Dive Into the Mesmerizing World of Collage Artist Kelly O’Connor — Whose New Show is On View at Dallas’ Conduit Gallery

Austin Longhorns weren’t the only ones who made the trek north on I-35 during this past weekend’s Red River Rivalry. San Antonio-based artist Kelly O’Connor just opened her newest show, Plunge Pools, at Conduit Gallery in the Dallas Design District.

O’Connor’s work employs an inventive approach to collage and site-specific installation that challenges Utopian ideals of Western folklore and pop culture. The six pools, which serve as the foundation for this exhibition, include several Slim Aarons’ photographs, ranging from a California garden party at Dorothy Laughlin’s home to one at Albin Holder’s home in Palm Beach in 1970.

What Makes a Good Pool?

For O’Connor, the process is “like putting a puzzle together, dissecting it and breaking it down into smaller patterns.” Unlike previous pool collections, which used more conventional materials like paper and record covers, O’Connor incorporated more hard pieces in this collection, including glass and acrylic mirrors, as well as matte glass tiles. These varied surfaces create physical depth, making the works more dimensional and adding texture.

So, what makes a good pool?

“The through line is that 99 percent of the images are from the 1950s to 1970s. I don’t work with contemporary images much,” O’Connor tells PaperCity. At the beginning of her process, O’Connor does a lot of research, trying to find images she already loves. “I need to be in love with the images,” O’Connor states simply, adding that they need to “have a patina and an idealistic, Utopian feel.” Of course, there needs to be a nice big pool area to work with since O’Connor needs “an opportunity to add [her] own artwork to it.” The result is a “hypnotic, mesmerizing” pattern that allows the viewer to “get caught up in the delusion of that moment.”

As a child, “summer vacation was something I looked forward to all year,” O’Connor says. Her father would build up anticipation for their summer trips by showing her his collection of vacation magazines and postcards from the 1960s and 1970s. “I fell in love with that imagery back then,” she recalls nostalgically.

In relation to that nostalgic quality, O’Connor’s work (which has previously included small Disney collages) considers the psychology of these places and the artificial environments that are fabricated “for you to have a very specific experience.” “So much of our lives now have a layer of artificiality,” O’Connor says, “but they are still authentic. We are still having these joyful moments.”

Movies That Inspire Kelly O’Connor’s Work

What else inspires O’Connor? Movies like The Shining, Valley of the Dolls, The Parent Trap, Pollyanna, and The Little Princess all serve as references for the artist and her work. Talking about Valley of the Dolls specifically, O’Connor says, “Hyper-artificial blissfulness really intrigues me.”

Still, O’Connor tells PaperCity that she’s “not trying to make the viewer have such a specific experience.” Instead, O’Connor says, “Wherever you are in your life, I hope these pieces bring joy and peacefulness.”

Editor’s Note: I should mention that O’Connor is absolutely worth following on Instagram, especially as she renovates her 1910 home into the midcentury modern pad and studio she always imagined. O’Connor, who loves the classic nature of MCM design, always wanted to have a bedroom off a pool. “That Old Hollywood vibe was my dream, opening a sliding glass door from my bedroom to the pool.” Most recently, she finished her Oz-like bathroom in a shade she lovingly calls “institutional green.” “This is my The Shining bathroom!”

“Plunge Pools” is on display at Conduit Gallery in Dallas now through November 15.