Sheila Kernan: A Deeper Dive Into the Details
In anticipation of her upcoming solo exhibition Interplay: Memory and Connection, Calgary-based artist Sheila Kernan pulls back the curtain to reveal the essential elements of her artistic practice. Interplay: Memory and Connection officially opens on August 17 and runs through August 31, 2024.
Sheila Kernan, Envision. 36 x 72 inches, Mixed Media on Canvas-Wrapped Panel
What keeps me returning to hone my craft is the pursuit of capturing subtle nuances and embracing unpredictability and lack of control. It's all about finding clarity in self-expression and creating an end result that speaks for itself.
My artistic practice explores the fluid and subjective nature of memory and how our experiences and emotions continually reshape it. I am fascinated by the power of perspective to shape and change our understanding of the past. This fascination has led me to create a series of paintings and sketches that delves into the interplay between memory, connection, and the human experience.
Each painting begins with a plan and the development of a composition that showcases the subject matter and my current theme – I draw upon lived experiences, wishes, desires, photographs, and sketches. This becomes the painting’s foundation. As each layer of paint is applied, I adapt to what has come before, making many decisions regarding choice of medium and technique. I oscillate between several – each plays a unique part in the look and effect of the final painting.
Sheila Kernan,Translucent Layers. 24 x 24 inches, Mixed Media on Canvas-Wrapped Panel
Wet-on-wet: As the thinned paint spreads across the wet canvas, it creates beautiful illusory textures. This not only adds movement and fluidity to the pieces but also serves as a visual metaphor for the ever-changing nature of memory.
Airbrushing: The subtle blends and softness created by this technique suggest imagined landscapes that lie between fantasy and reality. The airbrush allows me to create depth and a dreamlike quality, suggestive of the pliable connection between our memories and the natural world.
Stenciling: I create stencils and utilize them as positive and negative shapes, which add to the painting’s sense of depth and illusion. These shapes can seem to meld into the landscape, suggesting how memories can sometimes fade or transform over time.
Impasto: The thick impasto textures created with brushwork and palette knives add complexity and dimension to each work. By combining multiple hand-mixed colours on my palette and then allowing them to blend as I maneuver the brush on the canvas, I achieve unique and unexpected colour combinations – a visual metaphor for the richness and complexity of our experiences and emotions.
Sheila Kernan, Echoes Of Us. 48 x 36 inches, Mixed Media on Canvas-Wrapped Panel
The many-layered finished works then act as catalysts for self-discovery, prompting viewers to explore the subtleties of their own lives and how their experiences shape their understanding of the world around them. Each painting serves as a reminder of the power of memory and the importance of embracing the unseen layers that make up our identities and the world we live in.
Through this artistic journey, I hope to inspire a deeper connection between people and their memories, as well as the natural world that surrounds us. By embracing the fluidity and unpredictability of life, we can foster a greater understanding of ourselves and our place in the ever-changing landscape of existence.
-Sheila Kernan 2024
