Creation

Title: Creation
LC Subject: Painting Triptychs Acrylic painting Fishes Birds Trees mixed media painting (image-making) paintings (visual works) acrylic paint acrylic painting (technique) acrylic paintings (visual works)
Creator: Hatfield, Audrey May
Description: A painting of various birds flying around two white tree trunks with leaves being blown around with the birds. In the foreground is a river with rocks and salmon swimming towards the right. Audrey Hatfield; Creation; 2000; Birch Plywood; 64 x 64 inches; Acrylic and Mixed Media The Oregon Arts Commission has ten Regional Arts Councils that provide delivery of art services and information. The Council for this location is: Linn-Benton Arts. You may view their website at: http://www.artcentric.org/
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Location: Richardson Hall >> Benton County >> Oregon >> United States Benton County >> Oregon >> United States
Street Address: 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, Oregon
Date: 1975/2012
Identifier: 1998_osu_forest-ecosys_04_b01
Accession Number: 1998_osu_forest-ecosys_04_b01
Rights: In Copyright
Dc Rights Holder: Hatfield, Audrey May
Type: Image
Format: image/tiff
Measurements: 64 x 64 inches
Material: Painting mixed media/acrylic on marine grade birch plywood
Set: Oregon Percent for Art
Primary Set: Oregon Percent for Art
Relation: 1998-2000 Oregon State University Richardson Hall Forest Ecosystem 1998_osu_forest-ecosys
Has Version: slide; color
Institution: Oregon Arts Commission University of Oregon
Color Space: RGB
Biographical Information: I was raised in Milwaukie, Oregon. I developed a strong interest in art before middle school, but it was Ann Mckosh, then with Maude Kerns Art Gallery, who finally convinced me that it wouldn't be irresponsible to get a degree in fine art. I took a degree from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in 1987. Victoria Frey of Quartersaw Gallery, gave me an early opportunity to show after graduation. Since then, I have been making space for painting while enjoying my family, and my love for deep snow and mountain spaces, in Bend, Oregon. I am fascinated by ancient peoples and how old the earth is. I am intrigued by old stories and myths that give explanations to age old questions. They often portray the natural world with reverence and respect. Painting is my way of working out my questions about life's mystery. I try to keep that feeling of mystery and open meaning in my images. I paint animals, fish, water and landscape as symbols of the continuity of life's cycles. I begin the process by placing a few marks, varied lines, and smudges. I add wet color washes and draw marks in puddles of pigment. From wet to dry, I build upon layers. A figure catches my eye, and the story begins. Blurring my focus, I can visualize the composition from my gestures, like seeing figures in the clouds. The greatest motivation for me to paint is the feeling. The images arrive, whispering to my consciousness. Finding a myth to inspire this painting was a great challenge. The committee wanted me to find a story from a local tribe, which required allot of research. The majority of published stories from local tribes didn't have anything to do with forest issues. The myth that finally filled my creative void was ""How Old Man Above Created the World,"" from the Shasta tribe. I found this myth in Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest, selected by Katharine Berry Judson. The Shasta tribe lived in northern California, and near the Klamath River, but perished when gold miners and prospectors arrived in 1855-1860. (Richard Erdoes, American Indian Myths and Legends, p. 516). I found all of the elements I was looking for in this myth. The fish, animals, and grizzlies were created from a stick, and all birds were created from leaves blown by the creator, Chareya (Old Man Above). The tree ties all the species together, which perfectly describes a healthy forest ecosystem. Myths are a rich source for developing imagery because their symbols are so universal. They speak to a primal source within me which I then express through the creative process of intuitive marks, drawing, and painting. (Hatfield, 1999)