Recordal 1C-2D-3ET

Kristen McClarty's artworks carve lines deep into the concept of layering, both physically and metaphorically, as a means of bearing witness to the past and present simultaneously. Through her evocative descriptions and poignant reflections, McClarty captures the essence of memory intertwined with place, creating woodcuts imprints made with finely cut grooves of experiences. In her exploration of a particular place in "A Hard Place," McClarty uncovers a profound connection between the physical landscape and the memories it holds. The image of the suspended boulder, frozen in time and space, becomes a figuration of halted destinies and forgotten histories. In her words: 

“I find myself above the village looking down on the houses and ocean, and I turn my back on them to climb up to an exposed koppie of granite. As I reach the sheer face of rock, I see that it cuts back, where one imposing monolith has pulled away from the mountain. In the cleft between the two, I find a huge boulder, wedged in, suspended in place and thus prevented from rolling down into the village below, oblivious to the chance of halting its destiny. It's my secret for a time. Unseen. Until I share it, scribbled, marked, carved and then transferred under pressure onto paper. Thursday’s secret, watched over by three sisters.”