Carmen McNall: Unbound Passages
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Opening Reception Saturday, January 10th, 5-7pm
On view January 10th - February 28th
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Eleanor Harwood Gallery is pleased to announce a solo show with Carmen McNall in our Project Space. Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, January 10th, from 5-7pm. Unbound Passages is a series of paintings that explores thresholds—doorways and portals that open into spaces of refuge, freedom, and continuity. These passages are not fixed in time; they move fluidly between past, present, and future, echoing ancient architectural forms that have long served as markers of transition, protection, and arrival. Throughout the work, vessels, hands, and interior spaces function as holders of knowledge and memory. Architectural forms suggest a living library, safeguarded by caretakers entrusted with carrying wisdom forward. Quilted and woven, net-like patterns appear as visual structures of connection and protection—systems that bind, support, and hold. Vessels and figures are adorned with recurring symbols and offerings, embedded within layered pattern and texture, reinforcing the work’s focus on nurture, guidance, and healing. Female figures anchor the paintings as embodiments of strength, confidence, and feminine energy. Faceless yet assured, they exist as both personal and collective presences—echoes of ancestors and guardians. Their hands act as conduits between inner and outer worlds, emphasizing the body itself as a vessel of memory, intuition, and care. Unbound Passages ultimately invites the viewer into a contemplative space—one that honors transition, remembrance, and the quiet power of those who protect what cannot be contained, only carried forward. |
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CARMEN MCNALL, Healers #2, 2025, Acrylic on hand-carved wood pane, 36 x 48 in
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CARMEN MCNALL, Unbound Passages #1, 2025, Acrylic on wood panel, 30 x 40 in |
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Artist Statement
Using a unique process that combines painting and wood-carving, McNall’s work balances intricate patterns, stretches of bold colors and textured mark making. Her practice relates directly to the handmade in both subject matter and execution, opening a dialogue on the relationship between people, their environments, and what inherently fastens us to our surroundings, examining the empowering qualities these places retain.
The faceless figures in McNall’s work resemble Goddess like muses as they rest in dynamic yet effortless poses. Each one embodies strength, confidence and wisdom alike. They rest within their own elements, surrounded by tranquil interior landscapes that inhabit both ancient and futuristic realms. Through her work, McNall explores the body as a vessel, a container that carries us through life, using both literal vessels such as vases and containers, as well as human forms. She investigates all that is held within our worldly form: memories, tension, energy, healing properties, intuition and how all of these aspects manifests into movement. |
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 | CARMEN MCNALL Unbound Passages #2, 2025, Acrylic on wood panel, l30 x 40 in |
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Bio
Born in the Bay Area and currently living and working in Oakland, CA. McNall has recently shown in San Francisco at Glass Rice Gallery, New York at Uprise Art, in New Orleans at Octavia Gallery and in LA at Hashimoto Contemporary and New Image Art.
McNall recently completed multiple large scale murals and installations at LinkedIn, Google HQ, Facebook HQ, The Four Seasons in Calistoga and in an affordable housing community building in Santa Rosa.
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 | CARMEN MCNALL Unbound Passages #3, 2025, Acrylic on wood panel, 30 x 40 in |
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