We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vanessa McKernan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Vanessa, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
During my undergraduate studies I took a course called materials and methods of the artist with Susan Scott. We learned traditional old school techniques in the class; egg tempera, fresco secco and silverpoint. We also made our own gesso and oil paint. As opposed to making me feel like I had more control over my materials this class really taught me how little I knew. It opened my eyes to the endless possibilities that can come from material exploration. Even now after 20 year of working with oil paint I still feel like I am learning, especially when it comes to color.
I don’t think I could have dome anything differently to speed up the process of of learning to paint. I am someone who learns only through doing and that takes the time it takes.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am an oil painter living and working in Ottawa, Canada. I use the figure and the landscape in my paintings to build these kind of psychic narratives that speak to personal and collective struggles with mortality, human connection and desire. I am a woman, a mother, a partner and a sister and these identities inform many of the themes I explore in my work. Elements from the natural world are prominent in my paintings. I think this comes from the space around my studio; the river, the bush and my garden. Living so close to nature is new to me as I just moved out of the city in 2023. I am really interested currently in letting my surroundings bleed into my work.
In 2024 I received a second grant from the Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation and also recently renovated a 1000 square foot studio space so I am really committing to my craft this year. It is an exciting time!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I am at the beginning of a huge life and career shift. In 2023 my partner and I sold our semi-detached home in Toronto and bought a 2 acre property in a rural part of the Ottawa Valley. Part of the reason for the move was studio space, my work was getting bigger and the studio rents in Toronto were increasingly unaffordable. The property we bought had an old dilapidated indoor pool which we planned to convert into a studio space. Two months after we bought the property I lost a web design contract that had been a great part-time source of income for the last 10 years. The move, the new studio and the change in my professional life really forced me to commit to my painting full-time. I am in the first six months of this transition and have been lucky to have the support of sales and grants that are keeping me going. I don’t know what the future holds but I feel optimistic!
Having so much time in the studio has led to an increase in my production and so I am actively pursuing gallery representation in the US and abroad as a way to continue to expand my reach and connect with new collectors. I am also putting a lot more time into my website, studio sales and general advertising.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
I like the concept particularly when the format and the product make sense. SOULS the interactive visual audio collaboration by Sia and David OReilly is a really good example of this https://soulsgalaxy.io .
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vanessamckernan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vainter
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmckernan/
