Collections: Special Projects — Keitha McClocklin Art

Special Projects

Press Play (Painted Violin), 2025

Press Play was created for the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra’s 2025/2026 painted violin fundraising initiative. As a painter, I wanted to approach the violin not just as a sculptural object to be embellished, but as an integral part of a larger painting. The actual violin is mounted on the surface but can be removed and reattached. When it’s taken off, a painted image of a violin—similar but not identical—remains underneath. Thus, the actual violin can function either as a sculptural object or as part of a complete painting. This trompe l’œil approach creates a visual trick: at first glance, it's hard to tell that there are two violins, one real and one painted. The effect invites viewers to look more closely and notice the difference. The painting also includes several visual easter eggs, including a reference to Magritte’s famous pipe painting, which raises similar questions about what’s real and what’s a representation. The work invites viewers to question what they’re seeing.

Visually, the piece echoes the vibrant, energetic aesthetic of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra’s 95th season, drawing influence from street art and contemporary design. It celebrates both tradition and reinvention—honouring classical music while embracing new performances, interpretations, and creative directions that continue to shape its place in today’s cultural landscape.

SWITCH, 2024

SWITCH is an interactive live art challenge where 12 invited artists work in real time using their own mediums and styles, engaging the audience with their creative process. The emphasis is on spontaneity, experimentation, and studio-style interaction. For the 2024 SWITCH event, I collaborated with other artists on a 22 x 30” piece of printmaking paper doing graffiti-like drawings. For the ‘finale,’ I inked a 22 x 30” linocut of Saskatoon’s iconic Broadway bridge and printed it over the drawing. The result was a one-of-a-kind linocut print which was auctioned off for charity.

Glyphiti IRL, 2020-present

Glyphiti IRL is an interactive, collaborative installation artwork I created while completing my Honours BFA at the University of Saskatchewan for Professor Jon Bath’s Art of the Internet class. It is a post-internet adaptation of Andy Deck’s Glyphiti (2001–ongoing; see https://artcontext.net/act/06/glyphiti/), a pioneering piece of net art that invites open participation and challenges notions of ownership. Inspired by Deck’s encouragement to copy, share, and reimagine his work, I created a physical version using 256 magnetized tiles on a galvanized steel surface, designed to be easily altered and perpetually evolving. Launched in March 2020, Glyphiti IRL invited classmates and local artists to contribute colourful, often sculptural tiles using various media. When COVID-19 interrupted plans for public display, I extended the project through the mail, drawing on the tradition of networked mail art to keep it alive and participatory. Glyphiti IRL now lives in my studio, where creative collaboration continues from studio visitors and any tiles mailed or returned to me. Please reach out to hello@keithamcclocklinart.com if you would like a tile to contribute to this artwork!

The Monster Virus (The Brooklyn Art Library Sketchbook Project), 2020

The Monster Virus was created in 2020 shortly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic for The Sketchbook Project at The Brooklyn Art Library in New York. Sketchbooks were collected and curated from artists all over the world for seventeen years, before a catastrophic fire destroyed almost half of the sketchbooks in 2023. The surviving physical sketchbooks are being relocated to new locations in the U.S. and Canada, with the surviving Canadian sketchbooks now located at The Wonder'neath Art Society in Nova Scotia. I havce yet to find out if The Monster Virus survived the fire. The Monster Virus Sketchbook was of significant value to me—the pages are filled with moody graffiti-like mixed media abstract paintings that captured my feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, I captured high-quality digital images of the works before sending them on to the Brooklyn Library!

Commonality Trumps Divide (Canada Jenga, Interactive Work of Art), 2019

Commonality Trumps Divide—composed of mixed media on 55 wood blocks—emerged in response to the 2019 Canadian federal election, a moment that underscored deepening divisions between eastern and western regions of the country. In the years since, two subsequent elections have reflected similar regional tensions, reinforcing the concepts behind this work. As someone who has lived in six provinces, I remain profoundly aware of both the regional distinctions and the shared values that shape us. This work is rooted in a belief that what unites us as Canadians far outweighs what sets us apart.

Each block in the piece features an original drawing—some referencing Canada as a whole, others highlighting specific provinces, territories, or historical and ongoing tensions. Collectively, they form a multifaceted portrait of the nation: one that acknowledges complexity, while seeking connection.

The blocks can be assembled in various ways: as a puzzle, a mosaic in progress, or an interactive game. When pieced together, they create a map of Canada—a metaphor for unity through collaboration. Inspired by my love of tessellations and visual problem-solving, the work invites viewers to engage physically and conceptually with the idea that Canada is not a fixed shape, but a dynamic whole—continually assembled through shared experience, effort, and imagination.

150 Façons d’Agir (Fransaschante), 2017

This work was created as part of a team competition organized by the Conseil Culturel Fransaskois in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary, with the goal of promoting and celebrating Fransaskois culture. Each team included a chef, a musician, and a visual artist. As the visual artist on our team, I was given the theme ‘150 façons d’agir’ (‘150 ways of being’), which needed to be reflected in the final piece. I chose to work with paper—both for its flexibility and for the visual clarity it offered within the budget—and created a tessellation of 150 maple leaves (feuilles d’érable). The leaves were rendered in the colours of the Fransaskois and Saskatchewan flags: green for the forests, yellow for the fields, and red for the heart of the culture. Each leaf included a playful “instruction” for living (‘way of being’) – small, sometimes humourous, prompts that encouraged engagement with Fransaskois identity and culture. Examples included ‘Bois d’une couleur café,’ ‘Sens les ‘fleurs de lys,’ and ‘Cours à la Troupe du Jour.’ The result was a colourful interactive celebration of place, language, and community.

Our team won the regional and provincial competition!