Spring is emerging here in Montana, and I find myself enjoying the last snowfalls of the season. It is always my favorite time of the year, as the light for painting is always more pure and crisp, to my eyes. All colors seem to dance even more beautifully to me when the snow is falling.
"She was fond of wandering, but was always back by supper."
28" x 36" Oil and Cold Wax on Glass ©Carol Hagan
From the winter months, most especially, new inspiration and growth always seems to emerge from the paintings that I am inspired to create. My "Glass Horses" series has evolved so quickly to me since last fall, that they seem entirely different in thought, space, and incorporation of light, vibrations, and movement.
I am deeply grateful to Fine Art Connoisseur, for the story recently published about my "Glass Horses" works. I am honored that these works are being enjoyed, and received as inspired, and a unique process. It has certainly been an inspiring process for me, and such an opportunity to learn about incorporating the element of light into my work. I continue to dream about his process most nights, however the dreams are disjointed from what my current level of interpreting what I want to see in my work. They are so much farther advanced, and I still wake and wonder how I will paint what I have just watched unfold. It is an inspiration to me, to have the chance to explore working on this medium.
"Peach-Faced Love Birds" 28" x 36" Oil and Cold Wax on Glass ©Carol Hagan 2017
In this fast-paced age of pixelated, digital perfection and mass-production, I most enjoy losing myself in the quiet, methodical, and imperfect creative process of these Horses.
Like the live horses that I use for reference, my works end up resonating with marks, scrapes, scratches, dust....and soft, breathy vibrations from the years and miles spent along this trail.
These traces are recordings, if you will, of a moment in time in my life. This is what I am compelled to created in these works on glass, from my experiences with horses and the gifts that they have shared with me.
"Smooch" 26" x 30" Oil and Cold Wax on Glass ©Carol Hagan 2017
The ability to display my "Glass Horses" as free-standing sculptural works is so important to me. Each side of every piece is different from its' counterpart.
In order for both sides to be viewed, the work must be allowed to stand on its' own.
Shadows cast from these works, depending on how they are illuminated, create additional spacial elements that give them an existence in their own right.
"Wild Blue Yonder" 32" x 37" Oil and Cold Wax on Glass ©Carol Hagan 2017
I am looking forward to exhibiting my latest works in the upcoming C.M. Russell Museum's 'The Russell' Live Auction, in Great Falls, Montana, during Western Art Week. This time of year, and this event, has been a cornerstone of my career as an artist, and I am truly honored to be included in the Russell Skull Society of Artists. To have an exhibition of my work at this event is especially inspiring to me, as I have the opportunity to show my newest works from a winter of painting. My Live Auction painting this year is the first year that I will have one of my "Glass Horses" works in 'The Russell', and I am grateful to the Museum for acknowledging this newer, more contemporary vision and form of Western Art that I have been inspired to create.
"Wild Blue Yonder" 32" x 37" Oil and Cold Wax on Glass ©Carol Hagan 2017
I can already feel these Horses in transition again in my thoughts and ideas for upcoming works this Spring. With the greens of the season emerging in the coming weeks, I anticipate new directions, inspirations, and another shift in the entire process of this series. To have the chance to incorporate light into my paintings has been a truly extraordinary creative experience, and nothing short of a wonderful gift.