Mary Smith McCulloch | As Above, So Below

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Mary Smith McCulloch, "Glenmore Pear Trees II," 2016

etching A/P. Courtesy of the artist.

Opening Reception: Friday, September 29, 2023, from 6 to 8 pm.

Born in the coastal village of Ardrishaig, Scotland, Mary Smith McCulloch explores Intaglio printmaking as a communicative medium that documents the human impact on both the Okanagan and European landscapes.

As Above, So Below presents work that touches on historical notes of humanity, civilization, land, and architecture. McCulloch maintains a studio practice overlooking Okanagan Lake, and continues to exhibit in Canada and the UK. She has shown in numerous printmaking biennial and triennial exhibitions, is the founder of the Printmaking program at UBC Okanagan, and is an Associate Professor Emerita.

Born in the coastal village of Ardrishaig, Scotland, Mary Smith McCulloch uses Intaglio printmaking as a communicative medium that probes the depth of human attachment to memory and place while illustrating the impact of people, past and present, on the land.

Visitors can see this in her Liminal Spaces series, which features imagery inspired by Paganism, Christianity, and ancient mythical traditions. The artist used found objects from her property, including rope, cedar, cones, and fossils, in tandem with her unique etching technique to create prints rich in texture and finely incised lines that explore the uncharted territory between reality and imagination.

McCulloch expands on her Orchard drawing series, started in the 1980s, revisiting it with a series of etchings like Glenmore Pear Trees II, which features her recurring depiction of iconic trees, this time aligned in perfect rows, emphasizing the imprint of humankind and the altered landscape.

In the series Earth, Wind, Water, Air, McCulloch continues to investigate how humans mark the land. Her meditations use chine-collé to create dreamy portraits of her archetypal Okanagan tree floating between heaven and earth, neither truly tethered nor freely suspended.

“As Above, So Below captures the delicate intersection of fact and fiction, memory and reality, past and present,” says Curator Christine May. “It takes viewers out of the present, transports them back through layers of time and history, and invites us all to be witness to the future.”

Mary Smith McCulloch will be presenting as part of a Printmaking Panel Discussion held at the Kelowna Art Gallery on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, from 6 to 7 pm. She will be joined by fellow printmakers Briar Craig and Laura Widmer. It will be moderated by Curator Christine May. This event is free and open to the public to attend.