Cathy Hillegas - Artist Painter Copyright © Cathy Hillegas - All Rights Reserved Artist Statement “The holy is nothing but the ordinary, held up to the light and profoundly seen.” This quote, by Dr. Kendyl Gibbons, explains in a nutshell why I paint. The miraculous is all around us. Treasures lie at our feet, bend in the wind above our heads, and unfurl on stems at our kneecaps. Usually, we walk right by without seeing them. Every painting is an attempt to say, “Stop! Look at this. No, really. Take a minute and just look.” When looking for subject matter in the natural world, I am particularly drawn to objects or scenes that are filled with light. Light transforms the mundane: making colors glow, illuminating details, and causing unexpected color to spill into shadows. Light is often symbolic of the transformative power of the spiritual or that which exists beyond ourselves. Light, in my work, serves as both subject and metaphor. Bio I am grateful that I grew up when I did, before the advent of todays technology. We only had 2 clear tv channels (and one fuzzy one) to entertain us so, as a child, I spent a great deal of time outside. I had a creek in the back yard where I spent many happy hours, wading in the water and watching all the things that lived there. Family time often included long walks in the woods and my father taught me the name of every tree and wildflower. I have both a personal and a spiritual connection to nature that is very evident in my artwork. I did not set out to be a professional artist, although making art has been a love of mine for as long as I remember. Both of my parents loved to draw and paint and encouraged me to do the same. After pursuing careers in counseling, interpreting for the deaf, and writing, I came back to art when I took a watercolor class in 1993. I was immediately hooked and many classes, workshops, and years of practice later, I was invited to teach the same watercolor class in which I had been a student. I still teach today and teaching has become as great a love as painting itself. They both feed my soul. I have been accepted in many juried shows and I do several of the juried outdoor art fairs every year. My work can be found in many private and corporate collections. I live in Floyds Knobs, Indiana, with my husband, 2 children, 2 dogs, and too many cats. I live just a little bit downstream from my childhood home, and the same creek flows through my back yard. Website: cathyhillegas/ Contact: cahillegas@aol
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 11:09:38 +0000
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