Eileen Gillespie
Born 1963, New York, NY
Lives and works in Maine
Eileen Gillespie is a painter whose work explores the intersection of nature, architecture, and memory, with a sustained focus on a sense of place. She earned her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1985, including a pivotal year of study in Rome through the European Honors Program. That formative time in Italy marked the beginning of her enduring interest in structural forms found in both the natural and built environment.
Gillespie continued her formal education with an MFA in Painting from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990. Her practice is deeply rooted in observation, often drawing from direct experience of landscape and built space to inform her drawings and paintings.
She has been recognized with numerous residencies and fellowships, including a Visiting Artist position at the American Academy in Rome, and residencies at Hewnoaks, the Millay Colony, The Hambidge Center, the Vermont Studio Center, and Carina House on Monhegan Island, Maine. In 2004, she received an Artist Fellowship in Drawing from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
In addition to her studio practice, Gillespie is actively engaged in arts leadership. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Portland Museum of Art, where she previously held roles as President and Chair of the Collection Committee.
Born 1963, New York, NY
Lives and works in Maine
Eileen Gillespie is a painter whose work explores the intersection of nature, architecture, and memory, with a sustained focus on a sense of place. She earned her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1985, including a pivotal year of study in Rome through the European Honors Program. That formative time in Italy marked the beginning of her enduring interest in structural forms found in both the natural and built environment.
Gillespie continued her formal education with an MFA in Painting from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990. Her practice is deeply rooted in observation, often drawing from direct experience of landscape and built space to inform her drawings and paintings.
She has been recognized with numerous residencies and fellowships, including a Visiting Artist position at the American Academy in Rome, and residencies at Hewnoaks, the Millay Colony, The Hambidge Center, the Vermont Studio Center, and Carina House on Monhegan Island, Maine. In 2004, she received an Artist Fellowship in Drawing from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
In addition to her studio practice, Gillespie is actively engaged in arts leadership. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Portland Museum of Art, where she previously held roles as President and Chair of the Collection Committee.
