The Tenebrosity of Dream
A palmetto arch of carefully folded roses and a spray of leaves burst out from the sides, framing a three panel structure. The triptych is warmly lit by tea lights and taper candles, held by the loops of the metal sheet bear trap that sits as an offering below an ornate painting of the Florida black bear at the center. Dried flowers decorate the right side of the panels, while a gun is painted on the other. Lace adorns the structure and bushels of Spanish moss cover its surface, giving it an effect of a ritual found in the depths of a forest.
A Shrine to the Florida Black Bear by Lily McClarin
McClarin has a deep-rooted fascination with the gruesome and occult. A Shrine to the Florida Black Bear was inspired by black bear hunt in the state of Florida. “I was thinking of the cult aspect behind hunting. Because hunting has a tradition behind it, you know.” said McClarin “I was thinking a lot about the act of trophy hunting, specifically, because you are hunting for bears. One of the parts I appreciate is using every part of the animal and honoring it. But with bears it's like what do you do besides using its pelt?”
Another one of her pieces, Untitled (22x30), follows a similar theme. The colored pencil and graphite drawing depicts a woman being pierced by the horns of a deer. The woman is lying down on her side, surrounded by galloping deer and a forest of sharp branched trees. TThe piece can be interpreted as a role reversal, with the prey hunting the hunter. The piece uses a limited color palette, highlighting fur, skin, and bone in rich beiges and browns.
Untitled (22x30) by Lily McClarin
With a use of swirls, lines, and textures, McClarin gives her work a dream-like quality. Delicate materials such as lace and string are often complemented by the use of found objects and metal.
A Shrine to the Florida Black Bear by Lily McClarin
Rather than portraying morbid topics in raw, gory detail, McClarin transforms them into surrealist, whimsical pieces. “A professor said to me during critique once: “Lily, do you like to do anything that is not traditionally pretty?,” but it is precisely because of these artful depictions of the repugnant that her work becomes strikingly beautiful. McClarin’s work is characterized by her brilliant use of natural, yet bright, colors. The variety of textures and mediums bring life into her pieces no matter their subject matter–whether it’s the cult of hunting animals for sport or dreams of teeth falling out of your mouth.
Prior to coming to the University of Florida, McClarin characterized herself as a “drawer,” with most of her art using color pencil. However, in the last couple of years, she has experimented with three dimensional mediums including ceramics, metal work, and found objects. “For this piece, I got to experiment with a variety of techniques. “[A Shrine to the Florida Black Bear] was my first real sculpture,” McClarin shared. “You think art and you think, oh it's easy because you’re doing what you love … It's super physical. This past week I’ve been working on this ceramic floor lamp, and it's going to be 5 feet tall. Like, I am going to get some biceps!”
Her use of organic materials, found objects, and surrealist depictions give her work a grounding, personal touch that conveys familiarity while juxtaposing the dreaminess of her art. McClarin shows the beauty in the morbid, the reality in surrealism, and the labor in love.
Author: Alanis Gonzalez
Interviewed Artist: Lily McClarin