CARMINE MAGAZINE

Carmine Magazine: How would you define your style?
Kelly McKernan: I would call it a mix of whimsical, dreamy, surreal, illustrative, and curious. For years now, people who have watched me develop as an artist have said I have a very distinct style, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that I felt I was discovering it. It’s been an interesting experience, because each painting has revealed to me what kind of artist I am. It’s been a lot of fun uncovering that.

CM: What things inspire and influence you and your artwork?
KM: I am strongly inspired by words. I keep a large list of words that I find interesting and enjoy putting them together to fit in some sort of context. That is where most of the surrealistic aspects of my work are derived from. I am also inspired by dreams, music, and everyday quirks. Wikipedia, too. I love to research the items and ideas I intend to use in my work before I create the pieces.

CM: Do you listen to music when you create? Describe your perfect creative work environment.
KM: I can’t create without music. I can’t do much easily without music anyway… my iPod may as well be surgically attached to my body. My perfect environment involves my new drafting table, a sunny day with the windows open, and of course, my music. And if I’m working with photography, a quiet darkroom with room to dance in is bliss.

CM: What mediums do you work in the most? Why do you use them?
KM: I work almost exclusively in watercolor and gouache. I’ve never had a formal class in either, and while most people believe that those are the most difficult painting media out there, I find them very easy and calming to work with. I work best when I’m not allowed to fix my mistakes, because then I’m forced to turn any mishaps into a compositional element. I also incorporate photography into my work via darkroom techniques. The process is highly involved, but I paint liquid emulsion onto various surfaces and print them in a traditional darkroom. Some of my favorite work is a combination of my photography and painting.

CM: Name a few of your favorite artists.
KM: Goodness, I have never tried to write them all down. Non-contemporary would be Analytical Cubist Picasso and Braque, Surrealists Magritte, Man Ray, Tanguy, and Dali, Mucha and Mackintosh of Art Nouveau, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs. Contemporary artists are the Starn Twins, Jerry Uelssman, and Sarah Moon as photographers, Amy Sol, Audrey Kawasaki, James Jean, Inka Essenhigh, Scott Hansen, Christian Ward, and the list goes on and on.

CM: If there was one style of art that you could take up what would it be?
KM: Well, I will always wish I had kept with photography. Earlier this year I decided to aim to become an illustrator, which meant dropping my double major in photography and keeping to painting, with the goal of getting my MFA in Illustration. Aside from photography, I find performance art highly appealing.

Find Kelly’s work at these places on the web:
Official Site
30 Paintings Project on Livejournal
DeviantART
Flickr
Behance
Del.icio.us

Some artwork from Kelly McKernan: