Christy Dehoog + Kate Bourdon

Kate- As in any journey, I am continually excited to start a painting because I never know exactly where the painting will take me––it is the delight of surprises discovered along the way. It is somewhat like heading out on a trip without an exact itinerary, knowing that some of life’s best moments are the unplanned ones. Unintended shapes taking form in the paint are often the spark, which begin each new painting: striped patterns become planted fields, and curved forms develop into gardens of flowers, or simple birds. I strive to create compositions, which exist with a degree of independence from the real world. The need to explore, discover and investigate possibilities while continuously searching for new solutions is the driving force in my art.

My work is constantly evolving in the spirit of exploration and spontaneity. As an artist and a musician, I think subconsciously in terms of sound quality with each painting. The visual and auditory senses are intertwined into a single experience as I perceive sound as color and form, and vise versa. Visual repetition and pattern become rhythm, while color is perceived as melody and harmony. Discovering how to express the processes of nature and the passage of time through the patterns and irregularities found in the surface texture is my current preoccupation. I begin each painting in acrylic and mask shapes before adding successive layers of oil paint mixed with a cold wax medium. This process of layering, inscribing, and scraping

back paint to reveal hidden layers builds texture, depth and a history beneath the surface—this is what I find fascinating. Constantly altering my initial inspiration, I prefer to leave glimpses of early layers, as a reminder of my original thought where it becomes a history of the painting.

Drawing on her experience as a former illustrator, Christy uses an array of media (acrylic, collage and drawing media) along with a finely honed visual vocabulary to connect with viewers on multiple levels. Over the last several years her work has transitioned into abstraction, as she pushes the process of playing with line and shape over fields of color. Compositions both large and small invite the viewer to approach,’ investigate, and discover the surprisingly sophisticated mark-making that is visible only from an intimate distance.

“Color is the springboard for my work. As a method of communicating with viewers color can be a powerful (or subtle) tool.”

Christy received her BFA in Illustration from Kendall College of Art and Design (Grand Rapids) in 1992. Shortly after, she relocated to San Francisco and found work in the “Multimedia Gulch” at a small software company as a digital illustrator. In 1996, she moved to Long Beach to pursue her master’s degree at California State University. The experience broadened her perceptions of what it means to be an illustrator and fine artist. Under the guidance of an exceptional mentor, Christy fine-tuned her skills and began to embrace the idea of becoming a “painter”.