Kathleen McGuckinARTIST STATEMENT
The transformative power of memory throughout the creative process is essential to my artistic practice. I grew up in a family of artists and artisans. Memories of witnessing their practice, while often creating alongside them, consistently stimulate my imagination. Vestiges of these experiences form a legacy of their existence. My work is derived from this powerful function of memory and from elements of environments I have experienced directly. Trusting my intuition, I apply the mediums in layers by brushing, scraping, scratching, adding, and subtracting to reveal, in varying degrees, what exists above and beneath the surface. These revelations are vital to my work, and through them, I discover that which would otherwise be concealed. I employ a variety of mediums and mark-making techniques associated with drawing, painting, and printmaking. These marks are left visible to serve as a record of the process and a testament to the human condition. Throughout my work, there is a constant pulse of the past intertwined with new experiences I encounter, providing an insight into the details of living, whether they be simple, complex, joyful, or tragic. It is this specific power of the creative process that motivates and inspires me. |
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ABOUT THE ARTIST / BIO
Kathleen McGuckin is a New York-based visual artist. She employs a variety of mixed media in her work, often incorporating collage and found objects. Trusting in the creative process itself and the power of memory, she creates work that is a collection of her experiences by responding to the process and translating the images that emerge. Her work evokes deep emotional connections that bridge the past with the present. Layers of meaning can be discovered through the depths of the mediums she applies, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves within their interpretations and resonate with their own experiences.
McGuckin was born in the Bronx, NY, and later on, her family moved to a nearby suburb in NJ. The accessibility to the city, along with weekly visits with extended family, informed her sensibilities from an early age. After receiving a BA in Art Therapy and Art Education from The College of New Jersey, she returned to teach art at Hackensack HS. She later attended William Paterson University, where she completed graduate teaching certification courses. She continued her fine art studies at the National Academy of Art and Design, NYC, and SUNY, New Paltz, earning a Master of Fine Arts in Painting.
In addition to her studio practice, McGuckin served as the District Art Coordinator and high school art teacher for the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District in Central Valley, NY. Her career as an art educator also includes teaching positions at SUNY, New Paltz, and public schools in New Jersey. She was awarded a Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Artist/Educator Fellowship as recognition for her excellence in artistic practice and teaching.
McGuckin has had a lifelong passion for nature and the outdoors and lives in the Hudson Valley in Orange County, NY. Her interest in exploring the outdoors near her home, as well as traveling to discover new vistas and terrains, is a constant source of inspiration.
Kathleen McGuckin is a New York-based visual artist. She employs a variety of mixed media in her work, often incorporating collage and found objects. Trusting in the creative process itself and the power of memory, she creates work that is a collection of her experiences by responding to the process and translating the images that emerge. Her work evokes deep emotional connections that bridge the past with the present. Layers of meaning can be discovered through the depths of the mediums she applies, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves within their interpretations and resonate with their own experiences.
McGuckin was born in the Bronx, NY, and later on, her family moved to a nearby suburb in NJ. The accessibility to the city, along with weekly visits with extended family, informed her sensibilities from an early age. After receiving a BA in Art Therapy and Art Education from The College of New Jersey, she returned to teach art at Hackensack HS. She later attended William Paterson University, where she completed graduate teaching certification courses. She continued her fine art studies at the National Academy of Art and Design, NYC, and SUNY, New Paltz, earning a Master of Fine Arts in Painting.
In addition to her studio practice, McGuckin served as the District Art Coordinator and high school art teacher for the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District in Central Valley, NY. Her career as an art educator also includes teaching positions at SUNY, New Paltz, and public schools in New Jersey. She was awarded a Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Artist/Educator Fellowship as recognition for her excellence in artistic practice and teaching.
McGuckin has had a lifelong passion for nature and the outdoors and lives in the Hudson Valley in Orange County, NY. Her interest in exploring the outdoors near her home, as well as traveling to discover new vistas and terrains, is a constant source of inspiration.
