M I K E
K I L G O R E
K I L G O R E
Your Subtitle text
Contemporary Mixed Media Artwork 504-339-5237
mkilgore65@gmail.com
mkilgore65@gmail.com
The
creative process is a pure and holy act, one in which the artist lives
out the realization that his or her talents are a calling to a higher
purpose. It is through this process that the creator of art exists in
communion with God, the eternal creator and finds fulfillment in the
expression of this relationship and the opportunity to share this gift
with others.
My art is an allegory of social justice, a manifestation of my belief in equality and human dignity. It is an abstract narrative of the failures and injustices that plague human society as well as the struggle and the reward in overcoming them.
Humanity is often unjust in the way it treats those who think, act or dress differently. We reject the poor, sick, elderly, unattractive members of our society who do not meet our standards of what we think they should be. We habitually persecute and marginalize those who lack the ability to stand up for their basic human rights: immigrants, minorities, refugees, the disabled, the unborn and those who do not have a voice in the political establishments of powerful nations, denying them their voices in our society and the right to live in dignity as valuable individuals.
My work is a composition of scrap materials and found pieces that most people would consider trash. I find inspiration and art supplies in the things that others have discarded. By including these things in art that is intriguing and relevant, I seek to demonstrate their value through their contributions to my work and the valuable they add to society. Although many people overlook and underestimate their worth, my work demonstrates the inspirational and aesthetic value of these things. This process is a lesson for the validation and redemption of those whose value and human dignity is not recognized by others.
I am inspired by my experience of the colors, textures and materials that surround me in building, construction and home improvement projects. I was first inspired by all of the things I saw around my city during the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. There were so many raw materials lying around, so much scrap wood and other things that I could use. I was surrounded by so many textures, colors and patterns that I was inspired every day as I drove around the city. I attempted to present the colors and textures of these materials as art in the way that Marcel Duchamp presented his ready-mades. In this way, an old piece of scrap plywood is always more inspirational than a blank canvas.
In the last five years, I have been inspired by the renovation work I have undertaken in my own house as well as working on other projects. I became fascinated with the things that I experienced in these environments and the materials and processes I was using. I began using old wood, tile and scraps of sheet rock to make compositions and adapting processes such as tiling a floor, building a wall or texturing a surface to the creation of fine art. I also incorporated the use of non-conventional art supplies such as wood varnish, grout and texture into my work, using them in non-conventional ways. Texture is one of the fundamental elements of my work. Equally important is my ability to document the process of making the piece. This is accomplished through the use of layering, revealing what lies beneath a surface, integrating the materials and hardware into the composition and deliberately revealing my brushstrokes and other techniques in the tradition of the gesture paintings of artists such as Willem DeKooning.
My art addresses the issue of beauty in an image-obsessed society. It is meant to challenge the ideas and definitions of conventional beauty and the role that appearances play in assessing the value of individuals as well as art. My art is not beautiful. It is gritty and raw, inspired by cracking paint and Katrina mold, but you still can’t take your eyes off of it!
I am also interested in demonstrating the virtues and rewards of recycling and being environmentally responsible by recognizing the value of scarce resources and of the things around us and finding creative ways to reduce and reuse. My art is a response to the wastefulness and throwaway mentality of our modern, instant gratification oriented society, the role this plays in the way we treat our environment, our fellow human beings and the things around us. It is not intended as condemnation but as redemption; a demonstration of virtue and its rewards.
My art is an allegory of social justice, a manifestation of my belief in equality and human dignity. It is an abstract narrative of the failures and injustices that plague human society as well as the struggle and the reward in overcoming them.
Humanity is often unjust in the way it treats those who think, act or dress differently. We reject the poor, sick, elderly, unattractive members of our society who do not meet our standards of what we think they should be. We habitually persecute and marginalize those who lack the ability to stand up for their basic human rights: immigrants, minorities, refugees, the disabled, the unborn and those who do not have a voice in the political establishments of powerful nations, denying them their voices in our society and the right to live in dignity as valuable individuals.
My work is a composition of scrap materials and found pieces that most people would consider trash. I find inspiration and art supplies in the things that others have discarded. By including these things in art that is intriguing and relevant, I seek to demonstrate their value through their contributions to my work and the valuable they add to society. Although many people overlook and underestimate their worth, my work demonstrates the inspirational and aesthetic value of these things. This process is a lesson for the validation and redemption of those whose value and human dignity is not recognized by others.
I am inspired by my experience of the colors, textures and materials that surround me in building, construction and home improvement projects. I was first inspired by all of the things I saw around my city during the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. There were so many raw materials lying around, so much scrap wood and other things that I could use. I was surrounded by so many textures, colors and patterns that I was inspired every day as I drove around the city. I attempted to present the colors and textures of these materials as art in the way that Marcel Duchamp presented his ready-mades. In this way, an old piece of scrap plywood is always more inspirational than a blank canvas.
In the last five years, I have been inspired by the renovation work I have undertaken in my own house as well as working on other projects. I became fascinated with the things that I experienced in these environments and the materials and processes I was using. I began using old wood, tile and scraps of sheet rock to make compositions and adapting processes such as tiling a floor, building a wall or texturing a surface to the creation of fine art. I also incorporated the use of non-conventional art supplies such as wood varnish, grout and texture into my work, using them in non-conventional ways. Texture is one of the fundamental elements of my work. Equally important is my ability to document the process of making the piece. This is accomplished through the use of layering, revealing what lies beneath a surface, integrating the materials and hardware into the composition and deliberately revealing my brushstrokes and other techniques in the tradition of the gesture paintings of artists such as Willem DeKooning.
My art addresses the issue of beauty in an image-obsessed society. It is meant to challenge the ideas and definitions of conventional beauty and the role that appearances play in assessing the value of individuals as well as art. My art is not beautiful. It is gritty and raw, inspired by cracking paint and Katrina mold, but you still can’t take your eyes off of it!
I am also interested in demonstrating the virtues and rewards of recycling and being environmentally responsible by recognizing the value of scarce resources and of the things around us and finding creative ways to reduce and reuse. My art is a response to the wastefulness and throwaway mentality of our modern, instant gratification oriented society, the role this plays in the way we treat our environment, our fellow human beings and the things around us. It is not intended as condemnation but as redemption; a demonstration of virtue and its rewards.
