Artist Statement - Kim McCarthy

"Art connects souls with souls" -Gary Zukav

Creating is my bridge back to the best days of my childhood. Days that were filled with delight, gathering treasures in the woods alongside my grandmother. My roots in collage and assemblage were established at her simple formica table where I created centre pieces from the bounty that I had collected. Moving this and that around to see how one texture or colour would compliment another filled me with wonder and a sense of endless possibilities.

Today, I’m still a collector and intuitively arranging treasures to adorn spaces. I feel like I’ve spent most of my life trying to create from that childhood state of enchantment. Sensing and expressing what words cannot. Intuitively knowing.

Finding the right medium was a significant part of my journey. I felt like I had come home when I discovered the ancient medium of encaustic (beeswax, damar tree resin and oil paint). Gateways opened and I’ve had a love affair with this medium for over 25 years. I find magic in melting, fusing, layering, imprinting and embedding objects with it.  My visual vocabulary includes ancient universal symbols, personal metaphors, textures that echo nature, and colours that sing like a choir. Sparkly bits that dance with the light and hidden treasures to discover are part of my creative signature.

The style of my work is outside of traditional lanes and conventional labels. In a union of painting and assemblage I make art that I think of as “Wonder-spaces”. Spaces for the senses. Experiential spaces like windows or mirrors. Windows into someplace else, a place to pause, to just be, to hear the whispers and wonder. Mirrors that may reflect something back by sparking associations or memories. Creating them has been my way of remembering and connecting to something far greater than myself. When others find connection within them I am honoured to have been the conduit of whatever touches them. A circle is completed as our experiences momentarily merge.

My work is a gift from spirit that comes through my heart and soul. May it make some spaces a little more thoughtful, a little more beautiful, a little more spiritual…a little more wonderful and enchanting…

“You are a part of all that surrounds you. Celebrate your connection to the beauty and mystery of life.” -Flavia

Photo Credit: Fresh by Selena, Stratford, ON