Madilyn Shiels

Madilyn is the 2026 Roost Boost Scholarship Award Third Place Winner.

When someone asks, “What inspires you as an artist?” I can never give one answer. I tend to draw inspiration from many things, such as social media, literature, movies, and my everyday life. One thing for sure is that I draw most of my inspiration from horror movies and the environment; mostly, it's a combination of the two. I have always been fascinated by horror films' use of special effects to create tension and unease for the viewer. I especially appreciate the 80s horror movies' practical effects because of the time and talent it takes. In many of my pieces, I try to capture the unsettling feeling people get when watching horror movies. At the same time, I am also inspired by the negative effects pollution has had on our environment and make pieces that reflect a need for change. In many of my pieces, I try to incorporate the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle slogan. To go along with that, I also see potential in what most people would view as garbage. Though with the majority of pieces, it's a combination of these two inspirations. For my recent project, I took empty aluminum cans and transformed them into these twisted, creature-like sculptures. The cans used were the energy drink Monster, which served as the bodies for these nightmare-inducing monsters. Honestly, this is my way of showing inspiration doesn't have to come from one place—sometimes the best ideas happen when you merge different influences and see what happens.