Yellow rocks with floating mountain

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.  

Kristen writes the following about her series, "A sense of place": On reading the book “A sense of place”on the Scottish artist Joan Eardley, what struck me was her description of her painting practice… “I find the more I know of the place, or of one particular spot, the more I find to paint in that particular spot. I do feel the more you know of something, the more you can get out of it, the more it gives to you.” And so, some summers, Joan set up and painted the same vista every day, in every weather, each time allowing her attention to be drawn and swayed by different aspects.

 This made me think more about the yellow lichen covered rocks that I pass each day on my walks. It gave me the idea of tackling them in every way that I know how. I wanted to lay the rich yellow ochre paint on a canvas, and I also wanted to carve the shape in wood and print it. I wanted to stitch it onto a small cloth, making the shape with hundreds of short lines, coming together as one. So, I decided to do all these things, enjoying the place and the pull, feeling the edge of it, until it is enough.