About

Growing up in a small farming community, called Sardis, just outside of Rusk, TX, Kailan Counahan was surrounded by nature; this nature is what inspires her work. Counahan earned her Associate degree from Tyler Junior College, where she rediscovered her love and passion for art. She earned her Bachelor Degree from the University of Texas at Tyler, there she found her way into creating sculptures. She recently graduated with her Master Degree at Stephen F. Austin State University.

While at Tyler Junior College, Counahan worked primarily in printmaking and with charcoal, under the direction of Chris Stewart and Philana Oliphant. This is where she found her love for capturing even the smallest detail. The work Counahan created at the University of Texas at Tyler also emphasized small details found in nature. There she began exploring the possibilities of found objects, pushing those details forward. Soon she discovered her love for casting, under the direction of Dewane Hughes, and quickly began casting mushrooms and lichen forms; even combining the bronze castings with found objects in some works.

At Stephen F. Austin, she found her way back to found object sculptures. Creating from memories and stories that are turned into titles, she expresses these them through very specific materials and objects she has made.

Counahan draws influence from many things and people. Eva Hesse, a sculptor who dealt with creating work from found and odd objects, Ashley Pridmore, who creates highly detailed sculptures from found objects and paper mache, and her grandpa, who taught her to slow down and see the world around her.