Land Escape
Kelly Hendrickson
Kelly Hendrickson (USA)
An artist’s statement
For ever so long I have been fascinated with crumbling, abandoned buildings and with other, often discarded items. I have often wondered what held such interest for me in these otherwise forgotten places and things. Then I realized why. When I see them I feel a story is hidden between the fallen boards and broken bricks, somewhere in the lost bolts and washers. These things were once probably someone's new pride and joy. What have they seen, what history witnessed, what squeals of joy or wracking sobs have they heard? How many tears landed on the now empty window sills and seeped deep into the wood and the history of that old house? The story is what called to me and what I want to re-tell in my art. The story is sometimes in the subject matter and at other times it is in using the actual articles themselves in my art. My desire is to bring honor of place and belonging back to them. While I might not know their actual history, I do feel the tale they can help tell. One story can be very individual and another can be more of a general concept of a place or of a group of persons. As I work on a piece, I become absorbed in the story. Often it takes directions I did not notice at the beginning and the whole process is one of discovery and exploration. In the end, the finished work provides several layers revealing different aspects to the individual viewer. I prefer to leave the story rather open-ended so the viewer can resonate with the part that is most clearly revealed to them. Shakespeare said, "the play's the thing". For me, it is the story within the art. As you consider my creations, I hope you will engage with that story. Perhaps you will find within it bits of your own life calling back to you. Solitude
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