Maddox’s plane had finally touched down in Los Angeles. He’d left the snowy Gorham campus the day before with five paintings — each one 3×4 feet — carefully packed in an oversized box that he’d lugged through the airport, hoping it survived the trip. After weather delays and an unplanned overnight at Chicago O’Hare, he made it to LAX. In just a few hours, the 21-year-old Studio Art major would be standing in a Los Angeles gallery for the opening of his first art show.
The paintings represented months of hard work — evenings after work, weekends, any free moment. He says it was while working on this collection, his artistic style began to crystallize.
He’d arrived Friday morning — the same day as the show. Now, standing in the LAX baggage claim, Maddox was already doing the math: gallery opening that night, flight back Saturday, hopefully arriving in time for practice. Because while he was in L.A. as an artist, back in Maine, his track and field teammates were counting on him as their captain.
Choosing uncertainty: The leap that brought Maddox to USM
A New Hampshire native, Maddox’s path to USM wasn’t a direct one. He started at Thomas College in Waterville, Maine, where he figured a degree in graphic design might be ‘safer’ than pursuing studio art.
When the graphic design program was cut during his freshman year, Maddox saw it as a sign. He started looking at schools with strong studio art programs, like USM, where he could also run track.
“I knew I had to make a choice,” he said. “At first I wasn’t comfortable just dropping everything like that. But I thought ‘I’ll just take the risk’, and it paid off.”
When Maddox first transferred, he was focused on track and hadn’t yet considered studio art as a viable career. But he says USM’s art department quickly changed that, giving him the confidence to pursue his passion.
“If it’s something I like,” he said. “I’m going to try my best to do everything I can to make it work.”
That commitment has paid off. Two years after transferring to USM, he’s selling work in L.A. galleries and fielding commissions.
The Instagram DM that changed everything
The journey to his first show started in August 2024, when North Carolina jeweler Trey Lewis discovered Maddox’s work on Instagram. Excited to collaborate, Lewis invited Maddox to join him for a collaboration at Exhibit A Gallery in L.A. It would be Maddox’s first solo debut show, paired with Lewis’ jewelry.
It gave him a clear mission. All summer, Maddox worked at a screen printing facility by day and painted by night, building the collection piece by piece. By fall, something had shifted — his evolving abstract style finally felt fully his own.
“I made probably eight to 10 paintings over the summer,” Maddox said. “And it felt like a very complete collection. That was the moment where I was like, okay, this is the style.”
Finding inspiration in Miles Franklin’s airbrush work, Maddox said he seeks a sense of freedom while he paints.
“It’s like breaking free from what other people tell you,” he said. “If you let yourself be free to truly create, that evolution is going to come. Your style is what you can’t get rid of.”
Even with his style solidified and the collection complete, Maddox couldn’t quite believe it was happening.
“You get imposter syndrome,” he admitted. “Like, there’s no way I’m going out to L.A. for this show. I’m only 21 years old. It feels fake.”
Opening night success: sales, commissions, and connections
This was, in fact, reality. His paintings made it safely across the country, and before he knew it, they were hanging on the walls of Exhibit A Gallery. Opening night exceeded his expectations both in sales, and in the people it attracted. Maddox felt like everyone who walked through the door seemed genuinely interested in connecting.
“This guy just saw my art, and now I’m doing commissions for him. I have to remind myself this is real.”
Maddox Cahill ’26
One of those connections would turn out to be a game changer. A man named Chaisson introduced himself as a stylist at Warner Bros., having worked with artists like Kevin Hart and The Neighborhood. By the end of the night, Chaisson had bought one of Maddox’s paintings and was already discussing a commission for another piece.
While L.A. felt like a dream, his responsibilities in Maine were very real. The whirlwind trip — 36 sleepless hours getting there, plus a gallery opening — was a tight turnaround, but worth it to get back in time for track practice. As captain, he wanted to show up for his teammates.
Maddox ultimately made his Saturday flight, showed up for practice and competed in the next meet.
Competing and creating: Balancing athletics alongside art
Maddox is used to living in two worlds at once. Track season runs October through May, with meets nearly every weekend. Studio work demands evenings, weekends, and any other time he can carve out.
He doesn’t necessarily see the two pursuits as competing. Track keeps him disciplined and surrounded by teammates, while art gives him space for creative freedom. Both require hard work and consistency, and fortunately this routine comes naturally to him.
Faculty support helps too. Maddox’s professors have encouraged him to apply for open calls and juried art shows — opportunities that make an art career feel achievable, not just aspirational.
“They give you the opportunities out front,” he said. “You just have to take advantage of it.”
Ultimately, these are Maddox’s words of advice — don’t sit by and watch the opportunities pass.
“If you sit on those thoughts, eventually they’re going to go away or someone else is going to have them,” he said. “There’s always going to be people that are going to try to talk you down. You’ve just got to stick with your own vision and keep believing in yourself.”
Just getting started
Maddox graduates this May, and his calendar is already filling up. A show in Las Vegas is set for July, with another in North Carolina later in the year. The dual pursuits that got him here — track and art — aren’t going anywhere.
On repeat for Maddox
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