Nellie Congdon is a figurative painter from the Providence, Rhode Island area whose work explores the desire for leisure and comfort in contemporary life. She earned her BFA from Cornell University in 2019, where she formally developed her practice. After teaching for several years in Memphis, Congdon returned to painting and completed the post-baccalaureate studio art program at Brandeis University in 2024. Her current work consists of large-scale paintings on paper and canvas, depicting figures immersed in complex emotional states. On reflecting upon the dualities of comfort and vulnerability, containment and exposure, she is painting the saturnine mood of contemporary humanity.
Congdon will begin her MFA in Painting at the Rhode Island School of Design in fall 2025.