Basement:  Were you always passionate about art or was it something you stumbled into?  When did you realize art was something you wanted to pursue?

McCarthy:  Art has always been a big part of my life since I was young. I did my first oil painting when I was about 7 or 8 years old, and I haven't stopped since. My mom was always very creative and would encourage me to make things myself, so I think a lot of that influence came from her when I was little. Art was almost never something I consciously worked to improve at, it was just something I did everyday. I started to take it more seriously around sophomore year, when I realized it was something I could actually pursue in the future.

Basement: Who or what inspires you and your work?  

 McCarthy: My main inspiration for my subject matter is things I observe in everyday life. Scenarios that are a little out of the ordinary often catch my attention, as well as images that create certain feelings. I'm able to use my work as a way to share things I see and experience. 

Basement: How has growing up in the Chicagoland area influenced your art/ experiences as an artist?  

 McCarthy: Growing up in Evanston and being right outside of Chicago gave me the experience of both the suburbs and the city. They're two very different places but I've enjoyed being in both. Spending time in both, this allowed me to see differences, but also similarities between them. My goal in my art is to speak to human experiences, and being in such a diverse environment from a young age has allowed me to get a better sense of that.

Basement: How has your style evolved over time and where do you see it going in the future?

 McCarthy: When I was just starting out, I did much more drawing than painting. Over time I started gravitating more towards paintings and larger scale pieces. Over the past year I've begun to focus more on realism in my paintings. I still enjoy working in many different styles, such as sometimes a more 2D or graphic style. I see myself continuing with realism in painting in the future, but I also hope to branch into different mediums such as animation or sculpture.

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Basement: What narratives do you hope come across in your pieces?

 McCarthy: Since I consider my pieces to be semi-reflective of my life at the time, I am not sure how my pieces will be affected in the future. In the fall I'll be moving to New York for school, so I'm sure whatever I find there will have a large influence on my future works and the themes I explore.

Basement: What is unique about being an artist in this generation?

McCarthy:  The internet is definitely changing how our generation consumes art. It's now easier than ever to share what you create and see what others make. This is proving to be both good and bad, as it's giving so many people the opportunity to put their work out there and make it more accessible, but its also leading to a lot of over saturation. It also changes the experience of viewing visual art such as painting, as many people would argue that seeing a photo of a piece of art is much different than seeing it in person. This can change the viewer's experience and may make it less impactful, unfortunately.