Margaret Keelan: Communion/Connection

Gallery Walk July 7th • 5-8 pm

Artist Statement

For the past few years, my sculptures have been repeatedly glazed, stained, and fired to give the surfaces the look of disintegrating paint over weathered wood. This softening and reduction of form so that its essential nature is revealed is a metaphor I use for a life being lived, an exploration of the process of growing up and growing older. I love the combination of innocence, trust and openness, combined with the knowingness and authenticity of an older age and am inspired by American folk art, “Santos” figures from South and Central America, and utilize molds of 19th and early 20th dolls to achieve a timeless image.

Much of my work pays homage to our coexistence with the natural world. Those of us who are encased in cities sometimes have a longing to experience this connection more closely. We also mourn the loss and threatened existence of many species.

Birds, dogs, cats and other creatures have magic to them, that as children perhaps we see more clearly and do not question. Linda Ganstrom, Professor of Art observes of my work “The subject conveys a sweet sentimentality twisted into melancholy that touches my emotional core and helps me remember the complexity of childhood and life”.