exhibitions > 05.22.10 - 06.27.10

Hayley Hara
Hayley Hara

The characters I draw are odd and exaggerated and isolate themselves in their raw, over-emotional states. A spiritual fortitude resounds in each subject as they connect to the animals and other figures. The drawings intermingle vulnerability with strength, melancholy with humor. Surrounding the form is white space. This white expanse used to further isolate the figure also suggests a blinding state of dream or memory; a stark flash of insight. The elements are personal formed from dreams, family photographs, and memories pieced together.

In my work, I research a number of academic fields. Shrouded beneath and embedded within the easily recognizable and understood elements of my work are forms and knowledge pulled from the fields of semiotics, psychology, dream analysis, Native American literature, women's studies, prophecy, and animal symbolism. While focused on a subject, I will often accumulate volumes of notes and sketches. My studies lead me down some interesting avenues, but when I sit down to make the work, the process condenses and crystallizes to an emotion, my hearts story.

Me giving Birth 2008
14" X 24" color pencil on cotton paper