The Saginaw Charter Township Art In Public Places is proud to present the combined exhibit of Sue Modrak of Mount Morris, Michigan and Kim Kwaz McKerracher of Goodrich, Michigan for the month of February.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Sue Modrak
I love the act of creating art! There's just something about gripping a pencil, a piece of chalk or a paintbrush and twirling it around a surface and seeing what happens! My art is continuously developing and changing as I gain more experience and knowledge. It has been and continues to be a wonderful journey of self-expression.
For the most part, I am self-taught. Though I can't ignore the fact that both my mother and father were gifted. Mom with her creativity, and Dad, who was a very skilled artist. I have fond memories of my father bringing home a stack of large sheets of orange paper from the hospital where he worked as an x-ray technician. The orange paper was used to mask the x-ray film. From the moment he laid the paper down on the dining room table, my siblings and I would be at the ready with our crayons and start scribbling away until every inch of every sheet was filled with our child imaginings! That was the start of it. I never really put down those crayons.
I earned an associates degree in Commercial Art way back in 1977 from Ferris State College, which put me on a career path in the advertising field. Currently, I am employed as an advertising coordinator for R.J. Rau Management in Frankenmuth. My continuing education in fine art comes from classes at the Flint Institute of Art, where, along with developing my skills as an artist, I have expanded my artistic expression to include welded sculpture. Over the past few years, I have literally taken my art to the field, entering various Plein Air events in Michigan, Ohio and New York.
Picasso said it best, "Art washes away from the soul, the dust of every day life". Whether you create art, or just admired the artwork that others create, it is my opinion art brings us a harmony within ourselves.
I know it does for me.
Kim Kwaz McKerracher
My name is Kim Kwaz McKerracher. I've been signing my paintings with "KWAZ", a childhood nickname, since 2004. I've been working and learning how to paint on the two dimensional surface, on and off, since 1999. Mostly off, as I was committed to being a single mom of twins, working in my nursing profession, and coaching volleyball through most of that time. Returning back to my art has helped turn my mind off from the stress and strain of death and dying, and management from nursing. I turn to the joys of color and the beauty of nature.
Sublime flowers, rejuvenating waters, and intriguing faces these are blessings created by God. These bring joy to my world which I want to share with others through paint. To be reminded of better moments in life provides an avenue of healing from our hurt and pain. Art can reset our perspectives.
The portraits were completed in about 2-3 hours inspired by live models. They were created during my trip to Florence Italy this past May. I use complementary colors of my perceived skin tones to create the bones and muscles (darks and lights). So I might start a portrait with purple or green, then lightly layer the skin color over, hoping to achieve a mood or feeling.
I am open to embracing the unknown and the uncertainty of art. My art certainly cultivates my confusion endurance. I hope you enjoy my pieces from Florence. If you are interested in a portrait of a loved one, I work from photos as well as live sittings. Contact me through email at kimnw@charter.net.
I Believe All art is valid
It may shout perfection to the masses,
It may speak prose to the few,
Or just whispers meaning to the one.
I Believe All art is valid.
Sue Modrak’s and Kim McKerracher's art exhibit will be shown at the Saginaw Charter Township Hall, 4980 Shattuck Road, Saginaw, Michigan, during business hours Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 p.m., February 3 through February 28, 2017. The Saginaw Township government offices are closed for President's Day, February 20, all day.