Snow-blind
SARAH KERNOHAN

February 1 - 25, 2023
Reception: Saturday February 4, 2023 from 1-4pm
Artist will be present on February 4, 11, 18, and 25 from 12-5pm

The Red Head Gallery is excited to present Snow-blind by Red Head Member Sarah Kernohan!

Snow-blind is a series of drawings that respond to an experience of landscape that is ambiguous and difficult to visually apprehend on account of atmospheric and light conditions. They are informed by her experiences visiting alpine terrain in northern Scotland and Alberta, where snowpack has been dwindling over the years due to climate change. 

Her investigations involve hiking, contemplative watching, note-taking, sketching, and photography. These are pulled together as a point of reference. This ongoing process combines these experiences, study, and reflection, allowing her to draw connections between the patterns that draw her attention. The drawings come from trying to understand and re-create the disorienting experiences she encountered in these environments. 

Snow, fog, or lack of available light contribute to the difficulty of deciphering space, making it difficult to understand the scale and proximity of these obscured mountains. Light reflecting on snow high up in the hills offers hints, diffusing space. Through making these drawings, she attempts to pull these snowy patches closer for inspection through hazy scrims hanging on the surface of each drawing.

Snow-blind is Sarah Kernohan’s first presentation at the Red Head Gallery. The artist would like to thank the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund for their financial support in producing this work. 

BIOGRAPHY

Sarah Kernohan (she/her) is a visual artist primarily working in two-dimensional media. She is completed her MFA at the University of Waterloo (2015) and BFA from OCAD University (2008). She has exhibited her work at artist-run spaces and public and commercial galleries in Ontario and Quebec and completed residencies at Pouch Cove Foundation (Pouch Cove, NFLD), The Banff Centre (Banff, AB), and The Bothy Project (Aviemore, UK). She has received several awards, including the Arts Awards of Waterloo Region and grants from the Ontario Arts Council and Region of Waterloo Arts Fund. She lives and works on the Haldimand Tract in Kitchener, Ontario. She has been a member of the Red Head Gallery since November 2022.