kendra keenan

My art draws from a strong feeling of belonging in nature, and an overwhelming connection to a source I haven’t always understood.  I often paint dreamy abstract worlds combined with a concrete element such as a portal or doorway that merges the known world to the unknown.  While there is a scientific explanation to a rainbow, a sunset, the way dust floats, birds stay together in a flock, or fish in a shoal, we might not understand why these natural facts become experiences that make us feel utterly grateful to witness.  I propose to my audience an investigation in what else could be there in plain sight that we have yet to see?  Since losing my oldest son last year, I came to understand my love for doorways real and conceptual, in a more profound way.   It is only through them and the fear and pain and the loss that I can truly connect to myself and him once again.  The “doorways” here are places I go when I miss him and long to feel close to him.  

I work with acrylic paint and inks on canvas and wood.  More recently,  I have added a 3d element to my work,  though I have been experimenting with collage for years.

When I moved to Sitges in 2022, I was struck by the amount of plastic that washes up on our beaches, and started to collect and recycle about a dozen bags a month.  Eventually I couldn’t help but keep pieces and started to see them transformed into things of beauty in my art.   Most of these paintings were created using this plastic, marrying my commitment to a cleaner ocean and a desire to express myself through making art.   What started as frustration became an opportunity to connect to each piece of plastic, and it’s imagined journey.  When I see the resulting compositions on a canvas, I see both their story and mine. And in a most unexpected way it connects me to love, loss and letting go.