High Touch

 I got this invite to my former student and friend  Andrew Kellner’s MFA exhibition at WVU in March. Man where has the time gone? It just seems like yesterday when this punk kid fresh outta high school swaggered down the halls 15 years ago at my beloved Sheridan College. Sheridan took him to Alberta College of Art, Australia,  two apprenticeships in Ontario and Northern Saskatchewan, back to Ontario to be the technician at Burlington Arts Center and now 3 years at WVU that included Jingdezhen, China and Watershed.

I don’t know what “High Touch” is intended to mean but I’m going to give my interpretation. First thoughts are Andrew set the bar high and has reached for and touched it. Second thought is that he has an amazing wife that deserves a big chunk of that degree. Victoria has stayed in their high rise condo in Toronto holding down a job while Andrew spent 3 years totally absorbed in his work.  Interesting that his grad work is multiple story hand build work. Seems this other good thrower went to grad school and was put on the same drill. The multi story buildings that are his work are his

 thinking of Victoria and home. It is amazing how the subconscious can enter our work.  

Congratulations Andrew and Victoria for your combined accomplishment. True love can conquer all.  All my love, T