Preserved: Holly Ballard Martz & Paul D McKee

Paul D. McKee fabricates art out of remnants. Scraps from previous creations, mementos from the past, and debris from consumer culture are transformed into works that range from minimally formalist to deftly referential. Take-out containers serve as molds for Hydrocal casts or are pressed onto reused paper to create subtly dimensional prints. Fishing lures from his deceased father are enshrined in tall glass votives, leftover from a murdered stranger’s curbside memorial next to the artist’s home.

McKee’s works of art are both memento mori and offerings of renewal and repurpose.

McKee earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Wichita State University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornish College of the Arts and has amassed an extensive exhibition record. McKee has received recognition, grants, awards, and residencies from institutions such as Visual Overture Magazine, the James Washington Foundation, The UW Henry Art Gallery, and 4Culture. His work can be found in numerous private collections in Europe and the United States. McKee’s curatorial experience includes co-founding and a 10 year history of curating at METHOD Gallery, the Tashiro Kaplan Building, as well as with multiple local and regional exhibitions.