Kathy Lynn McGhee
Artist Statement
In my work, I have been interested in exploring social interactions and activities as well as self-realizations, and calling into question ideas and associations regarding our interaction with the world, each other, and how we perceive ourselves. My own background, as an individual raised in rural Ohio, has greatly influenced the manner in which I have depicted these ideas - I frequently use images of animals, the occasional household item, landscape and other natural elements. By doing these explorations indirectly through the use of these objects/characters and allowing them to interact in a tableau having the feeling of being a frozen moment from a story, I find that I am able to create meaningful interactions between viewers and the works. The viewers may insert themselves and their experiences into the metaphor they see before them. The characters I have been selecting and incorporating in my prints have inherently carried many associations since they are tied to nature, landscape, and situations that may be encountered there, but I have been using them further as vessels to symbolize our own human traits and interests.
Indirectly through the use of stories and images, people can see and observe themselves in a new light. We have been exposed to fables, parables, myths, and stories with hidden meanings and depth all of our lives. This ability to assimilate ourselves into a story or image and to discover hidden meaning is something with which I have been experimenting for some time. I have found that even the visual textures created in some of my photogravure works become relics of the imagination. The significance of this and what it means in regard to how we think, perceive ourselves, and how we interact with others is of great interest to me.
Artist Statement
In my work, I have been interested in exploring social interactions and activities as well as self-realizations, and calling into question ideas and associations regarding our interaction with the world, each other, and how we perceive ourselves. My own background, as an individual raised in rural Ohio, has greatly influenced the manner in which I have depicted these ideas - I frequently use images of animals, the occasional household item, landscape and other natural elements. By doing these explorations indirectly through the use of these objects/characters and allowing them to interact in a tableau having the feeling of being a frozen moment from a story, I find that I am able to create meaningful interactions between viewers and the works. The viewers may insert themselves and their experiences into the metaphor they see before them. The characters I have been selecting and incorporating in my prints have inherently carried many associations since they are tied to nature, landscape, and situations that may be encountered there, but I have been using them further as vessels to symbolize our own human traits and interests.
Indirectly through the use of stories and images, people can see and observe themselves in a new light. We have been exposed to fables, parables, myths, and stories with hidden meanings and depth all of our lives. This ability to assimilate ourselves into a story or image and to discover hidden meaning is something with which I have been experimenting for some time. I have found that even the visual textures created in some of my photogravure works become relics of the imagination. The significance of this and what it means in regard to how we think, perceive ourselves, and how we interact with others is of great interest to me.