Mardi Kearney Queensland Sculptor
Historical Research Breathes Spirit into Community Sculptures
Oct 5, 2008
In her artist statement on the Mardi Kearney website the sculptor gives insight into her work in this way, “My sculptural work exists so that others can use it as a bridge to share my feelings and to explore the depths of human tenderness, strength and fragility.” She goes on to say that the successful combination of the sense of touch and sight doubles the sensory pleasure, which is characteristic of her work.
Sculptural Materials
As you peruse the revolving image slide gallery beside this statement you will see that she carves directly into stone, wood and clay. “I like my pieces to retain their character so that they are still recognizable as pieces of stone or wood," she explains. Recently her efforts have been directed towards exploration of the challenging techniques required to carve wood.
Commissioned Works of Mardi Kearny
Mardi describes her work as a bridge to the spirit. Her latest commission was for the Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Rockhampton, Queensland. She is often commissioned by schools, parishes and hospitals as well as other places to sculpt forms which tell the story of their patron.
The Kearny Website as a Teaching Resource
The sculpture for St. Ignatius College is well documented in a sliding gallery. Here Mardi talks about the challenge of carving two complimentary sculptures at the same time. This ‘step through gallery’ is a wonderful teaching resource for Art teachers who would like to show students how a sculptor plans a sculpture. Students can see how the sculpture is marked out and what the tools are like and how they work.
Children are often overawed when they see sculptures hoisted up and dropped into the space where they will be presented as part of buildings and grounds of their environment.
When you scroll down through the commissions page, you will see her work very well presented in slide shows that not only visually explain the way that Mardi works, but also some of the different styles and techniques she utilises. Sculpture in the round is not the only style she exemplifies. The Stella Maris sculptural example depicts the Stella Maris story through the medium of etching which deepens into sandstone to become an example of relief sculpture.
An Artist Follows Her Passion
Mardi Kearney is a talented sculptor. This is true. But, when historians look back over the body of work that Mardi has created, they may talk just as much about the historical research undertaken by Mardi for the communities that have commissioned her as her expertise and skill . In this sense Mardi is a true community artist. Her work can be described as spiritual and indeed often as religious. The sculpture commissioned by Carmel College community who had a desire to see “religious artifacts that were meaningful to the students,” took more than a year to complete.
Mardi says that she sought to make her portrayal of Mary accessible to the students because, “When I was a child Mary was always placed far away, high up on a wall. I wanted to bring her closer to the students and get them to realise that she was a person just like them." [P7 - Education Alive, Vol.9 Is. 4, Nov. 2002]
To create a sacred space for students where they could sit and feel close to God, Mardi encouraged interaction with the sculpture. To do this she placed two matching seats next to the sculpture in a popular area of the school just outside the new college chapel.
Mardi Kearney would be one of the best known community sculptors in Queensland to date. She has a loyal following and her sculptures are always well received by the communities she engages. She combines a talent for innovative, modern sculpture that captures the heart of stories, with a profound sense of narrative that captures the meaning and feeling behind the stories she portrays. She makes history accessible and relevant for students. Her website is a valuable teaching resource for those who want to explain how an artist develops in her discipline.
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