Please feel free to see my New art in a more organized way!!!
http://www.wix.com/SarahMckay/ArtandSoul
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
SM.Soulpaint@gmail.com
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Everything is for sale. Now taking commissions. If interested, please e-mail sm.soulpaint@gmail.com or call 1 860 428 9792.
Everything is for sale. Now taking commissions. If interested, please e-mail sm.soulpaint@gmail.com or call 1 860 428 9792.
Sarah McKay- A collection of works
Included below is a review of my latest work by a friend and painter.
Nathan Patnaude
Review on Sarah A. McKay
5/10/09
Sarah McKay's paintings focus on grotesque situations within society. They are represented in a way that deals with an internalized narrative that isn't specifically bound to a singular interpretation. They portray elements which strongly reference grotesque or decadent fascinations within our culture. The primary focus of these elements is personal and tied to her identity and interaction with these ideas within society. Her paintings are united by her idea of the martyr syndrome which comment on the maternal roles of self sacrifice and the greed and vanity that are associated with it. Although the paintings use specific symbols and images to articulate different conceptual understandings of this martyr syndrome, the language used within each painting distorts these objects in a way that leaves the interpretation up to the viewer instead of limiting her voice to a specific idea of an object.
The language used to articulate this is somewhere between a cartoon satire and a hyper-realist exaggeration. The objects and figures are distorted to reference the grotesque aspects of sex or genitalia that is often ignored by our idealized and over sexualized media. The represented forms are not grounded, but floating in a ambiguous space that call attention to these ideas as distortions of reality rather than a specific act or moment. This ambiguous space emphasizes the relationship between the objects rather than the context. As a result, the paintings portray this relationship as an abstract concept rather than a literal interpretation. The themes of her work often deal with unspoken and private indulgences which are often not very well grounded in reality. As most of the interactions between the objects and figures deal with self inflicted torture and suffering, they begin to cue into a commentary against these unspoken habits and rationalizations within peoples own minds rather than its place within reality.
The paintings Mckay showed in the BFA 2009 show are successful with her intention. Many of the elements are either read literally or suggest more of these ideas of decadent self-inflicted torture. The images that don't relate tend to define their own purpose within the explanation even if she deliberately references a custom or act that is indicative to her ideas. The rope being pulled the tongue of the figure in "the martyr syndrome" references aztec women who performed this act to make their son's powerful rulers. While the painting lacks the contextual reference to the aztecs, the image of this rope going trough the tongue suggests more of this self inflicted decadent torture even without knowledge of the historic reference. The paintings then become about the associations and understandings articulated between the artist's mind being recorded on canvas and the viewers as they try to interpret in an open ended way.
The development of paintings this semester have led McKay to develop her painting language even further. Her paintings done after the BFA 2009 show use a much looser painterly language that better articulates these ideas as internalized cycles of self abuse. Her latest paintings leave evidence of these forms being constructed haphazardly while ready to fall apart. This development is a positive and cohesive direction for the ideas circulating her current body of work.
Nathan Patnaude
Review on Sarah A. McKay
5/10/09
Sarah McKay's paintings focus on grotesque situations within society. They are represented in a way that deals with an internalized narrative that isn't specifically bound to a singular interpretation. They portray elements which strongly reference grotesque or decadent fascinations within our culture. The primary focus of these elements is personal and tied to her identity and interaction with these ideas within society. Her paintings are united by her idea of the martyr syndrome which comment on the maternal roles of self sacrifice and the greed and vanity that are associated with it. Although the paintings use specific symbols and images to articulate different conceptual understandings of this martyr syndrome, the language used within each painting distorts these objects in a way that leaves the interpretation up to the viewer instead of limiting her voice to a specific idea of an object.
The language used to articulate this is somewhere between a cartoon satire and a hyper-realist exaggeration. The objects and figures are distorted to reference the grotesque aspects of sex or genitalia that is often ignored by our idealized and over sexualized media. The represented forms are not grounded, but floating in a ambiguous space that call attention to these ideas as distortions of reality rather than a specific act or moment. This ambiguous space emphasizes the relationship between the objects rather than the context. As a result, the paintings portray this relationship as an abstract concept rather than a literal interpretation. The themes of her work often deal with unspoken and private indulgences which are often not very well grounded in reality. As most of the interactions between the objects and figures deal with self inflicted torture and suffering, they begin to cue into a commentary against these unspoken habits and rationalizations within peoples own minds rather than its place within reality.
The paintings Mckay showed in the BFA 2009 show are successful with her intention. Many of the elements are either read literally or suggest more of these ideas of decadent self-inflicted torture. The images that don't relate tend to define their own purpose within the explanation even if she deliberately references a custom or act that is indicative to her ideas. The rope being pulled the tongue of the figure in "the martyr syndrome" references aztec women who performed this act to make their son's powerful rulers. While the painting lacks the contextual reference to the aztecs, the image of this rope going trough the tongue suggests more of this self inflicted decadent torture even without knowledge of the historic reference. The paintings then become about the associations and understandings articulated between the artist's mind being recorded on canvas and the viewers as they try to interpret in an open ended way.
The development of paintings this semester have led McKay to develop her painting language even further. Her paintings done after the BFA 2009 show use a much looser painterly language that better articulates these ideas as internalized cycles of self abuse. Her latest paintings leave evidence of these forms being constructed haphazardly while ready to fall apart. This development is a positive and cohesive direction for the ideas circulating her current body of work.
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Flesh of Man, Flesh of Fish and Flesh of the Beast
Oil on Canvas Spring 2009
America
Woodcut 2008 Eddition 1 0f 1
