Vicki McKenna
Morning Light, archival pigment print
What are your earliest memories of being artistic? A common theme in the biography of a photographer is getting a first camera as a child and not looking back from there. My story doesn’t fit that plot line. As I was growing up I would draw; the subjects were always landscapes. At college I left drawing behind to follow my interest in science. It wasn’t until much later that I was looking for a creative outlet and experimented with working in art glass. I found the fascinating aspects glass to be the combination of light and color. But it was just a hobby. While I hadn’t yet discovered photography, I had experimented with the three threads that continue to interest me: light, line, and color.
When did art become a pursuit? I’m trained as a geologist and educator. I started taking photographs so that I would have examples of geological features to use in my lectures. Soon I became intrigued with the challenge of representing a three-dimensional world with a two-dimensional image and photography as art became important to me.
Are you self-taught or formally educated in visual art? I have a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences, but my art education has been informal and self-directed. Initially I learned the technical aspects of using a camera from reading books. To develop creatively I have attended workshops at the Griffin Museum and Maine Media Workshops. I have worked privately with Tillman Crane to learn platinum/palladium printing.
How did you first become involved with CAA? In 2012 I was attending the Atelier Workshop at the Griffin Museum. Someone mentioned the call for entries for the CAA Blue exhibit. I submitted some work and was fortunate enough to have a piece selected
In what other ways are you involved in the local art community? I’m a core member of Fountain Street Gallery. I’m also a member of the Newton Camera Club, where I try to encourage members to become interested in printing their photographs. I’m a member of the Newton Art Association and the Griffin Museum. I have taught introduction to photography in college seminars.
Beyond the Surface, platinum/palladium print
What role do you think the artist plays in society? Artists have always addressed political and social events. Their work shaped opinions, provoked thought, and communicated information. An important role is to tell the stories of the community.
What medium do you currently work in and how did you choose this medium? I photograph natural and urban landscapes at a human scale. Geologists build stories about the events that led to the rocks in an outcrop. Similarly, I compose my photographs to tell a story, whether it’s about what’s happening at the beach during the coldest winter or who might have worked at an abandoned factory.
What is your creative process? Where are you finding ideas for your art these days? It is important for me to be in control of the creation process from the click of the camera shutter to the finished print. Whether film or digital, the photograph in the camera is the starting point of the process. I find that an image doesn’t come alive until it has been printed and you can hold it in your hands.
In a sense, my photographic life is being lived backwards. I continue to work with digital files, but I’ve gone “back to school” and learned how to print black and white film photographs in the darkroom. Most recently I’ve been printing my photographs using some of the historic processes such as the platinum/palladium process. I enjoy the hands-on aspect that is involved.
How do you choose your subject matter? Is there a reoccurring theme that carries throughout your work? I photograph to create portraits of the places that captivate me. Our world is defined by dynamic processes at the boundaries between fluid earth, solid earth, and biosphere. The processes can be chemical or physical and the transitions abrupt or gradual; obvious or subtle. Varying over scales of distance and time the perspectives associated with the different process are intriguing. I’m drawn to the complexity of the landscapes sculpted by these processes.
Off-Shore Storm, platinum/palladium print
What is one of your artistic goals? My goal is to produce a print that is subtle and serene. I want the image to encourage the viewer to look closely.
What living artists are you inspired by? There are many living artists whose work inspires me. Let me just mention three:
Michael Kenna, for his lyrical black and white images
Joyce Tenneson, for her portfolio of hand-coated silver halide prints
Abelardo Morell, for his imagination and inventive approach to photography
I know that in an hour I’ll think, “Oh, but I should have included …”
Do you own any art by other artists? My husband and I own a portfolio of twelve photographs by Harold Edgerton. We have other art created by friends. A particular favorite of mine is a water color by Carol Katz.
Do you have any shows coming up? I had a two person show at Fountain Street Gallery in October. That work can still be seen on their website (fsfaboston.com). My next scheduled show is not until September, 2020.
See More Vicki!
Website: riverwandering.com
Instagram: riverwandering