminality addresses the past, it also stands as a threshold of change for the future. ”
About the Artist
Payton James has been living in Southeast Michigan for the past six years. Originally from North Carolina, she received her BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting from The University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2015. Payton is a teaching artist in the Ann Arbor area and enjoys teaching various painting and drawing classes to share her passion for art making. In her own art, she examines the concept of liminality, a transitional moment in one's life, using a variety of media and texture. She explores these spaces by painting vast expanses, reminiscent of a landscape that is inviting and intriguing, yet somehow inaccessible. These works of art emphasize places and moments that are commonly overlooked, providing the viewer with a chance to experience the human emotions that come from these liminal space moments, and to observe and reflect on their own life-changing transitions, those vital times in which we were neither here nor there.
Artist Statement
A liminal space refers to a space in between—a state of being neither here nor there. This can be the physical boundary between inside and outside spaces, between the state of having a home and leaving it behind; between a person’s life and their final breath. Though liminality addresses the past, it also stands as a threshold of change for the future. It is a feeling of not knowing what lies ahead, as one closes the door, forced or unforced, on part of their past.
We often overlook these liminal spaces until later reflection reveals the change and growth that occurred during that transitory period of our lives. These in-between times have so much uncertainty, fear, and hope.
Most of my work has been more about the physical in-between space—representing liminality through doors, windows, and houses—but my recent work has been more about emotional and mental liminal states. Going through a transition can be a time of emotional turmoil, a time when our own perspectives become unclear to us. It can be a waiting game, with a lot of unknowns, waiting to find out what’s next. That’s the space that I’m creating. I’m inspired by people’s experiences in their walks of life. From the barista at the coffee shop, to the homeless veteran on the street corner; from the aspiring doctor, to the soon-to-be mom. Sometimes what brought us to a place is no longer the thing keeping us there, yet we stay, waiting for the next step, waiting for it all to become clear again. We all face these in-between spaces at some point; some stay in them longer than others, but at some point we can see how pivotal these moments were and how much we can grow from these liminal places that life brings us.
In my recent work, I try to capture this lack of clarity through vast expanses, reminiscent of a landscape that is inviting and intriguing, yet somehow inaccessible. These works of art examine places and moments that are commonly overlooked, providing the viewer with a chance to experience the human emotions that come from these liminal space moments, and to observe and reflect on their own life-changing transitions, those vital times in which we were neither here nor there.