Kabuki Dreams in progress ( detail to show transparency of oil washes)
The studio is simmering in the heat of summer and the pigments laced in oil and turpentine are cooking at a slow pace on boards and stretched canvases laying about the studio in various stages of finish. I have a weird habit of painting in oils in the summer, maybe it is because years ago I did some plein air painting during the spring and summer months, but no longer do I have the urge to continue that particular painting ritual, or maybe there is just something deep inside of me that will not relinquish the oil paint addiction. I just love to paint and I believe that the medium I use matters little to me, as the process for me is my motivation. Years of painting have melded all the procedures in my mind if not in my work. I work in all of the mediums in an effort to dig new rabbit holes to fall down and research. I tend to paint in a more painterly and less specific style. I believe my style harkens back to my first lessons in oil painting , which were in the impressionistic vein, which I loved at that time. I now tend to like to add a good bit of an edge to my work, which makes is more contemporary to me and my time. I like to use values to achieve this and to give me that bit of mystery in my work. I have of late been revisiting the realm of oil washes, which I find very comfortable since it has a bent toward layering much akin to the water media layering that I so love to paint. I find if I dive in with the washes first I can then progressively,thoughtfully,and slowly, add the layers of opacity leaving me with a rich, other worldly surface that often presents a utopia like satisfaction for me. I do not know how to describe the feeling of adding these layers when you have the aha moment other than you feel a strange and comforting satisfaction that makes you keep going back to the piece and trying to find the how and when the moment actually occurred. I feel a bit like I am out on a limb here; but, I will bet the artists reading this will be able to testify to this feeling. Layering is my comfort zone, perhaps because with layers there is the continual feeling of hope for the next successive layer to pull off the masterpiece or maybe it is the unknown desire to have the ability to keep going and not finish the piece and enjoy the process. I am not sure but in any event it is the mode of operation for me whether in oil, water color, acrylic, gouache and or charcoal. I just seem to desire to have the marks from previous layers to make the piece work. I heard an artist say that every portrait he did was just a series of strokes made to correct the previous bad strokes. I really like that theory and know exactly what he means. It is much like in life we learn from our mistakes and often the scars are more beautiful than the flawless innocence of youth. Time is important in art and life. The figure remains my main forte at this juncture but now I am working more in the realm of achieving personality in the gesture and face of my figures. I am finding I can paint only the parts of the figure and or face that I want to emphasize and leave the others either off of not detailed at all and the figure still serves the purpose I intended. I strive to say more with less and to give only a connotation of what the figure is about or what my statement will be for the piece. I am always thinking of life and the situations we all deal with and the inevitability of time and the reactions we have to the mundane as well as the tragic in our life spans. We are not promised an easy life but the way we roll with the punches in our life and the way we nurture others will be the story we leave in our wake. I have often wondered how it would be if there were no tragedies, failures, disappointments and fears in life, my conclusion is that life would be rather dull and uneventful and would not press us to deeper thoughts of why we are here and what this life is all about. I am working on Kabuki Dreams in the studio now. The history and meaning of Kabuki are rather interesting, if you are so inclined here is a link that briefly gives the meaning: http://japanese.about.com/library/blhiraculture6.htm I began the painting on canvas covered board. I started the painting process with oil washes of indigo, alizarin, and mars black for the lay in stage. I drew with my brush. I use a liner brush for this step as it gives me a bit of control but not too much. My pigments are very runny and loose at this point to allow for the transparency in places. In the subsequent layers I have added the more opaque pigments such as a bit of cadmium red deep,yellow ochre, raw sienna and white. The addition of opaque pigments on top of the washes gives me the ability to scratch and lift the opaque layer to show bits and pieces of the underlying wash layer, giving the bit of complication that I strive for in my work. I think it is like seeing a glimpse of something, it intrigues the viewer to look deeper. It is amazing how much mileage you can achieve with very few pigments. The whole piece is about hope and regeneration of life, the symbols are common in many of my paintings. The egg and the pearls of wisdom. The figure itself is one out of my imagination, I leave off the details mostly to simply the figure. I have added some shapes that give the look of deep contemplation to the face and the eyes are in shadow to prevent any contact with the viewer, I like this feeling of connectivity without preconception of what the figure maybe trying to say to the viewer.The face of the Kabuki dancers are covered in rice flour and paint to cover their true identity and I found that to be an interesting take for this piece. Identity is the pivotal point of this painting and of most of my paintings that strive to let the viewer enter into the piece and become personally involved. I have left the door open for someone to place themselves in the figure and to feel the empowering emotion of holding that fragile symbolic egg in their hands that could bring hope or could bring destruction and devastation. The pearls of wisdom I employ as symbolism in my work often is there to remind me that no matter how lost I feel the answers are always close by me. I will add more and more layers to the piece or maybe not, I get up each morning and reassess the progress or damage and make my move. I added some layers of pattern in the background this morning...will post later or I may paint them out! Thank you for reading and I hope you will have a great month!
All artwork and text included in this blog is copyright protected by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced in any form or fashion or used without the written permission of Cathy Hegman. All text and artwork included in this blog are solely the thoughts and original art of the artist, Cathy Hegman, unless otherwise noted, and are meant only to be guidelines and thoughts for others to read.my blog.
The river is resting after ravaging the banks earlier in the year, the gates are closed and there is very little current. It is spring for sure the fish are jumping and rolling in the caramel water, in their spring rituals of replication. We took our first voyage of the year last weekend and hope to go out again this weekend. We survey the changes the river has made over the winter and quite often just ride in silence wrapped in the deafening blanket of nature. I do most of my deep thinking when we go out on the water, there must be something to the saying "Still waters run deep", but quite frankly rivers run deep as well.
Farmers are planting crops with reckless abandon, I am confident that most if not all farmers are in it just to create new life in the fields.The intoxication of the smell of life and rich brown promising soil drives them to return to this every spring, until they can either no longer physically or emotionally wrap their lives around it.There is something to be said for persistence, it is the force that moves us to challenge ourselves to search beyond struggle, it is the mentor of endurance, and I for one believe it is a force that everyone faces daily.
In the studio I am working on paper again.I am reminded that life is uncertain and brief and that life comes full circle and in stages that are predictable but not without pain.I face the fact that my dog, Rocko, is growing old and has many frailties that crush me every day with their incapacity in his life.I am certain our time is not long together so he continues to be a pivotal theme in my work.It is not just him, but the companionship that we share, and the actual need we have for each other. The piece today shows my vulnerability and the fact that not every stroke is one of artistic bliss.I would like to show how often it is a freeing and very growth inducing lesson to breathe life into a painting that for one reason or another falls short of what you expected.
The original painting is on paper, and for the most part is a disaster in my eyes. I had originally thought of using two figures connected and having them interact with animals, in particular dogs.I feel this painting fails on many levels and it very much like running through church naked to post this for me, but I think we all learn by our mistakes so here goes…
I am disappointed on many levels. There is no emotion in this piece there is nothing happening between the shapes to makes the piece feel dynamic. It is mute in its ability to speak to anyone, short of the dog shape referring to Rocko, it is emotionally bereft of feelings.The design is lacking miserably as well, so this is not what I wanted. To show how really cruel I can be to myself, I am posting the black and white jpeg, which without color shows even more clearly the blankness of this piece.
The paper is not expensive, probably four or five dollars, but the little monkey that periodically appears in my head keeps poking and prodding my brain forcing me to not give up.I could more easily start on a new piece but something is urging me to experiment with the mediums and perhaps teach myself something technically as well in the process of resurrecting this painting.So here we go…I just love a good adventure…
Large brush in hand, actually a chip brush , the cheapest you can buy,I dip into the gesso and begin to see a heartbeat thump on my paper, life is returning here.I am feeling better with every stroke.There are parts that are completely obliterated and covered with the blanket of thick snow white gesso.I am feeling the comforting promise of a new beginning with the first stroke.There is a mingling of colors being picked up in the previous layers of watercolor and gouache creating new textures and colors with the gesso. The gesso is acrylic based and as the watercolor mixes with the gesso it creates a toned gesso surface.My paper is now taking on a leathery new texture, I am thinking the gesso will be somewhat absorbent but also will only allow any application of watercolor to lie on the surface giving me the option of lifting any color I am not satisfied with up to another value or completely off.This is good, and gives me even more options. I end up with almost a blurred deep in the fog looking painting that is interesting in itself but I am sure I can make this work so I will venture to another level.I feel somewhat vindicated at this point, and go to bed thinking of new ways to apply paint to this new and engaging surface.
Okay no bed yet, I am unable to sleep until I change a few things.I am starting to change the design a bit; I added another dog and some lines have moved.I am still not sure about the figures, they bother me but I will tend to that in the morning.I have a gallon of gesso if I need to change the figures I can do it tomorrow.
Morning comes and I am walking into the studio and seeing the painting with fresh eyes, caffeinated by 3 cups of coffee and ready to paint.I am still not happy with the figures, they do not make the statement I am after with this piece, so I gesso one of them completely out of the space.I have to wait for the gesso to dry, and while I am waiting, I do a few value studies to play with the design.I am thinking about the painting and the concept behind the piece.I feel closer to it now that it has one figure as that would feel more personal. I am trying to show the relationship of a figure to another figure or figures and this time it is animals, in particular dogs.When I think of dogs the words that come to mind are loyal, faithful, companionship, playful, watchful, guardians etc
I am posting the black and whites as well as the color jpegs to show the values and how they are working or not working.Well, the dog shapes are fun and seem to be leading the eye pretty well back to the figure but the figure is a stick in the mud.It actually kills the piece with the stoic vertical stiff look, this has to be rectified.I can say the colors are nice but the value is too heavy on one side.The options are one to heavy up the value somewhere on the opposite side to give a balance ortwo I can change the values totally again. I am in this for change so since the entire figure has to change; while I am changing, I will create a new value pattern.I am hoping to give the figure a way to connect physically and mentally with the dog shapes to show the connection I am trying to evoke from this painting.I am thinking this could be nice bird cage liner at this point but the little monkey is working overtime and prodding me to keep trying.I have a plan for the figure and will put it into action.Here we go…
Well I gave my figure some life and extended the upper dog leg shape down to connect to the figure.Now I have my eye moving in a circle shape which reinforces my theme for the piece.The hoops will be another way to give the circle shape to the piece.I will repeat the hoops three times, as odd numbers are always more interesting and in my mind I am thinking that the dog shapes each have a hoop and the figure has a hoop, this makes sense to me,as we all seem to jump through hoops to please each other.I am pleased with the turn of events here and seeing a definite rhythm going now.The design now is pleasing to my eye and works to relate my message, I can ask no more from a design standpoint in this piece, and to think I was going to make this a bird cage carpet just a few steps back.Perseverance is the key to most things in life and art, giving up is easy but I have learned volumes from my mistakes in this piece.After a few more hours of pondering strokes and application of paint and working through my thoughts on color and cohesiveness in color I finish the painting.I may never show it or sell it but it is invaluable for the lessons it taught me in the process.Here is the final painting. It feels right to me now and I believe it works, or at the very least it expresses the emotional feeling I was after and I saved the paper!
I hope you might have learned something from my mistakes and enjoyed muddling through the process with me.I am grateful to you for reading.Take care and have a great month!
All artwork and text included in this blog is copyright protected by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced in any form or fashion or used without the written permission of Cathy Hegman. All text and artwork included in this blog are solely the thoughts and original art of the artist, Cathy Hegman, unless otherwise noted, and are meant only to be guidelines and thoughts for others to read.my blog.
The river rises and falls in twists and turns. The river decided to take three of my large trees and huge chunks of my bank when it fell this time. I now have a much more open vista but a mournful feeling for my trees which are languishing and bobbing in the murky deep water off the bank, now a new home to the water dwellers. It is the unknown power of the water and the unpredictable way it marks its course over the earth that makes me fearful. I can only watch and wonder and hope it is abated for now.
In the studio,the paint flows. I decided long ago, much like the river, to never be stagnant in my art. I like to work in watercolor and goauche for awhile and then move to oil and acrylic, I have now added to the mix; working in encasutics (beeswax, damar resin and oil). I believe this keeps me current and on my toes, honing my abilities to work in many mediums. The use of different mediums and surfaces feeds the need I have for finding myriads of ways of creating texture in my work. I can remember years ago at one of the first workshops I ever attended, Alex Powers, it was then he told me that I should find what intrigues me in my art and follow that muse. I did not have to think long about it at all, as it has and always will be texture. In watercolor I use a visual texture made by manipulating the paint to give the appearance of texture, while in oil, acrylic and encaustic it is a physical surface texture achieved with each of these mediums. I have found that I have no preference as long as it reads as texture and it is interesting. My love of textures has always been there as I have always loved antiques and the patinas that have given them their beauty from age and I find a comfort in these things. Perhaps the comfort is from the knowledge of time and history or maybe just the mystery of texture, the what caused it the how was it made, the how did it survive this long, it is limitless if you think about it. My painting in this blog uses visual texture.
Emergence: Silencing the Stigmaby Cathy Hegman AWS,NWS,MSWS, MoWS, SW,SAA watercolor on paper
Step one Thought process: In my latest painting titled Emergence: Silencing the Stigma, I am working through the coming of age and the living through and with the whole little fruit incidence in the Bible and the underlying feeling that women are still stigmatized in the world, and perhaps the reason is deeply rooted in our history. Why do women earn less than men? Why is gender given so much importance? Simply put, I believe deeply that gender should have no bearing on a person's worth. It is the soul of a human that transcends and gives meaning to every human and we are all created equally and here for a purpose.
Step Two How do I put this into a painting? I break it down into the feelings I have about this issue, simply put I feel like society has placed boundaries in the form of barriers that we must push against until we break them down. So I began this piece with my figure struggling and pushing the walls or boundaries. I painted the stigmas of the serpent and the female forms with apples on their heads as targets under the water , to give the thought that perhaps we are emerging from this pattern one day. I purposefully made one boundary line as barbed wire loosely referencing Christ's crown of thorns,and on the other side are the pearls of wisdom from God,the hope that I believe we all strive for in life.
Step Three Choosing the color palette and shape of the paper.
I chose square as the shape of my paper as it has a calming feel to it, this struggle is not fast and furious it is slow and steady sure. In this case I chose a cool palette with soft hues. The only warmth in the piece is in the main figure, to give a greater presence to the figure and to secure it as a focal point. I also placed the lightest light around my figure shape to bring attention to it. The dark bottom of the painting is to signify deep water and deep thoughts and emotions. This dark shape grounds the lighter softer tones in the painting. The bars that the snake is wrapped around serve to tie the light with the darker hues of the painting. I made the waterline as two different levels on the figure to keep some interest in shapes and their sizes. Step Four Am I finished?... I think I will move on from this painting but this subject will be revisited again, perhaps in a different medium.Until then I hope everyone has a great month and enjoys the wonders of Spring!Have a blessed Easter!
Cathy Hegman
www.cathyhegman.com
email: hegmanart@aol.com
All artwork and text included in this blog is copyright protected by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced in any form or fashion or used without the written permission f Cathy Hegman. All text and artwork included in this blog are solely the thoughts and original art of the artist, Cathy Hegman, unless otherwise noted , and are meant only to be guidelines and thoughts for others to read.
I have loved painting the figure over the years and for me the figure has become a symbol of life to me. I have simplified it with every painting in an effort to strip it bare and find the deeper essence of life. I once painted all the details in the face and anatomy but have successively grown less attracted to the details and more infatuated with the shape as a whole. The breaking down and finding the lines of separation and dissection that work to give the figure action and life without limiting the ability to be universally intriguing. As a small child I used to love seeing my shadow, in a diverse and complicated way I see my figurative work serving the same purpose for me today. I could make my shadow take the shape I wanted it to take; but often, it would surprise me and elongate or curve over a surface and create some new form that was foreign at first, but still recognizable as me. The figure represents an open door to possibilities to me, it is a metaphor of not only who I am, but possibly what I would like to be and also what I wished I were not etc.
Fish Nets Encaustic on wood panel 24 x 24 inches Cathy Hegman
Technical Process:
I started the Fish Nets with just the wood board with a charcoal gesture mark on the wood. I next coated the piece with clear wax. I knew it would be a figure, so I began planning the amount of space the figure would cover and masked it out and applied many more coats of pigmented wax, fusing between each layer. I then carved the figure out a bit more and added wax to the shape.
detail of netting effect
I took net from a wine bottle and pressed it into the soft wax to create even more texture. I next applied burnt umber oil paint and wiped it off in places, in order to bring out the texture of the net. I kept adding layers of wax in places to finish off the piece, fusing with my heat gun between each and every layer.
Between Good and Evil encaustic on wood panel 12 x 12 Cathy Hegman
In the second piece I began it with a collage of found papers on the wood. I adhered the papers with matte medium and let them dry. I applied the wax over the collage and carved into the wax to highlight the shapes of the figures. It is graphic and simple but it evolved this way and I like the fact that it is so simple and the foundation of collage was so complicated. I think it is a fitting finish for the thought behind the painting, Between Good and Evil.The textural surface of the layers of beeswax and oil paint simply add to the integrity and interest of my figurative works. I am amazed at the build up texture that can be achieved with the wax.Take care and have a great month!
All artwork and text included in this blog is copyright protected by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced in any form or fashion or used without the written permission of Cathy Hegman. All text and artwork included in this blog are solely the thoughts and original art of the artist, Cathy Hegman, unless otherwise noted, and are meant only to be guidelines and thoughts for others to read.
Above photo is of the Methodist church in Holly Bluff. It is old and quaint, we go there every Sunday and worship. This church was built by the Sharbroughs, descendants of my husband.
Snow in the Delta....the most snow in 25 years. It is a beautiful site. The most significant characteristic of snow is the quiet that occurs when it snows. The everyday din comes to a complete stop and the snowflakes pile in silent mounds covering the world with colorless cold. The world becomes a warm comforting place in the bitter cold of the snow blanket. I am so fond of finding oppositional things in life and this is truly a highlight of winter for me.
This is a photo of the downtown area of the small town of Holly Bluff, where I live and paint. Normally I don't notice it much but with the shawl of new fallen snow it becomes much more impressive.A photo of the trees in the pasture in front of our home. I see this view from my studio windows.
Enough on the snow, let's get to the wax! I attended an encaustic workshop in Dallas, Texas, at the Encaustic Center, in January 2010 and had a lot of fun. I stayed with my fellow artist friend, Cheryl Mcclure.(http://johnsoncreekstudio.blogspot.com/). We enjoyed spending the time together and waxing at the workshop. Cheryl is an accomplished artist and does spectacular non objective abstracts. I have become entranced by hot wax painting and the textures and layers of the beeswax and oil pigment. There is something earthy about it, painting with a gift from nature and forming and carving into it, gives one a closeness to nature that is difficult to explain. Below are a few of my encaustic pieces of late.
Lines of Humanity VI by Cathy Hegman AWS,NWS, MSWS, MoWS, SW, SAA
This one is based on the series titled Lines of Humanity which explores our connectedness to each other and how we form a strong and solid line by our connections. I like this series as it gives me a feeling of belonging to the world, it reiterates that we have a purpose here and we all fit into the grand puzzle of life.
Solitude
by Cathy Hegman AWS,NWS, MSWS, MoWS, SW, SAA
This piece is one based on my series of figurative works. I usually put the figure in as a solitary figure to show the strength that I believe exists within each of us. There is power in solitude, it forces us to look inward and find reasons and beliefs that keep us moving and growing.
Emotional Chaos
by Cathy Hegman AWS,NWS, MSWS, MoWS, SW, SAA
This figurative encaustic is called Emotional Chaos. I believe it depicts the essence of how our emotions can be at work inside us and the way that we try to cloak it with layers of deception all the while thinking that we have concealed it ;but somehow, it shows through to the world. I painted this piece by making marks in charcoal on the wood before adding any wax and then layering the wax and carving out the figure shape. I like to dissect the shape of the figure in my work, it seems to give the shape more movement if I place the pieces at odd angles. The texture of the nonpigmented beeswax is often all that is needed in an encaustic painting, as the wax is translucent letting the color and some of the wood grain show through. In this piece I used the charcoal, a bit of wax with yellow ochre pigment in it and the plain nonpigmented wax. It is almost a monochromatic piece. Lately I am finding myself more drawn to this type of palette. There is something very dignified in the simplicity of the monochromatic palette.
Black Skirt
by Cathy Hegman AWS,NWS, MSWS, MoWS, SW, SAA
The last painting in this blog is called Black Skirt, it has many symbolic references included in it that have appeared in my work in the past. I find when I look back over the years of my work that some symbols appear to be in all of them. I have attached my own meaning to them and have found new ways to incorporate them into my work. I believe that in a way they are the defining elements of my life in art. This piece was done in much the same way as the one above it, only in this one I did not rely on the plain wax as heavily, as this one is about the way in which our clothes give us much more than just coverage and warmth, they are often our disguises and our sometimes our cry for help. I disconnected the body shapes again in this piece, you will notice the angle is not as active as in the Chaos painting, this is a much more subtle and quiet piece.
All artwork and text included in this blog is copyright protected by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced in any form or fashion or used without the written permission of Cathy Hegman. All text and artwork included in this blog are solely the thoughts and original art of the artist, Cathy Hegman, unless otherwise noted, and are meant only to be guidelines and thoughts for others to read.
Thanksgiving is upon us and it is one of my favorite holidays. No gifts required, is nice these days. We had a sparse harvest but I am thankful none the less. Thank goodness it will no longer matter if it rains here or not, at least until next year when we begin the saga again. I have been painting and experimenting with different paints most of the last part of this year. I am now convinced that there are just phases in an artist's life, where the searching becomes the art itself and the need to search overtakes the need to reproduce. I find myself for lack of a better word, content with the search for something new; a reinvention of my art and self. I find using different mediums helps to diversify my art and to keep me active and alert to the textures and feel of the different mediums and surfaces. Abstraction with symbolism is creeping into the fibers of my art more frequently than not lately. Oil paint is something I reached for in the past when I wanted to be technically accurate or more detail oriented in my paintings, but now with the addition of the cold wax and the beeswax, oil paint has a whole new meaning in my work. It is now a velvety, matte, opaque road to traverse to get to the heart of what I am expressing in my work. The doors have reopened for me in my non objective work again and it is exciting to re enter that world for a while. There is an edgy contentment or satisfaction in the non objective work, it requires no explanation by the artist. I find with even a hint of realism involved there are questions to be asked by the viewer. I like to retreat to the non objective and just enjoy the shapes and patterns of colors for their existence alone and not for their meaning or symbolism of reference to anything of this earth. The one constant in my work as of late is the lean to the monochromatic palette and sometimes almost colorless paintings. I have worked my way into the earth tones and through them, all the while I am finding the need to layer and excavate my work. I think this is where the shades of grays and neutrals are finding their way into my work. I am finding great joy in mixing and layering colors and hues that cannot be labeled as a known color, but more as a reference to a color or colors. I have worked to make my self use colors that I almost never use, such as tubed greens. I was once told my an instructor years ago, to never use tube greens but to mix my own from yellow and blues..(so I think this is why I am trying to break this rule and prove that once again you must make your own rules or become static). I have begun to enjoy the mixing of colors and layering them with other colors till I reach neutrals that brush at the original colors without ever truly giving way to a named color. Each time I am reminded of water on an oil spill, and how it gives off a wonderful iridescent mish mosh of colors that change and swirl into unending numbers of colors, that is what I am chasing with my palette as of late. I want to make the eye interested in the colors but make the mind have to search for a name for them. The search for textures that will add to my paintings is the quest I was on in the painting I have included in this blog.I am mixing the non objective with hints of symbolism in an effort to work through my thoughts. In the beginning for my first layer of texture, I mixed some golden soft gel with gesso and textured my kilamanjaro paper. I am not thinking of anything except color at this point in my process, because I know this will be the bottom layer of color and that it will be a platform for building. I felt the need to have some boundaries on my paper so I tore pieces of old watercolors and placed them on the edges of the paper with the soft gel and applied gesso on top of them as a border around the paper leaving an opening at the top and bottom just for variety sake and to visually give a way to exit and enter the piece.
Full Sheet of texture painting for the underpainting.Detail of a part of the textural underpainting.
Detail of the textural underpainting
I layered several layers of watercolor and gouache on this and got some beautiful textures and patterns, but that became the problem; they were too beautiful and looked rather sweet, so I added several layers of the dreaded and previously deemed contraband tube greens on top of these beautiful under paintings and immediately I got more neutralized color, which to some might seem dull or the ruination of a great start, but it sparked the flame in my mind. This is when it gets interesting for me, and the focus becomes from this stage" make this work!" It is at this point I need to focus on the subject matter for the piece or whether it will have one at all.I looked at the calendar and saw the moon phases, something I pay little attention to in my life and I wondered why these moon phases are printed on calendars. They must be important, so I tried to come up with a reason for their being there and I thought about oceans, fish, and tidal waves and how important and constant they are to this earth. I think my favorite subject to paint is the figure so as a way to bring a figure into the work I added the ubiquitous man in the moon as a catalyst for the piece. I feel he is the spark of mystery for the piece. He is the metaphor for man and his ties to the moon and the different phases of the moon and the relation of man and the earth. I kept layering and adding textures and then I began to see the textures of the moon. I had the "aha" moment of losing the piece and then finding it again, only to find a deeper more meaningful feel for the painting. The rest is just finessing the shapes and edges and fine tuning the piece. This is the journey for my work, the lost and then found, the travel down an abandoned road of art, the step out into the darkness to find the comforting light of the finished piece. And when it is finished being comfortable enough to know it is only paint and paper or canvas and that the truth of the art is the process. Thank you for reading my blog I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving and that even if your life and circumstances seem bleak you can stop and give thanks for life and friends. I am going to add on this short video of the textures up close in the painting as I wanted to start using some videos of my work on my blog. I think videos can sometimes show more than just ajpeg of the piece.
All artwork and text included in this blog is copyright protected by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced in any form or fashion or used without the written permission of Cathy Hegman. All text and artwork included in this blog are solely the thoughts and original art of the artist, Cathy Hegman, unless otherwise noted, and are meant only to be guidelines and thoughts for others to read.
Kabuki Dreams
Kabuki Dreams
