"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 today's 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.
Selected Awards ands Accomplishments:
1. Best of Show, Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art, 2012 2. Chosen for the cover of Splash 13: The Best of Watercolor; Alternative Approaches, North Light Books 2012 3. Purchase Award, 88th Annual Hoosier Salon Exhibit (the painting, Entangled, was purchased by the Indiana State Museum for their permanent collection), 2012. 4. Traveling Show, American Watercolor Society 145th International Exhibition (2012) 5. Outstanding Watercolor Award, June Bold Brush Painting Contest (2012) 6. Outstanding Watercolor Award, 87th Annual Hoosier Salon Exhibit (2011) 7. Third Place in July Bold Brush Painting Contest (2011) 8. Third Place, 2D Art, Fourth Street Art Fair, Bloomington, (2011) 9. One of ten winners of the 2010 Hoosier Women's Art Competition 10. Merit Award, Louisville Woman's Club Art Show, 2010 11. Alice San Pietro Painting Award, Fourth Street Art Fair, Bloomington, 2008 12. Purchase Award, Kentucky Watercolor Society Aqueous Juried National Exhibition, 2008 13. Best of Show, Kentucky Watercolor Society Aqua Venture, 2007 14. Second Place, Fine Art, Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art, 2007 15. Merit Award, Louisville Woman's Club Art Show, 2007 16. First Place, Jeff Fest Art Show,, 2006 17. Merit Award, Madison Art Club Show, 2006 18. First Place, Harvest Homecoming Juried Art Show, 2005 19. Second Place, Kentucky Watercolor Society Aqua Venture, 2005 20. Merit Award, Louisville Woman's Club Art Show, 2005 21. Chosen as "2004 Artist of the Year" by the Southern Indiana Council of the Arts 22. Second Place, Watercolor, Indiana Wildlife Artists Exhibit, 2003 23. Chosen to create painting for 2003 New Albany Harvest Homecoming poster. 24. Honorable Mention, Kentucky Watercolor Society All Member Show, 2003 25. Merit Award, Art In Speed Park, 2003 26. Honorable Mention, Kentucky Watercolor Society All Member Show, 2002 27. Outstanding Floral Painting, Hoosier Salon, 2001 28. Second Place, Kentucky Watercolor Society Aqua Venture, 2001 29. Dixie McDonough Memorial Award, Columbus Chautauqua of the Arts, 2001 30. Honorable Mention. French Lick Springs Resort Fine Arts Festival, 2001 31. Daniel Smith Award, Kentucky Watercolor Society Aqua Venture, 2000 32. Purchase Award, Kentucky Watercolor Society Aqueous, 2000 33. Merit Award, Ohio Valley Annual Art Show, 1999 34. Purchase Award, Traveling Show Award, Kentucky Watercolor Society Aqueous, 1999 35. Traveling Show Award, Kentucky Watercolor Society Aqueous, 1998
I am pleased to have 2 paintings in "Artists in Our Midst", a juried exhibition featuring the work of 30 local KY and IN artists, including both 2D and 3D works in all media.
Beyond The Limberlost Hoosier Salon Wabash Gallery 5/17/2013-6/30/2013 Reception: 5/17/2013 ()
Beyond The Limberlost is an exhibit that celebrates nature (the title comes from the books of Indiana author, Gene Stratton-Porter). This exhibit features works in various media by artists: Cathy Hillegas, Rena Brouwer, Kathryn Clark, Sarah Creason, Shirley Quakenbush, and Patricia Rhoden.
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l.jpg "Photo of Cathy Hillegas")
