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JEANE KAT McGRAIL STATEMENT— I exhibit my individual artworks in a series, which, in turn, is part of a larger, environmentally-related project, The River Project: Origins, Movement, Confluence. Each series (Convergence Series, Reflections Series, and Artic Vortex Series) reflects and expands upon the others, sharing interconnected meanings. The River Project originates on the St. Croix River (where I grew up)--just as the river moves, so the inquiry changes—unveiling the past, and directing the future. On the surface, Reflections Series appears to be reflections on water in spring, summer, fall, and the edges of winter. The view, from across the water, is reminiscent of the inaccessible island Horaijima (Island of Everlasting Happiness) in Japanese culture. Delving more deeply, viewers discover reflections within reflections. In a surreal manner, we discover what is real, what appears real, and what is reflective of reality. One departure from my previous Reflections landscapes is Oblivious: Sunday Stroll by South Pond: here I creatively manipulate the scene—literally transmogrifying the environment. The addition of speculative / metaphysical / fantasy elements (such as carp and jewels) is a metaphor for the global collective dread, a caveat to those who stroll and explore in oblivious innocence. In the Arctic Vortex Series: Interruption, Suspension, Transformation, I construct work (based on the Artic Vortex weather phenomenon) showing severe effects of global warming of the earth’s water supply, including the Great Lakes as part of an urban environment—blasting the Midwest, while making parts of the Great Lakes dense with ice and sculptural formations, often clandestine and surreptitious. The terrain transcendently changes when bitter gusts fabricate wilderness (and few individuals venture to enjoy) along the banks of Lake Michigan. The familiar associations are suspended in a timeless sense of place, as the distant buildings protrude the infinity of horizons into biting air, swirling clouds, and blue atmosphere. The entire body of work relates to, reflects on, and sometimes solemnly anticipates coming events. My journey takes me seasonally into nature—experiencing the climate, the bears and bugs—where I document, explore, and reflect. My printmaking process mirrors my observations in nature, and is reflective of the natural and social changes I observe; during my printmaking, constructive, and assemblage process, I create further transformations as future possibilities unfold. The viewer then adds another layer of reflection, and the meaning of the artwork—which I envision as seasonally renewing, healing, and hopeful--continues to stream. |
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