A Kind Death
APRIL 28 – MAY 2
Reception: April 29th from 5-7pm
stArt.rv
Artist Bio
Lillian MacKinney is a painter whose work is deeply rooted in her upbringing in a lively, animal-filled household in rural Colorado. Growing up as one of seven in a bustling family, Lillian was constantly surrounded by animals—both wild and domestic. The wildlife roaming just beyond her backyard and the steady stream of patients from her mother’s veterinary practice sparked a lifelong interest in animals, which remain a central theme in her artwork.
Though she primarily works in oil paint today, Lillian’s artistic journey began with pen and ink, watercolor, and colored pencil. While she still holds a special fondness for pen and ink, she’s drawn to the flexibility and forgiving nature of oil paint, which has helped her challenge herself in both subject and technique.
Lillian’s passion for art began well before high school, but it was through the International Baccalaureate Program’s Higher Level Studio Art coursework that she refined her technique and made her excited to pursue a degree in Studio Art at Wake Forest. Her work has earned several honors, including publication in Kaleidoscope, a nationally recognized art magazine, a Scholastics Silver Key Award, and a featured piece in the Saiga Conservation Alliance online gallery. She has also exhibited work in Wake Forest University’s Student Art Exhibition (2023) and the Let It Show art show (2022, 2023, 2024).
Beyond the studio, Lillian enjoys hiking the scenic Colorado trails and fostering cats and dogs—yet another extension of her deep connection to animals. As she prepares to bring her practice to Milwaukee, WI next year, she looks forward to seeing how a new environment will inspire the evolution of her art.
Artist Statement
My work explores death, and grief through depictions of domesticated animals and their owners. Growing up with my mom as a veterinarian, I was surrounded by the sick dogs and cats she brought home and tended to. My mom kindly euthanized our own pets at home when it came time, but also the pets of neighbors, friends, and extended family. To me, exposure to these intimate deaths created an appreciation for its importance in my life. Being close to these difficult moments shaped the way that I interacted with animals thereafter, and how I view death on a greater scale. Being physically close to death, as these pieces explore, makes it easier to be emotionally closer to not only the dying animal, but also the concept of death generally.
In my work, I paint representational images of domesticated animals before death, the moment of euthanasia, and the moments after, to highlight that there is compassion, intimacy, and knowledge in facing death directly. In these paintings, I highlight features that connect the animal’s death to their individual owner– be it physical touch or eye contact. Confronting death is difficult, but I want to communicate that animals possess a unique ability to deepen our understanding of it.
I am inspired by the work of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, who spearheaded the chiaroscuro painting technique. Using intense contrast of lights and dark, he communicates dramatic emotion, be it mystery, unease, sorrow, or hope. I use this same technique to create dramatized sorrow and grief in my work, bringing emotional importance to the events, people, and animals in the pieces. I am also inspired by the paintings of Briton Rivière, who paints emotional people and uses pets as supporters of their owners. In one of his pieces titled Fidelity, a man grieves with his head in his hands in an empty space with a single chair. His dog rests her head on his knee looking longingly up at him. I am intrigued by how the animal functions in the image, as a conduit to the human and their emotions.
I use my art to explore something that is often neglected in American culture. Many people’s first interaction with death is with a family pet. These first death experiences shape the way that we approach future deaths in our lives and add to our understanding of grief. And yet, the expected nature of animal deaths is easier to grapple with than those of people, making the subject digestible to the viewer. However, choosing to euthanize, which can be seen as a generous act, does not always feel kind. It is painful to have to make the decision to euthanize a creature that people may even consider family. Even still, I have an immense appreciation for the ability to grant a painless death for animals. Therefore, I encourage the viewer to see and interpret something that can be disturbing, while also showing how vital death is to understanding life.