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By Layl McDill
About the Exhibit
Using small found objects, polymer clay, her own sketches and more; Layl McDill creates both large and small scale artwork. This show in particular focuses on stories and the complexities or wonders within. Animals and people are hidden in every work, but they all come together to create a larger picture and meaning.
The exhibition has interactive elements of writing stories to display with the work and a scavenger hunt for all to participate in. Viewers are encouraged to look closely at every detail while still seeing the larger representations.
Once upon a time each of us was a little kid. Everything was nonsense. We tried to figure it out. We wondered about everything. We wondered what was in the cupboard, the drawers, and boxes. We wondered how the calculator worked, or the dishwasher or a watch. We wondered what our stuffed animals did at night. We wondered what all the symbols at on the top row of the keyboard were for. We wondered what it would be like to live in a tree, underwater or in outer space.
McDill on her artistic process
For me making my art helps me keep this magical doorway to wonderment open. I am drawn to imagery that sparks that feeling of unknown and mystery like cupboards, drawers or placing everyday objects (like a keyhole, a lollipop, a chair etc.) in an incongruent setting (a flower, a fountain, a fish etc.). I like to create metaphors such as “Just think How Books are Like Bird Houses”- are they? I leave you thinking they are but you get to come up with your own reasons why.
An artist talk will be held from 2-4pm on April 9th.
McDill will also be hosting a Polymer Clay Workshop from 10:30am – 12:30pm on April 30th.
This exhibition was made possible by a grant from the Hanson Family Foundation
About the Artist
Layl McDill
McDill is a mixed media artist based out of the Minneapolis, Minnesota area. She feels joy in her career because she gets to feel like she’s playing through her work. Her work not only makes people smile, but can also help people see the world in a different light. McDIll hopes to make art that “subtly reminds us of reality, yet makes us see the world in new ways.”
“Some people come to my work thinking it is great for children but I really make my work for adults. I make it for everyone that loves to revisit that feeling of wonderment, magic and mystery that we all had as kids.”
McDill
Visit her website at laylmcdill.com.
