Winifred McNeill
Winifred McNeill works in a range of materials and textural surfaces that seek to uncover poignant narratives often suggested by the physical substance itself. Building on a solid foundation of craft and traditional studio skills, she is comfortable drawing from ancient sources as with contemporary references. Working at the intersection of sculpture, ceramics, found-object assemblage, painting and drawing, Winifred exhibits in national and international venues and her work is held in private and public collections including Rutgers University, the New York Public Library; the University of Delaware Rare Books and Special Collections, and Columbia University Rare Books Department.
Industrial Strength
Ordinary plumbing pipes are normally hidden, an unseen but essential utility of our contemporary existence. These works play on the nature of the hidden and the visible. The suggestive images drawn inside the pipes are fragments and the viewers are at first puzzled about what they are seeing. Upon closer inspection, the image comes into focus and the pipe is fully considered. The goal of this work is to consider the concept of visibility.
The Worry
This series began in reaction to photos of politicians and world leaders during any number of the current world crises. As news cycles proliferate, these images swirl past the viewer. They are more glimpsed than studied. There is a disconnect between official performance and consequential anxiety. Mounted on metal stands, these diminutive ceramic heads seem at first to be in a position of honor. Looking closer, unspoken thoughts are expressed by way of the specific glaze and the unique form of each work. Viewed at eye level, yet fitting in the palm of the hand, these worried portraits are both monumental and intimate.
Whispers & Hisses Series
This series was inspired by a 1950’s era instruction manual found while clearing out my father’s basement workshop. The How To Light A Model manual employed voluptuous female models to teach lighting techniques to amateur photographers such as my father. Diagrams plot the prescribed direction of the lights. The nude women hold the pose, their lips bright red and their feet dirty from the studio floor. As naked props for the authoritarian photographer, their vulnerability seems palpable. This work visualizes the human condition as a balance between feral and fabricated worlds. Vivid, oversized creatures embody instinctual energy. Wax seals, gold spheres and text-like marks signify rational structures. One speaks in a whisper, the other in a hiss.
Industrial Strength
Ordinary plumbing pipes are normally hidden, an unseen but essential utility of our contemporary existence. These works play on the nature of the hidden and the visible. The suggestive images drawn inside the pipes are fragments and the viewers are at first puzzled about what they are seeing. Upon closer inspection, the image comes into focus and the pipe is fully considered. The goal of this work is to consider the concept of visibility.
The Worry
This series began in reaction to photos of politicians and world leaders during any number of the current world crises. As news cycles proliferate, these images swirl past the viewer. They are more glimpsed than studied. There is a disconnect between official performance and consequential anxiety. Mounted on metal stands, these diminutive ceramic heads seem at first to be in a position of honor. Looking closer, unspoken thoughts are expressed by way of the specific glaze and the unique form of each work. Viewed at eye level, yet fitting in the palm of the hand, these worried portraits are both monumental and intimate.
Whispers & Hisses Series
This series was inspired by a 1950’s era instruction manual found while clearing out my father’s basement workshop. The How To Light A Model manual employed voluptuous female models to teach lighting techniques to amateur photographers such as my father. Diagrams plot the prescribed direction of the lights. The nude women hold the pose, their lips bright red and their feet dirty from the studio floor. As naked props for the authoritarian photographer, their vulnerability seems palpable. This work visualizes the human condition as a balance between feral and fabricated worlds. Vivid, oversized creatures embody instinctual energy. Wax seals, gold spheres and text-like marks signify rational structures. One speaks in a whisper, the other in a hiss.
