Cathy Hegman

CATHY HEGMAN

My art is my life both literally and physically. I am no longer sure where the paint ends and life begins or vice versa. I am for the most part a figurative painter. I particularly have a penchant for painting the unknown, the parts of life and painting that simply refuse to be defined. I paint figures that embody no particular persona, but are comprised of bits, pieces and facets of those who have in some way marked my journey for either good or bad. The amalgamated resulting figure is both familiar, strange, and often enigmatic. The figure for the most part in my work is a two dimensional shape that integrates into and out of the background shapes. It is a pigmented push and pull of visual weight that seems to give the painting life without giving either a portrait or caricature of anyone. I most often prefer my forms to remain faceless, diffused and dimly lit, in an effort to keep them from being cornered and cajoled into representing a certain person or identifiable figure; one that might give them a specific point of reference and alienate them in some way. I choose to employ loose open ended narratives in my work, I want to leave options for the viewer. My greatest fear is to create work that is boring or too familiar, I want to push both the figure and the narrative out as far as possible without losing the dynamic of good design. We all in individual ways experience life with a similarity that is often not brought to the forefront and given credence. Painting the mundane and often ordinary thoughts and moments of life, illuminates a common linkage and metaphorically forms a bond between the artist and the viewer.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2016 – “Subliminal Shifting”, Carol Robinson Gallery, New Orleans, LA
2010 – “Medusa Complexities”, Jackson Street Gallery, Ridgeland, MS
2009 – Watermarks, Bass Cultural Center, Greenville, MS
2009 – Watermarks, Guachoya Cultural Arts Center, Lake Village, AR

Selected Group Exhibitions

Tew Gallery, Atlanta, GA
T. Clifton Art Gallery Memphis, TN
Nunnery’s Gallery 119, Jackson, MS
Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
Municipal Art Gallery Jackson, MS
Belhaven Art Complex Jackson, MS
+ participant in over 45 group exhibitions throughout the US and Brazil

Publications

The Figurative Line, figure paintings, 2010, self published
Medusa Complexities, a solo exhibition of figurative paintings, self published
“Make Your Paint Your Own”, feature, Watercolor Artist Magazine, December 2008
“Tracking the Muse”, feature, Watercolor Artist Magazine, August 2008
“Found in Translation”, feature, The Artist’s Magazine, November 2005
Contributor to The Artists Magazine and Watercolor Artists Magazine

Honors and Awards

Alden Bryan Medal, 143rd American Watercolor Society International Exhibition, NY, NY
143rd American Watercolor Society International Traveling Exhibition, NY, NY
142nd American Watercolor Society International Exhibition, NY, NY
142nd American Watercolor Society International Traveling Exhibition, NY, NY
139th American Watercolor Society International Exhibition, NY, NY
Alden Bryan Medal, 137th American Watercolor Society International Exhibition, NY, NY
Clara Stroud Memorial Award, 137th American Watercolor Society International Exhibition, NY, NY
Best of Show, Mississippi Watercolor Grand National Exhibition, American Artist magazine, January 2007
Best of Watercolor, The Artist’s Magazine, September 2003
Featured artist, Delta Magazine, Holiday Issue 2003

Activities and Affiliations

Board of Directors, Mississippi Watercolor Society
2012-current, Vice President, Mississippi Art Colony
2011-12, Worskhop Chair, Mississippi Watercolor Society
Vice-President, Delta Artists
American Watercolor Society, signature member
Mississippi Watercolor Society, signature member
Missouri Watercolor Society, signature member
National Watercolor Society, signature member
Southern Watercolor Society, signature member
Society of Animal Artists, signature member
American Women in the Arts, member
Mississippi Art Colony, member