Libby Hoagland

Icons for a Sustainable World

Posted on: March 22, 2018

IMAGINARY PORTRAITS: ICONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD

There are many narratives we can tell to explain the nature of the world. We are all familiar with explanations of the world in terms of competition and survival of the fittest. This is one dynamic that empirically exists and we are all familiar with instances of this dynamic in our everyday lives. But the world is a complex place and perhaps we need to look at more than one story to gain a deeper understanding of its true multifaceted nature—stories that seem to be in conflict with each other, but are all true, nonetheless. Many of the works in this show are inspired by this observation: on a quieter, more microscopic level the world is the ongoing consequence of myriad acts of intentional collaboration among elements that show not only a willingness to be in relationship with another, but the capacity to stay in relationship.

Lately, when I look beyond the surface of the world I see manifestations of group collaboration everywhere— in the biomes and micro-biomes that we call soil, forest, river and our own mammalian bodies. And on a microscopic level, relational collaboration abounds. What else is a molecule than a number of atoms that have somehow compromised their own natures in order to become something more complex together? “Bluebirds” is a painting that imagines this collaborative nature in a fantastical way with a woman and a nest of bluebirds.

In “Bluebirds”,  a woman’s head is the nest for bluebirds. She provides a part of their habitat by being the habitat. She and the birds emerge from a scintillating background of pattern, not unlike the rich molecular fabric that contains the formative potential of the world. That background itself emerges from a less articulated, dreamier realm of formative possibilities that exist further from consciousness, but still very much in the realm of possibility. 

We may not wear nests on our heads, but we are to some degree habitats if only for the micro-biomes and biomes that make up our bodies. Beyond that, most of us engage our energies in tending habitats for other life when we cultivate our gardens and compost piles, when we establish homes and care for our children and pets, when we provide bee-hives and butterfly gardens, when we work to insure a world with intact natural systems. While there is plenty of evidence to support the idea of survival of the fittest— the world as an eternal cut-throat struggle for survival—there exists at the same time another dynamic. This cooperative, relational, committed dynamic is equally important to our understanding of the essential nature of the world. It is important to recognize it, and find ways to align with it as we live our lives.

Categories: Nature of World: Collaboration

Portable Art Projects for Travel

Posted on: January 9, 2016

LibbyI love to travel, but can really suffer if I’m away from my studio for any length of time. Last February, I spent several weeks away and took a small box of tools and supplies for cutting and making linoleum block prints. It was great. I worked a few hours almost every morning and returned to Portland with some wonderful black and white images. Most importantly, I never got that antsy feeling of wanting to get back home to my studio.

This December I spent two weeks in Mexico with my family, and once again I took a portable art project so that I could work a couple of hours in the morning. This year I stocked up on beautiful hand-made, hand-dyed papers. I packed some bristol board and gluesticks along with that. Each morning I sat outside in the patio and made compositions of torn paper. The jungle, with its amazing big-leafed flora, exotic bird calls, super-saturated colors all around — all this influenced my work. I didn’t bring scissors. Tearing, rather than cutting, the handmade paper allowed other elements — the fibers in the paper and  the moisture in the air that morning — to play a role in the outcome of the shapes I had to work with.  Tearing, rather than cutting, is an imprecise technique that invites other forces to co-create and results in vital, organic shapes that could not be pre-determined by me. And spending two weeks tearing paper rather than mixing and applying paints gave me a lot of insights into new ways to fill a square.

Libby Hoagland

Libby Hoagland

Libby Hoagland

Categories: Creative Process Tagged With: benefits of tearing, benefits of using imprecise tools, linoleum block print, portable art projects, torn-paper collage, travel and art

The River

Posted on: October 1, 2015

With 3 months to go till 2016, I spent a few hours the other day re-visiting projects underway to see where I might dedicate some time to wrapping up work near completion. I’ve got plenty to do. Here I am doing final touch-up work on “The River.” 

The River

Categories: Creative Process

Cosmos and Logos

Posted on: September 1, 2015

I’m pleased to announce the publication of Cosmos and Logos, a periodical on  Myth, Religion, and Folklore. My personal essay “Flicker” is featured in their first edition, available through Amazon. In that same issue, you can also see four of my images with brief discussions on each painting.

Cosmos & Logos

Categories: Literary Creative Nonfiction

Creating In Community

Posted on: August 24, 2015

Over the years I’ve read a lot about the lives of artists whose work I admire.

The shortlist of my favorites painted in the late 19th Century and through the mid-20th Century. They were instrumental in shepherding in bold new looks that defied traditional notions of the purpose of art for their day. Many of them worked with other artists and identified themselves as part of a group — a school of artists organized around a specific aesthetic mission. Sometimes these groups also included creatives working in different mediums — poets, musicians, dancers. In my opinion, collaborating with others’ shared aesthetic aspirations is the best way to work. The lone artist slaving away in a lonely garrett or studio for years, relying soley on his own internal resources seems utterly unsustainable to me.

Let’s face it, creating is risky business. Any attempt to transcend known limits so you can bring back something valuable from unknown realm is aided by the support of others who are there to witness and learn from you as well as share their finds. You may spend your day physically in your studio, but your imagination is exploring other realms. It is helpful to touch base with a group who understands the frontiers you are working to expand.

As a writer I have written the seeds of my most potent essays and stories when I was involved in a committed writing group. Not only did we workshop and respond to each others’ pieces, but there were times when we actually sat down and wrote our own drafts together. Composing in community gives me quicker access to my wisest writing voice. Perhaps it is similar to people who meditate in groups, often reaching deeper states of meditation. In each instance, the individual is involved in a deeply unique and personal experience. But this personal delving is supported and enhanced by the combined energy of the group. Just as I have reached deeper states of meditation when sitting in a group, I go beyond my accustomed creative territory when I write or do artwork with others committed to exploring the great creative wilderness. I still spend the vast majority of my time in the studio developing ideas, but the inspirations I have to work with are better. And the work that comes from these ideas is sometimes work that astonishes me, work I didn’t see coming.

Our current age has valued individual enterprise highly, and our current culture translates narratives of personal achievement through a “heroic” lens by focusing on the striving individual. These heroic stories edit out the myriad people who have supported and been involved in individual accomplishment. The stories of artists who have been able to transform their aesthetic passion into a lasting creative form often include teachers, peers, a muse or other committed friends. For many of us, it takes the community of other artists to help us produce our best work.

If you resonate with the idea of having a small cohort of fellow-creatives, then I encourage you to start looking around for people you’d like to work with. 

Categories: Creative Process

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Recent Posts

Icons for a Sustainable World

IMAGINARY PORTRAITS: ICONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD There are many narratives we can tell to explain[Read More...]

Portable Art Projects for Travel

I love to travel, but can really suffer if I'm away from my studio for any length of time. Last Febr[Read More...]

The River

With 3 months to go till 2016, I spent a few hours the other day re-visiting projects underway to se[Read More...]

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Libby Hoagland • 503.421.5515 • libby@libbyhoaglandstudio.com

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