By Seth Jones | Reporter
Hotel Indigo in downtown Waco will be hosting an art exhibit at 7 p.m. Saturday featuring the paintings of local artist Mark Kieran. The exhibit will be free and open to the public.
Kieran describes his art as a combination of abstract and realism. He uses themes in his paintings to convey certain emotions and ideas, which is one of the main reasons Kieren named the showcase “Transcending the Temporal.”
“[This show] is … an attempt to show, through art, a little bit of a different perspective, reality or the human condition or the environment in some ways,” Kieran said. “I think I would like to spark some kind of a thought in people as they view it.”
Kieran’s deep passion for the environment motivated him to partner with the White Feather Foundation for this exhibit and donate 15 percent of the proceeds from art purchases to the organization.
The White Feather Foundation was founded in 2007 by Julian Lennon, son of deceased political activist and renowned musician John Lennon.
The organization focuses on humanitarian and environmental issues such as clean water, disaster relief and fighting human trafficking.
According to the foundation’s website, Lennon started the foundation “to deal with environmental and humanitarian issues [and] act with partners from around the world to raise funds for the betterment of all life, and to honour those who have made a difference.”
Kieran said he wanted to work with the White Feather Foundation specifically because he feels like it can make more change than other organizations like it.
“They seem to be an organization that actually does something with the money that’s donated to them,” Kieran said.
Erin Reasor, who graduated from Baylor in 2008, represents Kieran and worked with him to set up the upcoming exhibit. Reasor said she feels grateful to join forces with an organization that is dedicated to changing the world for the better.
“We’re very humbled and very excited to donate to such a good cause,” Reasor said.
Reasor also said she is thankful to have the opportunity to work with Kieran and promote his art because of how highly she thinks of him and his work.
“It’s just been a really great experience working with Mark. We’ve accomplished so much with preparing for this show,” Reasor said. “I wouldn’t have taken on this project if I didn’t really believe in his art.”
Kieran’s works are very colorful and can be labeled as abstract and surreal.He puts things in his pieces that don’t seem like they should be there such as a door on a hill, or human silhouettes in outer space. Even though those ideas seem trivial at first, upon further contemplation, the viewer can interpret the messages Kieran is attempting to convey.
Ever since Kieran was young, he has looked for artistic ways to express himself, and he tried many other artistic pursuits before deciding painting would be his main source of expression. Kieran said he has tried everything from blacksmithing to woodworking, but his most expressive forms of art are music and painting.
“For me, all art … is an expression of what’s inside my head,” Kieran said. “Anything that I write musically or paint is going to be something that’s going on inside of me.”
Kieran said college students can potentially gather an interesting perspective from his art, but he also hopes that everyone takes a clear message away from his artwork.
“[College is] an important time to try to experience new ideas,” Kieran said. “It’s important to me that all human beings start seeing something besides ‘me,’ ‘my’ and ‘how can I advance myself?’”
Kieran said he believes that if everyone worried more about their neighbors and less about themselves and what benefits them, the world will be a better place, which will, in turn, benefit everyone in the long run.
