Exhibitions

By Scott McKernan
Instagram: @ScottMcKernanArtist

A child of the 70s, Scott McKernan followed a self-teaching path through art and literature from a very early age, working extensively with wood, clay, and ink. At age thirteen, he noticed how newspaper images consisted of fine black dots, similar to how pixels form images digitally. Intrigued by the process, McKernan soon created his first two-dimensional artwork in this style.

Dot paintings, or ‘Stipplings’ as they are more correctly known, were created by Giulio Campagnola, an Italian Printmaker who contributed to the Renaissance art movement until he died in 1515. Campagnola would etch dots, in varying closeness, on a printing plate to produce his images of a single colour – a vastly different technique from the coloured dots of pointillism, which was first used in 1880s by the impressionists Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, later by Van Gough and Monet, and depicted in the art gallery sequence in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Georges Seurat, 1884.

McKernan’s fascination with this black-and-white process grew from the simple understanding of how, on white cardboard, the absence of ink conveyed a presence of light, and the graduating presence of fine black dots, or marks, gave the impression of a darkening shadow. Through the absence or presence of black dots, his work progressed to articulate the many nuances involved in creating works that depict all sorts of textures, from wet to dry and rough to soft.

Whilst up close, the viewer can see the individual black pigment ink dots McKernan has made on a white mat board; the works are anamorphic, requiring the viewer to retreat so that individual dots become less apparent and the textural three-dimensional image comes into focus, reminiscent of how a stereogram reveals its ‘hidden’ image.

During the pandemic, McKernan took refuge in his art, capturing the beauty of how fabric, including bedsheets, can enhance our daily life experience by creating the “Sensual Sheets” series, and adapting his process to capture the nuances of the local flora around him, and the breadth of natural textures therein.

The stippling process is very time-consuming and detailed work. For example, Melton Single Leaf No. 4 took over 8 hours across several days, while Sensual Sheets No. 3 consumed more than 120 hours over several months.

Past artworks have also included portraiture focusing on subjects that tell stories through the character’s complex emotions and celebrating their version of survival. In the coloured prints that almost build a bridge between stippling and pointillism, Red and Orange Woman No. 1 and No. 2, McKernan sees survival evidenced by the facial lines and expressions he has captured, which have likely developed over time from the adversity the subjects once faced.

All black-and-white artworks displayed are original works of black pigment ink on white matboard, both acid-free and framed in 70% UV Artglass frames to ensure longevity and protection for each piece. A limited number of unframed prints are also available. Please refer to the flyer in store or ask for details.

Come peruse 17 of his most detailed works over a glass or two of fine wine.

The exhibition is on until Sunday 27 October 2024
Open Wednesday – Sunday 4PM until 10PM