Kei Constantinov
Following an MFA in New England, and seven years tenure as a fine art printmaking mentor and consultant at Bob Blackburn’s Printmaking Workshop in Chelsea, Manhattan, we fast forward to Kei’s Indiana Sea fiasco at Studio Krakow in Michigan City, Indiana.
Using time honored methods and materials, following in the footsteps of venerated artisans from the past, with a somber, out-of-time palette, Kei seeks to “edutain” herself and her audience, Her references, both literary and historical, some drawn from her novella Mechtild’s Medieval Adventures, an Adult Fairy Tale, are presented within a dated context, often dealing with Venetian courtesans, Gypsies, pestilence, and a dimly remembered European zeitgeist.
Kei is considered a magic realist, contemporary narrative painter with a foot in both high and low culture.
Since 2021 she has been fashioning bas relief Faux Relic Frames, which she employs in her own work. Weary of modern cassetta frames, she creates fanciful gilded surrounds with arches, plant and animal depictions, crafted from barn wood, air dried clay and metal foils, which enhance her narrative. Contact her for art or
frame creation classes, or to discuss wordsmithing.
Professional Memberships: Oil Painters of America, NOAPS (National Oil and Acrylic Painters), Allied Artists of America, Chicago Writers Association