My artwork is relates to natural world, evoking the shapes of plants, animals and their environs, without directly copying specific species or existing places.
Hand-built ceramic sculptures of biomorphic forms are laced with subtle patterns and meandering textures. Contrasting surface treatments – high gloss or matte, smooth or spiky - create a balance in the amassed sculptures which sometimes look like creatures found in the intertidal zone.
My dreamlike gouache paintings also feature organic forms layered with repeated markings and in vibrant color. Landscapes include whorls of color which might be waves, lava or clouds.
Is it coral or one of our own organs? Is it a seed pod or a cell dividing? Is it a place on our Earth, a distant land, or inside our bodies?
I also sometimes have participatory elements in my artwork, inviting the audience to bring their own natural objects - like shells or feathers - to the exhibition to provoke introspection about their own place in nature.
I feel compelled to explore our relationship with the cosmos, through contemplation, wonder and celebration.
About the Artist
Caroline MacKinnon is an artist, writer and educator based in Takoma Park, MD. Her hand-built ceramic sculptures and gouache paintings are inspired by humankind’s connection to the cosmos. The Canadian-American artist has exhibited her work at Rhizome DC, the Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, MD, the District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC), GWU’s Luther W. Brady Gallery in the Corcoran Flagg building in downtown Washington, DC, the Brentwood Arts Exchange in the Gateway Arts District in Prince George’s County, MD, as well as in other regional galleries and art centers. At present, MacKinnon teaches art to children and adults in community settings. She is also a current member of DCAC’s Sparkplug Collective and a resident artist at Red Dirt Studios in Mt. Rainier, MD. Caroline worked as a journalist covering arts and culture in Mexico City until moving to the Washington D.C. area in 2011. She has a B.A. from McGill University, where she studied English and Art History.Featured Work
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