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My work is informed by a deep sense of play. I enjoy the jolt of energy that comes from combining disparate images and materials. From these arise work which celebrates both the original elements and the fresh perspective of the whole they have formed. For me, the collage process is a slow one. It relies on an abundance of material. Various sources provide the images I'm drawn to. I choose them both for their meaning and their qualities of color and form. Paper, fabric and natural materials provide texture and pattern, but often it is color which acts as a catalyst. As I work with the various elements, I am guided by both intention and serendipity. |
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One of the essential appeals of the collage medium is that it encompasses a rich array of subjects and materials. I juxtapose images to evoke the spirit of a time, place, or culture. I am attracted to contexts where one can see the past in the present, where older traditions are alive in daily life. I respond to images of the classical pantheon, Hindu deities, and Buddhist figures as vital, accessible forces living in the culture and the landscape. Within a culture's iconography, we sense the extraordinary through the ordinary – a horse, a door, a face, an olive grove. |
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While I explore a wide range of subject matter in the collages, I have focused on one form, the pillow, in these sculptures. I enjoy the play of opposites the contrast between the rigidity of the clay and the soft, sensuous form of the pillow. It is in unifying these opposing qualities that I find delight. |
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Though enclosed, these pillows are vessels for a dynamic exploration of opposites. Containing air, they are made of dense clay. Appearing soft, they are rigid. Pale surfaces project shadows or enfold them. Flat rectangles create forms marked by curves and depth. The pillow as an icon of rest conveys the universal blessing of sleep which refreshes our bodies and restores our psyches. The raku clay body, with its component of grog, is open. Together with low temperature bisque firing, it is responsible for the sensuous appearance of these sculptures. |
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Artist and Teacher |
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The Artist |
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Ann McCrea’s work has been displayed at galleries in New England, including the McCoy Gallery, the Robert Lehman Art Center, The Center for the Arts at the Newburyport Firehouse, the Newburyport Art Association, Maudslay State Park, and the Carl Youngman Gallery. She hosts annual open studios and sales in her Newburyport Massachusetts studio. The artist has received grants from The Meetinghouse Foundation, The Essex County Cultural Foundation, B.E.S.T. Boxford Elementary School Trust Grant, The Newburyport Five Cent Savings Bank's Charitable Foundation, and numerous local cultural council grants through The Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Sample some of her work here, described by the artist: |
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Artist Alan Bull |
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Contact Information: Ann McCrea 31A Pleasant St 2nd Floor Newburyport MA 01950 Phone: 978.462.9213 EMAIL: MCCREARTWORKS@BASICISP.NET |
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For the 2008 Maudslay Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, I showcased several shields. In making these, I intended to bring attention to some of the creatures I enjoy encountering there-snakes, and the now fragile frogs-implicitly focusing attention on what they need of us for their thriving. of us again and again. |
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For me the frog's lesson is LEAP! to remember when I'm fearful and procrastinate. Snake's is not a fundamentalist REBORN, rather the willingness to shed the skin — to be vulnerable, as we must when we leave the familiar for uncharted territory, a process which growth requires of us again and again. |
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Instead, as I sculpted, I recalled the tradition of the Native American fetishes or spirit animals, made to fit in the pocket, which remind them of particular lessons each teach us. |
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“Totem” was featured in the 2009 Maudslay Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit. This work was inspired by a natural totem I saw in the pond at Maudslay, four turtles one on top of the other, with a bull frog sounding off in the background. “Totem” asks us to consider the wisdom of these ancient survivors, the beauty of their forms and vibrant markings. Look closely to find the small admirer who hopped on the log, adding a spontaneous live element to the sculpture! |
