Cath Sheard Art

Tag: mixed media

  • Working on the Hokitika Gorge

    Over the weekend I spent some time working on slightly larger paintings inspired by the Hokitika Gorge, following my visit after Easter. These are on Hahnemuhle 300lb watercolour paper using heavy body acrylics and water soluble crayons. I love the granularity of some of the mark making.

    Do I know what the shapes mean to me yet? No! But that’s okay. I’m happy to sit with not knowing, because that’s often how my art works. What I do know is that the shapes are embedded in what I’m doing and critical to the works.

    west coast 1west coast 2west coast 3

     

     

  • People’s truth

    This page refers to some stuff I’ve seen on social media, protecting men accused of vile things because “they seem so nice” or “their music/acting/whatever” is great. Uh huh…

    As someone who was abused as a kid and had a bad first marriage, I don’t care. When people show you their truth, believe them. Also, trust your instincts.

    Can you see the mistake in this? I could have ripped it out and started again or tried to cover it up but for me the joy & release is in the doing, so I’m happy to leave it alone. Can’t see it? The first “t” is truth is actually an” “x – oops 😉

    Materials used are all Dylusions unless otherwise stated – Paints: Mushy peas, Slate grey & Ground coffee. Stamps: Dy’s alphabet. Stencils: Shutters, Old school numbers & Diamonds in the rough. Other: Pitt Big Brush pen, white gel pen, Ranger ink, Distress ink.

    show truth 20190512

  • So handy!

    I love people’s hands, and am always checking out people’s rings, nails and so on – not in a judgemental way, just curious. This was done in my small Dylusions journal.

    Paints: Ground coffee, Laidback lilac, Vanilla custard. Stencils: Sugar lumps, Blocks, Modern script. Stamps: Dy’s alphabet. Other: Distress ink, Stampin’ Up ink, white gel pen. Pitt Big Brush pen.

    hands 20190508

  • Inner thoughts

    When I’m getting ‘stuff’ out of my head I often use this Dina Wakley journal – it has 4 different types of media in it and I really like it. The writing on this is about my weight loss, the ongoing struggle to be in the right head space, and the reasons I eat as an addict.

    caged bird 20190505.jpg

  • Trusting my intuition

    In November I visited the Hokitika Gorge and fell in love with the clear blue water so it quickly became the subject of a joint exhibition I have planned for this November. The works will show the iterative process I use to get to the final works.

    Recently I had the chance to visit the Gorge again. In packing art supplies I chose my basics – Phthalo turquoise, cobalt teal, gold, white Heavy Body Golden acrylics. I kept reaching for Golden Fluid Titan Pale Green – an odd pale green grey beige. Not the colour of the works I’ve been doing at all. I put it away, then got it out again; in the end I decided it was such a small bottle I’d take it with me.

    I started doing small backgrounds before I went back to the Gorge and kept using that colour. My brain was saying it was wrong – my hand, and my intuition – were determined though.

    I stayed with Alan Fowlie, a family friend, and before he took me to the Gorge he warned me the water might not be that amazing blue because of floods 3 weeks prior. Ok, sure. When we got to the gorge and I got my first fresh glimpse of the water I was stunned. Yes, you guessed right … the water was the exact colour I’d been creating.

    Incredible! That’s what happens when I am fully tuned into a subject and immerse myself in creating without overriding my intuition. It’s a lovely place to be, and involves letting go of control.

    Hokitika 1Hokitika 2hokitika 3hokitika 4hokitika may 2019