Mulcahy/Walsh: Double Feature

Mulcahy | Walsh: Double Feature

Casco Bay Artisans is kicking off our Autumn season with a Double Feature sure to inspire your inner explorer and dreamer. Sculptor Andrea Mulcahy will fill the gallery with steel works invoking the movements of atoms, the explosions of stars, and the opening of portals. Painter Patrick Walsh will adorn the walls with his new figures both suspended in time and traversing dimensions between the familiar and the otherworldly.

Andrea Mulcahy: Artist Statement

Energy is a part of all that exists. I seek to capture the essence of an energetic state–the visible as well as the subtle, invisible energy that surrounds us. A swirl of wind power can be observed if matter, such as sand, is pulled into the force. Even if the sand isn’t present, the power of nature still moves energy in all directions. I’m drawn to the power and the form. I’m fascinated by the way the energy centers draw in information from our surroundings as well as radiate an energy of vibration. My sculptures capture a moment of an energetic state. They hold the dynamism of the moment while the lines extend outward, continuing the movement out into space. I discovered that steel rods, while durable, could be bent and welded to reveal a graceful fluidity, ultimately yielding the energetic forms I envision. As a result, I create the forms that become an integral part of the energetic flow of the space.

Patrick Walsh: Artist Statement

Currently, my work consists primarily of acrylic paint on canvas. I use color and gesture to encompass human emotion and socio-economic themes. My work is sporadic and aggressive, using a vast range of techniques and mediums to help me convey these topics. Collecting ideas from history as well as current events, my paintings can be seen as abstract cultural representations that tell a story reflecting the human condition. Aside from these concrete themes and ideas, I rely heavily on the unexpected and subconscious mind as well as personal experiences to lead my hand through these conceptual eruptions of vivid color. The viewer can find dark imagery and subject matter that is illustrated with a vigor and intensity of pigment that an overarching feeling of hope is unavoidable.

Figures:

I create these figures as a representation of the feelings and emotions we hide from the world and people around us. Jealousy, Sadness, Hatred, Love, Lust etc. What people tend to stray from showing for fear of judgment. I use aggressive mark making and line work to convey these feelings and emotions in order to bring them to the surface of the canvas to confront the viewer. Thus, creating a connection between the viewer and subject. We can empathize with the figures.