Under Audit

Artist Tabitha Abbott’s current body of work answers the age-old question: What happens when a young artist is immersed in the world of regulatory corporate auditing?

As the oldest of five siblings, Abbott’s upbringing was marked by constant movement across the American Midwest, attending thirteen schools across four states while completing her primary education. While a career in art had always been her goal, seeking financial security Abbott went on to pursue an M.S. in Accounting at the University of Wyoming. A primarily self-taught oil painter, Abbott refined her craft while simultaneously building her career, working full-time for esteemed financial institutions such as the prestigious accounting firm EY, the renowned brokerage and investment firm Charles Schwab, and the media conglomerate The Walt Disney Company.

In Under Audit, Abbott playfully acknowledges her career in corporate IT auditing through a captivating series of colorful, insect-inspired oil paintings. The work captures the profound influence regulatory corporate auditing has had on her development as an artist. Abbott’s artistic vision intertwines audit-related themes like evidence gathering, objective documentation and reporting with the organic subjects that inspire her — using her fascination with insects and oil paint as the medium of expression.

By integrating the values and themes adopted from her time in the heavily regulated world of American corporate IT audit, Abbott’s work takes on the unique and compelling perspective of artists influenced by non-creative fields. The resulting pieces are a delightful fusion of precision and whimsy, offering the viewer audit-quality documentation that is symbolic of the artist’s conflicting worlds.

Under Audit will be on display at Gallery 110 from September 7 – 30, 2023. Gallery hours are Thursday – Saturday from 12pm – 5pm and by appointment.