Lynda McClanahan

Columbus, OH

knepp4350@aol.com
www.lyndamcclanahanart.com

Education

2000  MTS  Methodist Theological School
1974   BMUniversity of Cincinnati

Solo Exhibitions

2014  Columbus Cultural Arts Center
2012  Columbus Metropolitan Library

Group Exhibitions

2015  Ohio State Fair
2013  Chicago Addison Center for the Arts
2013  The Ohio Art League Spring & Fall Juried Shows
2013  Springfield, Illinois Art Association
2011  Columbus Museum of Art

Selected Collections

Ohio Arts Council

Kauai Aadheenam Hindu Monastery

Bluestone Law Group, LLC

Yoga on High Yoga Studio

Dan and Gwyn Abell

Steve Harper and Judi Moseley

Artist Statement

Having never painted an egg before, I lost sleep over this project.  The first challenge was to decide whether to incorporate the egg into the meaning of the work or just use it as a background.  The next issue was how to physically handle the object while working.  I tried various strategies but eventually settled on a low-tech spindle platform fashioned from a dowel rod inserted into Styrofoam.  The idea was to spin the egg around while painting but, as it turns out, holding the thing in one hand and painting with the other was easier.  Many nerve-wracking hours were spent chasing an over-sized egg in my lap, praying not to smudge or break it.  The final product is meant to be initially attractive, like an Easter egg, but strange and troubling the longer one looks at it.  Like op art, the piece shifts between two conflicting visual solutions: a pink lotus flower serenely floating on a lake, and a clump of hairy tongues lapping upward toward a crown of light.  It is a mistake to confuse familiarity with knowledge.  An ostrich egg is strange just as it is.

Curator's Note:  Unfortunately, in March 2015, Ms. McClanahan's original artwork was accidentally dropped.  She graciously accepted our commission to create a 2nd artwork.

I am one of the few artists to paint more than 1 egg for the Art 360 exhibition.  The first one met with an unfortunate end and had to be replaced.  Working on the project twice proved to be a challenge but also an opportunity.  Gone was the exhilaration of doing something new, but a practiced hand meant better technique, especially regarding color.   My second egg is a more refined version of the first.   Water imagery, black lace and hairy, lotus-like tongues straining toward a crown of light were all part of the original design, but some details have been changed.  Ovum-inspired forms now appear in the lace band and the white squigglers swimming beneath it are more obvious.   The newer piece seems more feminine and prettier than the first but that seems proper. What is an egg anyway?  It's all about the ladies.