Time's Witness: Embracing Elegance in Ruin
Dead flowers might not be everyone's idea of beauty, but photographer Kelly McDonald sees it differently. For her, decay has its own charm.
Recently, Kelly was awarded Ottawa's best photography account by the 2025 Faces of Ottawa awards. Her specialty? Botanicals. Her latest series, aptly named Relics, features withering plants and flowers as the main subjects.
Diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2021, Kelly uses Relics as a medium to express her personal journey. Through these photographs, she delves into the changes in her body and mind, mirroring the decay in her subjects.
In capturing botanicals at different stages of their life cycle, Kelly captures more than just decay. She mirrors her Parkinson's journey, showing a unique perspective on changes and decay, both in her own body and in the flora she photographs.
Behind the Scenes
- Artistic Vision: Kelly's work is all about finding beauty in decay. By photographing botanicals at various stages of their life cycle, she reflects her personal journey with Parkinson's disease.
- Craftsmanship: Her photographs are printed on handmade washi paper, which gives them a tactile and ephemeral quality that complements the subjects and their state of decay.
Beyond the Lens
- Artistic Pedigree: A graduate of the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa (SPAO), Kelly has exhibited her work internationally, including in Barcelona, Toronto, and Ottawa. Her botanical series even received an Honorable Mention at the Julia Margaret Cameron Award.
- Personal Reflections: Through her photography, Kelly grapples with the transformations brought about by Parkinson's. By focusing on the life cycle of plants, she offers a unique perspective on decay and transformation, reflecting both the natural world and her personal journey.
Giving Back
Kelly is also involved with True To Life, a project providing photography training for young adults with Down syndrome. This project showcases her commitment to community engagement and education through art.
In Relics, Kelly not only captures the aesthetic beauty of decaying botanicals but also crafts a powerful metaphor for her experience with Parkinson's disease. The series invites viewers to reflect on the beauty and significance of transformation and decay, both in nature and in human life.
Sources:
- Breathe Magazine
- Taste of Ottawa
- SPAO Alumni
- Kelly McDonald, diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2021, finds beauty in decay through her photography, reflecting this theme in her series Relics.
- Her award-winning botanical series, Relics, features decaying flora as a medium for expressing her personal journey with Parkinson's.
- Using handmade washi paper for her photographs, Kelly adds a tactile and ephemeral quality that aligns with the state of decay in her subjects.
- Beyond her artwork, Kelly is committed to community engagement and education through art, as demonstrated by her involvement with True To Life, a project that provides photography training for young adults with Down syndrome.
- Kelly's work, not only appreciated for its aesthetic beauty, also serves as a powerful metaphor for the experience of Parkinson's and the transformations that decay and changes bring.
- Through her photography, Kelly invites viewers to reflect on the beauty and significance of transformation and decay, both in nature and in human life, connecting this concept to her own journey with Parkinson's and neurological disorders.
