WOUNDED

The Wounded and Healing Series was influenced by the trauma and turmoil of 2001-2002.  Not only the events of 9/11 and the sniper attacks, but also of lost love and lost friendship.

Notice the expression of the faces:  serene, calm.  They are still trying to be beautiful and positive throughout the chaos, but needing a place to hide, a place of temporary refuge.  A place that recharges, re-energizes, and rejuvenates. 

The vessel is that comfort zone, that healing place, that place where dreams and fantasies are also cathartic.

Shown: 2002, Smoke-fired stoneware w/eartenware slip, Wounded Series, 28.5 x 11 x 11

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Art is an expression of one’s innermost self:  secrets, values, fantasies, past, present and even the future.  For me, pottery is the ultimate vehicle to express my innermost self.  The malleable clay is the perfect medium to help mold and shape my past and present lives, reveal and conceal my secrets, and live out my fantasies.

My vessels are utilitarian by nature, because they house the spirit of the ancestors.  I evoke these spirits for spiritual guidance and the personal empowerment they instill.

Visit Kathleen Varnell Online

BIOGRAPHY

KATHLEEN FUNCHES VARNELL, born in Jackson, Mississippi, received her Bachelor of Arts in Art with a concentration in Ceramics and Graphics from Jackson State University in 1990.  She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Howard University, Washington, DC, in 2001.  At present, Varnell is employed as an Exhibits Specialist (Graphics) with the Office of Exhibits Central, Smithsonian Institution.

The artist has shown her work in solo and group shows across the United States.  Recently, Varnell was honored in her hometown as a featured artist at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Mississippi in “Kathleen Varnell:  Recent Transitions in Clay”.  Varnell was one of one hundred and twenty-two artist exhibiting at her Alma Mater in “A Proud Continuum:  Eight Decades of Art at Howard University”.  During the month of May 2005, Varnell had her first solo exhibition in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.  The exhibition was held at Parish Gallery-Georgetown.  In March 2003, Varnell exhibited with ten artists in “Mixed Bag”, also held at Parish Gallery.  In April of 2002, she exhibited solo as the Honorary Artist of the “Tougaloo College Humanities Festival” in Jackson, Mississippi.  While there she delivered gallery talks and conducted workshops.  In May 2001, Varnell was one of eight artists exhibiting in the “Mississippi Invitational” at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson. Varnell exhibited with “Our New Day Begun: African American Artists Entering the Millennium” at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in Austin, Texas, in February of 2000.

Note from the Artistic Director:

 Kathleen Varnell was added to our lists in 2009.  Her work promises to bring insights into the realm and process of healing arts, as well as an up close look at the fine art of modern ceramics.

Kathleen Varnell may be contacted directly at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it