Jul 21, 2026
In this Ma’s House episode, we speak with artist and engineer Cole Douglas about his multidisciplinary practice spanning abstract painting, photography, poetry, video, and printmaking. Cole reflects on his transition from college football and mechanical engineering into art, which emerged as a necessary outlet for healing, emotional expression, and responding to the social upheaval of 2020. He discusses his guiding principle of “process, not progress,” the role of writing and experimentation in developing new bodies of work, and his ongoing exploration of Black identity, nature, memory, and humanity’s relationship with the environment.
Cole also reflects on his residency at Ma’s House, where he experimented with printmaking, led a poetry workshop inspired by the ocean, and learned more about Shinnecock history and relationships with the surrounding shoreline. He shares how time in nature, conversations with fellow artists, and participation in community workshops expanded his thinking about climate change, migration, and material history. The conversation also touches on mentorship, defining success on one’s own terms, finding joy through creativity and dancing, and his developing interest in using oyster-shell tabby to connect his South Carolina roots with family migration stories and the coastal histories of New York.