Art Exhibit January 24, through February 28, 2009

A couple of paintings I have in the exhibit of fish, these are both in acrylic.

This is our entertainer at work, Son Thomas' son. He was great!

A few more of my paintings in the exhibit.

We had the opening on January 24, 2009 and it was spectacular! There was delicious food and only in the Delta, can one be serenaded by the son of a Blues Legend like Son Thomas. The music, food and crowd could not have been better. It was a really fun event. The photo above is Son Thomas' son as he sang the blues and kept us entertained! The other shots are of some of my paintings in the show. I am having trouble uploading on this satellite connection so this is all I could wait on today!

I have some of my art in an exhibit in Leland, Mississippi. It is in a gallery called Hobknob, a most unexpected little place in the heart of the Delta. I invite anyone in the area to check it out and experience the joy that the Delta has to offer. Hobknob is on one side an art gallery and on the other side it offers handmade pottery, blown glass, wood turned bowls and carvings. A most interesting place in a most unexpected location, which makes it that much more enjoyable. When you go there step down the street and visit a great coffee house called, Molly's. I am posting a few shots from the opening and the artist statement that I wrote for the exhibit. The artist that I share the venue with is my friend Kathy Davis from Arkansas. To view more of her art http://deltaartists.com/bios/7038.shtml and learn about her. We had a really great time and hope you can go visit Leland and check out Hobknob for yourself!

Feathers and Fins, Friends and Friendship the Art of Cathy Hegman and Kathy Davis

Cathy Hegman

Artist Statement


Friendship is sometimes long and winding like the brown dirt roads in rural Mississippi, leading the friends on journeys that are sometimes unpredictable and other times comforting, familiar, and safe. The road is the beginning of new experiences for each traveler. Art, much like the road links people together both visually and mentally. One can attain a glimpse inside the artist’s soul by studying the artist’s work, and perhaps find a piece of them that links them to the artist and the art. Art resonates and touches the emotions without regard to age, gender, race, or religion through the application of pigment to canvas or paper. Art can be the voice that cries out without limits, or sometimes whispers the thoughts of the creator. Art speaks silently, yet conjures up feelings and gives satisfaction that is undeniable, and yet intrinsic. It validates our need to learn about ourselves, and gives us freedom to search for our own identities.
Art brought Kathy and me together as friends. The bond that has incurred is one that is both tight and elastic as it centers on the journey we each travel with our art and where we are on our journey. The road is long and often dusty, but always renewing the spirit with inspiration.
This exhibition is a culmination of the art of two friends, who have only recently met but have a connection that seems to defy the brevity of the time.
I invite you to enjoy the journey of our art.

To Contact us:
Kathy Davis
1327 Lakehall Road
Lake Village, Ark
Email: yadnek2@allegiance.tv

Cathy Hegman
NWS, MSWS, MoWS, SAA, SW
P.O. Box 126
HOLLY BLUFF, MS
Email:hegmanart@aol.com
http://www.cathyhegman.com/
http://www.cathyhegman.blogspot.com/

Thank you for reading my blog and have a great week!
Cathy Hegman NWS, SAA, MSWS, MoWs, SW
All artwork and text posted on this blog are solely owned and copyrighted by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced or copied in any form or fashion without the written permission of Cathy Hegman. Anything included in this blog is solely the personal experience and thoughts of the artist and are not meant to be anything more than helpful guidelines for others to read.

2009 Happy New Year!!

Glancing Patterns

by Cathy Hegman

Arts in Mississippi Award in the MSWS Grand National Watercolor Exhibition

Happy New Year!
Our life drawing group began again this past Saturday and it was so good to draw from the model again. I had to miss several Saturdays in the last part of last year so I felt very disconnected. I believe that drawing from life whether it is a figure, animal or a vase of flowers is a good thing to do. It forces you to use your mind and to work out problems and plan on the fly without giving you the luxury of putting parts off to do later. I am the first to admit that it is like any exercise, and that when you don't do it regularly the mental and technical aspects of drawing tend to get a bit rusty and it is very humbling. The beauty of drawing is that much like riding a bicycle; you don't forget how to do it.
I am posting above a photo of my painting that was awarded the Arts in Mississippi Award in the MSWS Grand National Watercolor Exhibition at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Ms. I have been awarded this top prize twice in the last 3 years. I am deeply pleased to have been in the exhibition and honored to have won the awards. I will share a bit about this painting and the thoughts I used to create the piece. This painting is one in the series of figures and birds that I have painted in the past 2 years. The premise of this series is the knowledge we can attain if we pay close attention to nature and the interaction that occurs when this happens. The girl and the bird appear to be looking at each other in some form of communication; one might wonder whether the bird is learning from the girl or vice versa, this is the bit of mystery for this piece. The title of the piece is, Glancing Patterns. I relied heavily on the design elements of color and pattern in this painting. Using each of the elements to unify and harmonize the piece. I kept the girl’s face and the birds face next to the white of the paper which in turn gave it the most attention, by virtue of faces always drawing attention and the value of the faces against the white of the paper reinforces the attention. Always use your lightest light against your darkest dark to get maximum impact in your painting.


Meanwhile a lot has been going on in the studio now that the holidays are officially over. I have put in some new fresh work at Jackson Street Gallery, in Ridgeland, Ms and I am about to put some work in a gallery in Leland, Ms. I will be taking part in an exhibit at this gallery later this month.

I have been reading and trying to more fully understand non objective art. The books I am reading are “Abstract and Colour Techniques in Painting by Claire Harrigan and Painting Abstracts by Rolina Van Vliet. I have not finished either of them but I am enjoying both of them. I am a firm believer in the power of knowledge and continual study. I do not paint non- objectively as a usual practice but I find some of the non objective work by other artists, really touches me and I want to more fully understand this emotional response by studying it further.
I am meanwhile still working on portraying in paint the emotional ties that bind us as humans to each other, and the aspects of letting go , grasping, trusting, entrusting, and gaining our own personal freedom in a world of labels and rules, as in last blog entry, Red Line. I painted a Diptych, two panels 48 inches by 24 inches each titled Red Line II and it is currently in the Jackson Street Gallery in Ridgeland, Ms. I am working on three more in this series and I hope to keep going as I am finding more and more ways to represent this challenging subject. I will post the photos as they are finished.

I also had a deep conversation with one of my children over the holidays about wikis and how to use them. I have been looking for art wikis on the net but have not come up with very many. If any of you reading this entry know of any art or painting wikis give me a comment or email me the web address. For those who do not know what the heck a wiki is, here is a very helpful YouTube video on wikis and what they are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY

Enjoy life and have a great January!

All information and artwork in this post is copyrighted by Cathy Hegman. If you wish to use any of it please contact Cathy Hegman for permission. All information and artwork presented here is solely that of Cathy Hegman and is given in an effort to share with other artists and patrons of the arts in an effort to enhance their art journey and experience. www.cathyhegman.com and email hegmanart@aol.com

November in the Studio Red Line

Red Line

(These should appear horizontally instead of vertically but I cannot figure out how to make it work!)

Triptych each panel is 28 in x 28 in

mixed media on paper

by

Cathy Hegman

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now Christmas is near. Holidays are busy days with life and taking care of all the things it entails. I have been doing a bit more drawing and painting lately but mostly studies for later work. I have just finished a triptych that is about the connections of humanity. I am particularly interested in our ability to resolve our differences and be more homogenous with each other, I believe this is one of the highest forms of love we have for our neighbors. I think as I age I have become much more open to the views of others and I think it is directly connected to love and the desire for life to be more copesetic and pleasant. I believe one of the strongest problems is our ignorance of what others are experiencing in their lives and our ability to give support and love to them. I am trying to put my experience with this subject down in paint as a way of forgiving myself for my polarized views on different issues and people in the past and in hopes it will reinforce me to think things through before forming opinions. This first attempt is about how humans have the ability to have strong issues with each other but still manage to find a way to co exist in this world. We exist in a united front as humans, yet we all come to the line with our own problems and differing lifestyles both physical and mental. I have chosen to abstract the figures in this painting in order to give the viewer the chance to see themselves as a part of this line. I also find that in the abstraction the figures look like a line of trees and this represents support and stability in my mind. I chose to paint mostly earth colors even in the red hues to connect the whole idea to the earth in which we dwell. As far as the technique and use of media, all three begain as a loose drawing that mainly divided the surface of the paper, the I painted each with watercolor and gouache, you will note I scratched into the surface of the paint for added texture and to symbolize our differences. I let all of them dry thoroughly then I used water soluble oil pastels and colored pencil to add the accents and enhance the paintings. My goal was to keep this as abstract as possible but still retain the feeling of a unified line of figures that were connected by their shape and color. I have several more sketches in my sketch book for this series and I want to paint some of them on canvas and board as well. I hope I have inspired you to paint something in a series or as a triptych. Till next time!

Thank you for reading my blog and have a great week!

Cathy Hegman NWS, SAA, MSWS, MoWs, SW

All artwork and text posted on this blog are solely owned and copyrighted by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced or copied in any form or fashion without the written permission of Cathy Hegman. Anything included in this blog is solely the personal experience and thoughts of the artist and are not meanyt to be anything more than helpful guidelines for others to read.

"Blind Hope" October 25,2008

Blind Hope

by

Cathy Hegman

72 x 48

acrylic on canvas

The painting above is entitled "Blind Hope". I painted this a couple of weeks ago and it is a very accurate depiction of where my life is right now. It is probably the largest painting I have ever painted. The canvas came to me when one of my best friends,Tina Bradford, passed away earlier this year. I was blessed to have been given all of her art supplies, and this huge canvas was in the mix. I might add that the size of a painting can really enhance the impact. The life sized figure commands your attention, this is something to think about when you are deciding on the size of your paintings. Large paintings give a feeling of importance just with their size, and in exhibitions they will gather the most attention. A small painting can be more intimate but a large one will get the attention first .

We all face tough emotional times and I have had some really troubled times lately and it has manifested in my art, as an emotionally charged painting. I have heard the expression,"just give it over the Lord" so many times and as of late I have dealt with some problems in which I have had to do just that. There are times and problems that we are simply not equipped to deal with on our own and we must have a higher power to turn to for help. This is where the title emanated, Blind Hope, as I have a deep hope that the Lord will work my problems out in a way that will glorify Him and make life feel in sync for again for me. The figure shape in the painting is Hope she is blindfolded with what appears as a bandage to express that she is wounded and blind and not simply born blind, life has done this to her. The egg is in her right hand balancing on an open palm, showing the balance that we seek in life that makes us feel in sync with our world. The egg is symbolic of the hope for an answer to be born to lift the problem. The other hand is in a postion to grasp or hold the egg but the hand is empty, showing that we cannot control some aspects of our lives, that only the Lord and our hope in Him can resolve the problems for us. The figure stands alone as all of problems are ours alone and we are responsible for how we handle them and how we allow them to affect us.

I used the light areas behind the figure to signify that there is light around us even if we cannot see it with our eyes. The light is in an circular shape that connects to the figure and completes behind the background unseen by the viewer. (One of my children saw it as an angel's wing). I chose to paint the figure in a gesture of submission instead of standing tall and strong, as that is how we appear when we are emotionally wrought with problems, and we are submitting and praying to God. The abstract background is used as a metaphor for life and the many things that go on in our daily lives that surround, touch, and support us both clear and unclear in appearance. The background is painted with warm hues of red and gold with blue used as a contrasting hue. The contrast of the colors keeps the background interesting and somewhat electrically charged. I often email my paintings to my family and friends and get their feedback before I send them out into the world. This painting was one that garnered alot of comments from my family and that is why I chose to blog about it. I hope you will comment on it and give me your thoughts on the painting too.

Cathy Hegman

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!

All artwork and text posted on this blog are solely owned and copyrighted by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced or copied in any form or fashion without the expressed written permission of Cathy Hegman. Anything included in this blog is solely the personal experience and thoughts of the artist and not meant to be anything more than helpful guidelines for others to read.

Art Colony

Some of the Colony Members painting at the Upper Pavilion

Well once again Mississippi Art Colony has come and gone. We had a great time and as usual I learned and gleaned ideas and thoughts from all of the other attending artists. I just love the immersion into art that happens when you go to an islolated place with other artists. There are some pretty stimulating conversations and the work that evolves is so provocative.

I was voted in as a full member this time and I was thrilled about that. It is a great group of artists and I am proud to be in the number. I also got two pieces accepted for the travel show,(Isaac's Ram and Secrets), and that was just icing on the cake for me, especially since one was a drawing that I had done that was so close to my heart at this time in my life. The drawing has been in my head for a number of years, it is the ram in the Bible passage Genesis: 22. Abraham is told to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God and at the last moment the Lord sends him a ram with his horns caught in a thicket as a substitute for Isaac. This is such a powerful story of faith and the belief that God will never leave your side if you have faith in Him and it has a special meaning in my heart at this particular time in my life for many reasons. I think when you feel a strong connection with your work it resonates in your life as you paint or draw the art, and then it will retain that power when it is viewed by others. The journey of life is one that compells us to reach out to others and find ourselves in them and them in us. My art is my way of accomplishing this task on a visual level. I hope, my piece, "Isaac's Ram", will serve to touch and encourage others while it is traveling in the Mississippi Art Colony Travel Show. You can view the show online http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7507232291477332174&postID=8381684110844753964.

As always have a great week !

All text and contents of this blog are copyrighted by Cathy Hegman and are meant solely for the purpose of sharing her thoughts and ideas on art and the making of art.

September 12, 2008 Opening Closed Doors

I had the opportunity to jury an art exhibit at the Federal Corrections Facility Medium Security Unit this month . I passed my NCIC check with no problem then was told all the list of things that I could not bring with me to the prison on the day I was to be the juror of the show. Already the oppression of censorship is welling up in me, I am sure this will be a duty rather than an experience to remember. The day comes and I drive up and the building looms ominously into view, it is huge, gray,stark, almost windowless and immediately I feel claustrophobia setting into my mind. It looks oppressive but at the same time rather intriquing. I was scanned, ID checked, wanded and then stamped on the arm like a piece of Grade A meat.


We then entered through what can best be described as a chamber with floor to ceiling steel gates forward and aft, we are told to relinquish our ID's to a lady behind a thick glass wall ( I am apprehensive to do this but do so just the same) and then we are scanned again and the gates open. We walk across the courtyard which is nothing more than the large open air space between the buildings there are not many windows here either, but the buildings do have numbers on them which is interesting to see against this cold gray exterior.


Most everything here is about anonymity and I am thinking how in the world does art flourish here. I am now feeling sure the art I will see in the exhibit will be dominated by emotions of entrapment, sadness, aloneness, etc. I tell myself, you will have to just look for the honest emotion in the work and juror on the design, emotion and skill level of technique of each piece. When we enter the room, I am met with work that is astounding, then I realize I have seen most of it before. I turn to the inmates and ask them how they came up with the subject matter that they painted. I have to say there were some really amazing copies of other artists' work. They told me they have no access to the world of art other than through art magazines and books that they acquire and that they have no instruction or guidance other than what they read, so they copy the photos of the art in the magazines. Wow, I am thinking how do you jury a show of predominately great designs, because they are all with the exception of maybe three pieces very accurate copies from art magazines. I come the conclusion everything can be a learning experience and this should be no exception. I ask each of them to stand by their work and give me the opportunity to talk with them about their work. I ask simple questions such as why were you drawn to this artist's work, or what part of the process did you enjoy the most or the least. I then tried to take each piece and discuss the underlying design of the piece and how it could be used in something that would be more original to the inmates themselves. They could use objects in their limited surroundings to create paintings that would express their world and their thoughts. I gave them some ideas of ways to use everyday objects in creative ways and also to paint each other. I also cautioned them about the copyright that an artist has on their original work and that you cannot reproduce an artist's work and sell it or enter it in shows without the artist's permission etc. In the end the overall feeling from this group of artists was an overwhelming gratefulness to talk with someone about not just their art but art in general and get some honest feedback and discussion. I was told they are allowed to paint most of the day without much interruption. I told them this is the dream of most artists, to be able to paint all day and not have to deal with the interruptions of everyday life. There were two artists that did create work that was not copied but done from their minds and their hearts; and in the end, I and the panel of jurors all agreed theirs was special and deserved the awards. The other artists were very supportive of the winners and seemed genuinely thrilled for them. The two awards were nice new wooden boxed sets of paints. I believe we all got rewarded just from the experience itself.


You never know what doors you might open or close, if you never grab the door knob. I am glad I got this opportunity to share my art knowledge and thoughts with this group of artists and that they shared theirs with me. I was inspired by their commitment, knowledge, and skill level and I look forward to seeing their work in the future. I could only think as left the prison that day, it is true cool grays do bring out and intensify the colors in life.
Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you have a great week.

September 4, 2008

Violet Fracture

Mixed Media on Paper

$275.00

Crescent

Mixed Media on paper

$275.00

Arcangle

Mixed Media on paper

$275.00

I am cleaning the studio and making room for a new cabinet. I have found things I had forgotten I had including paintings that I have painted and never framed and such. It is amazing how many small studies I have done as prelims for larger works. I will post a few every so often along with the price and anyone interested can purchase them if they are so inclined. I think this is a great way to share my art with others and give them a preview of what I have in the galleries etc. You can email me if you are interested in purchasing one of paintings that I offer for sale on my blog. My email is hegmanart@aol.com, please note in the subject line that you are interested in one of the paintings, so I will know to open the email.



Great news!One of my paintings was juried into the National Watercolor Society International Exhibition in Los Angeles, it was a one of the Women and Birds series and I was so excited to have it accepted in the show. Another painting was also juried into the Mississippi Watercolor Society's Grand National Watercolor Exhibition this month,this painting was another of my women and bird paintings from the same series. My article for Watercolor Artist is out this month, describing my technique for painting on alternative surfaces in watercolor and gouache. The article has several of my paintings included in it and turned out well.


Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!
All artwork and text posted on this blog are solely owned and copyrighted by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced or copied in any form or fashion without the expressed written permission of Cathy Hegman. Anything included in this blog is solely the personal experience and thoughts of the artist and not meant to be anything more than helpful guidelines for others to read.

August 9, 2008 Oil and Water

Here a few of the "starts" from the portrait painting workshop this week.

Well I have not blogged lately as there have been too many distractions going on to be able to update my blog. I have been doing my duties as the Mississippi Watercolor Society Grand National Slide Chairman for the past month. The show has been selected by our juror Ratindra Das ( http://www.ratindradas.net/index.html)and it appears it will be really a great event. The opening reception will be at the beautiful Mississippi Museum of Art in downtown Jackson on Pascagoula Street. I still have some paperwork to attend to on that project but otherwise my job is done. I have been attending this week an oil paint portrait workshop, and it is taxing my brain, not to mention there is not enough botox and restylane in the world to correct these squint lines I am forming. I don't do portraits in my artwork as a general rule but I thought this would help me with my figurative work and in seeing values more clearly. I have not painted in oils in probably fifteen years and it has been an experience. One thing I learned is the oil paints do not go bad, most of my paint is at least fifteen years old and older and it has performed very well for me.

I must admit it was daunting to try oils again and especially a portrait workshop at that. It was quite a challenge to try and reproduce the model precisely, after so many years of painting in a more abstracted realism. I felt a confinement that I cannot quite put into words, it was almost a censorship type of feeling. I was terribly uncomfortable with it until the third day of the workshop, and for some reason at that point I began to understand the internal struggle I was having was counterproductive to me learning anything from the workshop. The lesson here is to try to enjoy the moment, whether you are struggling or whether you are painting as if it is second nature to you, it is all gain if you can let yourself see it as exercise for the mind. I did enjoy painting in oil for its tremendous attributes, although I could not help but wish for at least one nice liquid brush stroke on the canvas just to make it feel more normal to my hand. I have posted the "starts" I got in the workshop as that is all there was time to produce. I must add we had some great models, we had a young white female , an older asian man, a middle aged black man, an older white female, and older white male, and a young black female, which gave us the opportunity to study the variety of skin tones and textures in paint. I believe I learned a lot from the workshop and I am glad I took a week off to take the workshop. My point here to others is don't get stagnant in your work and a good way to avoid the stagnancy is to branch out and take a workshop or study some medium you do not normally use. I went to our life drawing group today and it was like a new beginning for me to draw the model, as I now had another arsenal of thought to flow through my mind as I drew the model. Variety is truly the spice of life.

Have a great week and thanks for reading my blog!

July 22, 2008, Art in Exhibitions

Whew!.. I have been really busy this past month or so cataloging and preparing the entries for the Mississippi Watercolor Society Grand National Exhibition. I am and have been the slide chairman for many years. It has been an honor to do the job and I have enjoyed the work, as it is exciting to see what the artists from across the nation and some foreign countries send each year. This year the MSWS Board decided to go all digital with our entries. I believe it was a good move for our exhibition. I think it makes the job for the juror much simpler as he or she does not have to get out a projector and screen to view the entries, they simply turn on the computer and study the entries. They select the show and jury for awards after the paintings have arrived at the Mississippi Museum of Art. I do believe most if not all shows will eventually end up with digital format as the slide industry is getting smaller and smaller.

Since I have been entering shows for many years and have been both selected and rejected. I have found insight into both responses; there are always lessons to be learned. It is an exhilarating experience to have your current art work get selected to be in a National or International Exhibition. It is a validation of your endeavor, a way of getting feedback you would not normally receive. This is a nice part of the journey in art, and you should enjoy it for that moment. Add this honor to your biography this is your history and you should record it and learn lessons from the experience. I find these National and International Exhibitions are a great way to advertise your work and if it is possible for you to attend the shows you will meet the other artists and make great connections and friends. Life is after all about connecting and sharing with others.
The rejection can hurt when you receive the letter, but after you get over the initial sting; you can try to decide if the piece you sent really was your best work. I have often found that after the show catalog has been delivered, and I have perused it thoroughly, one reason my painting may not have been selected was that it was mediocre or there were too many that were similar etc. I like to then look at my piece and make decisions on where I think I could improve the painting, this is another great process of entering shows, it makes you take a more serious look at what you are painting and how your are presenting your work to the public. I believe you can turn every rejection into a positive experience for yourself.
Entering shows has always been an expensive endeavor and you should be warned it is getting much more pricey, especially the cost of shipping. Even still it is still a good way to get your work out in the public eye, especially if you from a rural area like me.

As of late, I have entered a few online competitions as well, and they are nice but there is no comparison to seeing art in person. In person the actuality of the work the size of the art itself comes into play as well as the application of the paint to the surface. Perhaps the difference is even in the museum or gallery or just the other people in the room. I have thought about this often and I think it is the experience in itself that makes the art seem superior to the computer screen, reality is everywhere today, we have reality TV, reality radio, reality videos…etc and I think we as humans like to be with other humans and experience their reactions and when we are in a museum or gallery viewing art we are enabled to do just that and it enhances the experience to a new level. I do think the digital competitions may have a place in our world as entering them will completely do away with shipping and handling which runs the gamut of prices and hinders many artists from entering shows today. The effect of the show for the artist entering is still there in the online competition so they do serve the purpose in their own way.
I would not give anything for the honor of being selected for the shows that I have been a part of in the past and the ones I hope to be a part of in the future. I know that they have been an integral part of my growth as an artist. We all need a pat on the back and the feeling of inclusion.
For some that have not entered here are a few tips I have learned along the way on entering shows.

1. Read the prospectus carefully and then go back and reread it. I sometimes think gnomes come in at night and rewrite it changing the instructions, as when I reread it I see things I missed the first time.
2. Prepare your slides or digital entry with care:
a. Make sure when you photograph your painting, the whole frame is your image and that you do not include your studio as a background or your cat’s tail in front of the painting as they are interesting but they are huge distractions to your work. It actually looks best if the painting’s frame and mat are not in the slide or digital, it should be nothing but the painting itself.
b. Make sure it is in focus as an out of focus painting simply looks out of focus to a juror and gives the appearance of an artist who did not care enough to make the shot a good one.
c. The rules for digital entry are different for every show, so carefully resize, and save your digital in the proper format. I do think their will begin to be a more universal approach to this in the future but until then read and follow their instructions.

d. If you are shooting a digital photo of an acrylic or oil painting that has a varnish on it be aware that the surface will be harder to get an accurate image, as the reflections will be hard to minimize. It is usually easier to take the shot before you varnish the piece.

e. If you are shooting a watercolor, pastel, or drawing, shoot it before you frame it under glass, as it is really hard to shoot photos of images after they are framed. My biggest tip is when you finish a painting, grab your camera and take a photo or two of it, this is for two reasons, you will have this for your portfolio and as a record of your work and it is there for you to enter into a competition should you choose to do so.

3. I crate my work using AirFloat Crates, I have found no better crates for shipping art work. They are not that expensive if you consider that you can reuse them for other shows. Here is a tip, I always tape a photograph of my painting with my name, address, phone, and email to the inside top of my AirFloat container, just as a help to the handlers in case there is any mix up etc.
AirFloat website :www.airfloatsys.com

4. Pack your painting carefully. Assume it will be treated as airport luggage and take extra care with the cushioning. Under no circumstances send any painting with foam peanuts, most shows will not accept it. Do not send paintings under glass use only plexiglass or acrylic for your glazing. I do not know of any shows that will accept glass.



5. I use Fed Express to ship, I have had great experiences with them and their drivers have been so nice to work with. I am sure there are other shippers that are the same or even better, but this has been my personal experience and you have to gain confidence in your shipper. Who ever you choose to use, open an account with them, it gives you some perks and makes shipping much easier.


I hope you will enter the some of the shows either at a regional, state, national or international level. It will help your growth as an artist and possibly your growth as a person in process. It will humble, honor and help you as you paint new works of art, as this has been my experience with entering exhibitions. If not, I hope you will be inspired to look at your work as if you are entering it in to show, lingering a bit longer when assessing your work. I think it will make you a stronger artist in the process. Thank you again for reading my blog. I hope you have a great week.

July 7, 2008 Musing with My Brushes

Sometimes there just seems to be nothing inspiring around. These are the times to challenge yourself. My bird series began as a benign bird painting in 1994 and it has now grown into an ongoing series of bird paintings. The evolution has been one that is continual but somehow not complete. I tend to find the shape and symbolic meanings of birds so intriguing that even today I can still find ways to sneak one or more into a painting. Birds have become my "muse". Webster's II Dictionary defines the word muse- as to think about at length ;or a source of inspiration. I do believe both definitions come to mind when I paint bird shapes.

There are many ways to look at your subjects. What happens when there is no still life to paint, no model available, no photos that give you the urge to paint? I recommend looking around your studio and finding the objects that are familiar to you and using them as your subject. On this particular day of painting it was my brushes. Brushes in and of themselves are not that interesting, so the challenge was to paint the brushes and make them unique. Below there is a photo of how I began to design the layout with my brushes. You will notice I did this on my floor in my studio, probably not an orthodox method but if it works, go with the flow.

The second step after finding a design you like and that you believe is a good design, drawing it on paper or canvas. I used paper,watercolor and gouache for this painting. Step two illustrates the first coat of paint. I like to layer paint and I usually but not always begin with a yellow hue in watercolor as my first layer. Yellow is a good pigment to use as the first layer because it will blend or layer well under other pigments. This sets the stage for the rest of the painting. The yellow pigment will give harmony by being the underpainting for the layers that are to come.

Step 1

Have you noticed yet? I put birds in my design, this distinguishes these as my brushes by using the familiar bird shapes, and it gives the piece a bit of intrigue. One might wonder about why the birds are there and what they are doing etc. Now for the design, I don't paint the two bird shapes the same but actually I use somewhat complementary hues on them. I have at this point done probably 7 layers on each bird with more to come. I use the same technique and thought when painting the brushes.

Step 2

Now I will have to deal with the shape around the edges of the piece. I am thinking of something in a much deeper value to "pop" the layers of color on my birds and brushes. I take a digital photo of the painting at this stage and open it in photoshop to test out my idea before I commit it to the actual painting. The photoshop step will save you a lot of valuable time and paper. I am convinced the deeper value will definitely improve the painting. I will go forward with the plan.

Step 3

Here is the final painting,"Brush Pile". I went with the deeper value but I kept the color choice in the range of the rest of the painting. The deeper value was achieved by layering the hues found in the birds, brushes, and the brush bristles. I chose to use the same colors rather than a stark black to give the painting harmony. I hope this will inspire you to paint some familiar objects the next time you are out of subject matter to paint.

Final Step

" Brush Pile"

Cathy Hegman

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!

All artwork and text posted on this blog are solely owned and copyrighted by Cathy Hegman and should not be reproduced or copied in any form or fashion without the expressed written permission of Cathy Hegman. Anything included in this blog is solely the personal experience and thoughts of the artist and not meant to be anything more than helpful guidelines for others to read.