Constellations

by Kathleen Shellrude

Artist Statement

Constellations,  a series of mixed media paintings created amid the genesis of the Covid-19 pandemic. The work draws on what we all felt during a time when life was uncertain, the virus misunderstood, and social connections were both avidly feared and coveted. Our lifelines were with those we love and keeping them safe meant keeping our distance.

Similar to constellations, I believe our human attachments tether us to each other. During these trying times, however, our interdependence is at a longer range. The extra precautions I have had to take as a person with a physical disability have resulted in a separateness that has been difficult to acclimate. These paintings depict moments where the essence of  community means making connections while staying apart.  

Self-isolating meant adjusting my habits as a consumer. I have taken the opportunity to (re)use substrates by reworking or altogether painting over pieces that have lost relevance. The result has been new pieces imbued with texture and depth originating from ‘what came before’. 

Like our skies and skins, this is a story that requires going beyond the surface: its complexity makes it beautiful. After all, it is our histories that make us human and our relationships that can make us humane. 

Biography

A mixed media artist and experimental ceramicist, Kathleen Shellrude lives and creates on Treaty 1 Territory  (Winnipeg). Her artistic career began after a lengthy hospitalization in 2015 which prompted her to use art as a means of processing issues related to a personal history marked by disability, mental illness, homelessness, and addiction. 

Since completing a residency at Artbeat Studio (2017), Shellrude has presented work in 6 solo exhibitions, including Forest Royalty which is currently travelling through rural Manitoba, and has participated in many group shows. She has curated 3 exhibitions, including Life Support (2018) which honours her nephew who passed away from an overdose.

Her paintings feature dreamlike landscapes, magical creatures, and abstraction. She works in multimedia pottery by combining acrylics, resin, gold leaf, botanicals, bones, stones, prayers, and spellwork that connect her, and the viewer, to the divine.

She is one of the founders of Higgins Studios, where she works in one of the accessible artist-run studio spaces made available to 20+ artists. She is chair of the board at The Edge Urban Gallery and Art Centre, and is a member of various arts organizations in Winnipeg.