MACKENZIEVANORDEN

Through the use of art as poetry, Mackenzie VanOrden’s whimsical illustrations provide a window into the world as we all know it: a world of loving and feeling, hurting and healing Her works sometimes invite the viewer into uncomfortably crowded or liminal spaces, and challenge them to breathe deeply through the overwhelming suffocation life can sometimes make us feel- other times, she provides the viewer with a sanctuary in which they may feel calm Through symbolic imagery, she conveys themes such as the bittersweetness of aging, the unstoppable force of time, opening the heart and soul, vulnerability, and learning from life and all its’ experiences What is happiness, if we are strangers to sorrow? How can we find a modicum of something good on a seemingly dreary day? How fast must time go for us to slow down? Is pain at the cornerstone of all of life’s most beautiful and lovely elements? These are questions she tries to evoke within the viewer. Furthermore, VanOrden often features figures within her works, and while these figures typically tend to be versions of her, they seem to represent the embodiment of the human subconscious. Her figures display emotional reactions to untold stories which the viewer must piece together to understand through available symbolism within the space They always make intense and confrontational eye contact with the viewer, almost challenging the viewer to make them feel vulnerable on purpose VanOrden’s illustrations can sometimes be colorful, while other times the focus falls on her black and white graphic linework (mostly on paper, but sometimes placed on the surface of ceramic vessels) Her colorful illustrations are created with alcohol-based ink, while her line drawings are completed with black fine liner pens In both regards, her illustrations showcase the universality of the collective human mind, as they are representations of common snapshots from the human experience

“Fancy Feast”

6” diameter, 2” width, Underglaze pencil on wheel-thrown ceramic snack and dip plate