Mai Harris is a local artist, writer, and curator. Working mostly in acrylic paint and pen/ink washes, her work is strongly influenced by fashion and fantasy.
Harris is also a writer for the Murfreesboro Pulse and the owner of Fervent Fusion.
Artist statement:
My paintings, done in a combination of acrylics and oil, are both narrative and surreal. The core of the work is usually very personal, but with generic elements that relate to the larger human race. I present a story to the viewer for them to make of it what they wish. The symbols have meaning for me that tell a very specific story, just as they will have meanings for the viewer for them to use to construct their own story. 
The female characters I create are often in a dreamlike state, in large rooms where you see space instead of a ceiling, and water instead of a solid floor. Random animals are often found roaming the scene, the way odd things that seem out of place find their way into our dreams. All of this is inspired by dreams, fantasies, things that have happened to me, things I wish would happen. Regardless of what issue I am sorting through or what part of life I am trying to make sense of in the story, death is the only certainty, so of course it is a valid influence on everything and always present. Amidst whimsical, decedent, and indulgent elements there is always a lingering darkness or symbol of death. This reminder of death is represented in different ways, such as the figure’s body appearing to decay or being composed of bones and organs. Sometimes it is shown as a skeleton that lingers over the body, with its limbs becoming interchangeable with that of the living figure.
The issues at hand are difficult and serious, the reality of how short life is and the certainty of death is absolute and inescapable. Framing these ideas with whimsy, escapism, and superficial sources of inspiration, fashion ads being a key inspiration for what I do for example, brings up the question: what is truly important? How should we spend our time? And are all of the answers so large and out of grasp or impossible that we should just run away into our own worlds within our minds and wait until it’s over?