inked kelpies [2018-2020]

“INKED KELPIES”
The name kelpie dates back to the 17th century in Scottish folklore, serving as a water spirit. I borrowed the name for my art forms (mind creatures): a symbiosis of plant, animal and human being, kelpies evolve as a manifestation of observation, thought and phantasy. While abstract in detail, they are organic as a whole. Kelpies look strange, but somehow, they are familiar. What are they doing here, what do they want, why do they exist?

While the digital surface of this work derives from intuition, it is not illusive, and rather positions itself with a material presence. In 2018 I decided to add another level of matter to my work. The ink of the printer was allowed to flow freely on some parts of the medium’s surface, while the main part of the image remains in digital form. Despite the fact that I’m working with digital technology since 1988, it seems that I cannot overcome the desire for physical presence and haptic sensitivity of the materials I use.

"Kelpies and Caspecies" by Dr. Barbara Rauch (English) PDF text