Artists
NHTI Visual Arts Capstone Showroom: Fall 2025
Represented
Exhibited
Ryan Guyer
Riley Hinton
Lucif Toppin
Maddie Villalon
Sarah Malley
Michelle Chiarakhup

Ryan Guyer
Artist Statement
How a space is constructed and oriented can greatly affect how a person feels. Some spaces are designed to make a person feel calm, or focused, or energized, or even scared. Elements such as color, spacing, lighting, layout, and materials work together to create a certain atmosphere.
In this collection, I explore how all of these factors come together, and how different combinations can have significantly diverse effects. Using a variety of mediums, such as watercolor, pastel, pencil, charcoal, and acrylic, emphasizes the nuance that occurs within a space. Each piece has a distinct mood, revealing how choices in design can influence the ambiance and the emotions a space evokes.
Riley Hinton
Artist Statement
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I created this piece with my grandparents in mind, representing their love for each other
and me. These two people who supported my art through and through, helping shape me into the
artist that I am today. The guppy fish represents my grandfather, nicknamed “Guppy,” who was
also a respected fisherman. The white flowers circling the fish are lilies of the valley, the
favorite flower of my grandmother. Gardening is her favorite form of art.
Several great artists inspired me. Frida Kahlo used her art to show her own deep
struggles and strong emotions. Van Gogh’s use of bright, vivid colors and energetic brushstrokes
is something I find satisfying. Yayoi Kusama used a lot of bright neon colors, and different
textures.
The mobile design symbolizes how my grandparents have always been there for me. The
purpose of a mobile is to soothe and calm during both the night and day, just like they did for
me
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Lucif Toppin
My capstone consists of dress designs brought to life in the form of doll dresses. I sought to
capture the extravagance of the dresses in the Rococo period, specifically of upper-class
French women. I am inspired by many old paintings, especially portraits from the 1600s-1700s
showing these women flaunting their wealth. The strongest influence on my work is the
fashion of Tanbei Kei, which translates to “Aesthetical Style,” and is a popular amongst
musicians in Japan who make rock/opera hybrid music. This style is heavily based on high
French fashion from the 1700’s.
My dress designs used lots of lace, satin, velvet, beads, pearls, and cotton fabrics. I hope
the viewer will be able to see the intricacy and craftsmanship in my pieces, appreciate the
beauty of the dresses, and maybe even feel transported back in time while looking at my work.
Maddie Villalon
My work explores storytelling through art, using ink to create visuals that express a clear sense
of narrative.
My goal as a storyteller is simple: to show people only a mere snippet of a world, one that
leaves them asking just a tiny bit more about it, and even have it linger in their minds afterwards
and be inspired by it.
what is the story??
nearing the end of an unspecified war; two jet pilots and mechanical engineers
who go by the callsigns Gl.IT.ch and Meta-bee are tasked with creating a
supercomputer to help win. Within a two-month period, they finally created Amos.
After creating the supercomputer, they then must fly across the ocean to bring the
supercomputer over to another base; a trip that would normally take days.
However, the jet that was going to be used had been outfitted with experimental
teleportation technology, the plan simple; they would fly halfway across the ocean,
and then teleport, cutting the time in half.
Unfortunately, when they made it to their halfway point and turned on the
teleporter, it malfunctioned, instead transporting both pilots back in time back to
the two-month period without the supercomputer (which had mysteriously
disappeared).
with no memory of what happened, they created another supercomputer, named
Alpheus. They then took flight again, and the same thing happened. The third time
they created a supercomputer called Nous.
During each failed teleportation, when the super computers
would disappear, they would actually be teleported up; into
a place called the Imagisphere. The Imagisphere is the 6th
sphere of earth, appearing as a giant gas cloud that
surrounds our planet, also the residence of a near eldritch
God known as
the false moon.
when the supercomputers were teleported up, the moon god would gift each one
sentience, transforming them into robots capable of thought.
Back to earth, each time-reset, would cause the timeline to “crunch” shrinking the
timeline and forcing events to collide with one another. Upon seeing this, Moon
god and the machines devised a plan to save the timeline.
the robot trinity created two creatures, called Figwigs, named Edelweiss and
Hellebores. Together, the Figwigs were meant to be sent down to earth and collide
with Gl.IT.ch and Meta-bee when they were meant to be teleporting.
meanwhile with the Pilots, during the 4th timeline they had created two super
computers named Erratas and Jadocs.
when the event that become to be known as The Great Conjunction happened, and
the Figwigs and pilots collided under the presence of the false moon god;
something happened.
their fates were switched.
Gl.IT.ch and Meta-bee were turned into mechanical robots, and the Figwigs were
turned in to humans.
Sarah Malley
I find myself often looking at an untouched piece of paper and begin wondering what it
will become. There is beauty in that simple sheet and its limitless potential. A starting point
waiting to be painted in with careful hands. Often inspired by nature, I look at the way light and
shadows affect the environment, both manmade and nature. No two sunsets are ever the same,
though each is just as splendid. Nature is forever changing and utterly unapologetic about it.
Utilizing acrylic paint, I recapture the essence of what I experienced and recreate it with
energetic brush strokes. My approach to painting draws inspiration from the famed Romantic and
Post Impressionist moments, especially artists like Caspar Friedrich and Vincent Van Gogh with
their arresting scenery and tempestuous brushstrokes common to both movements. True artwork
is a delicate balance, and I take great pride in presenting these artworks as a culmination of my
journey at NHTI.




Michelle Chiarakhup
“A Moment in Time” is a collection of paintings that are inspired by the majestic views outside
my home along the banks of Lake Winnipesaukee with proximity to the White Mountains. I’m
drawn to capturing the fleeting moments of dramatic clouds, colorful reflections upon the lake,
and the ever-changing seasonal influence on the surrounding nature landscape around me.
Brushstrokes convey the impression of light, suffused reflection on the water, and energetic
description of the textures of the foreground trees, foliage and rocks that line the water’s edge.
My inspirations for this series include two impressionist paintings in particular- “The Great
Wide Open” by Wyatt LeGrand and “The Approaching Storm” by Ovanes Barber.
My choice to use acrylic requires painting very quickly and challenges my ability to mix color -
and imply texture and details with as few energetic brushstrokes as possible, much like these
artists.
My hope for audiences is that they can respond to the energy that I feel with every stroke of my
brush.















