Abstracts – Hilary Clark Studios

Portals 2: Intuition

I haven’t posted in a long while, primarily because I’ve slowed my art making way down. And I’m happy with that.

As 2022 wound down, I finished the second in my new Portals series. Technically, I finished it on January 1, 2023, but let’s not quibble about dates. 😉

This is Intuition:

(c) 2023, Hilary Clark, “Portals 2: Intuition”, Fiber & Paint, 25-3/4″ x 19-1/4″, $750

Portals 2: Intuition
Hand painted with acrylic paint on commercial fabric, raw edge fused applique, densely machine stitched.

I’m enjoying this new direction I’ve taken with acrylic paint on fabric to create an initial design, then adding my fused applique bits, and finally applying my signature dense machine stitching.

To remind my visitors and viewers, in recent years, I’ve released timelines and deadlines and expectations. I’ve relaxed into my opportunities to create because I’ve let go of the need to be creative all.the.time.

And in the letting go, I find my Light is freed up to better listen to my intuition and follow it where it leads. In this case, it led to this new Portal, a view for you into my intuition. 💖

With joy and ease…

Come back and visit in several months and I’m sure I’ll have a new Portal to share. See you then!

As always, I sign my art with a poem. Read “Portals 2: Intuition” here.

Interested in my art, my writing, my poetry, or learning more about bringing consistent joy and ease into your life? Then let’s talk!

Contact me to schedule:
* A virtual coffee
* A private (virtual) art show of my art
* A commissioning conversation to discuss hiring me to create a textured fiber painting uniquely yours

If you enjoyed this art piece and the essay, and it feels aligned, please share on social media or via email. If you liked it, someone you know will probably like it too!

Portals 1: Cosmos

Well, that took a hot seven months.

Introducing Portals, a new series.

This is Cosmos:

(c) 2022, Hilary Clark, “Portals 1: Cosmos”, Fiber & Paint, 23″ x 23″, $750

Portals 1: Cosmos
Hand painted with acrylic paint on commercial fabric, raw edge fused applique, densely machine stitched.

This new direction I’m going — painting on fabric, adding my fused applique bits, continuing with my signature dense machine stitching — is really enjoyable. Even if this piece took many months to create.

To be clear, it was the stitching that took a while, not the design. The design piece is always something that comes together in a short period of time for me.

I’m not complaining about how long Cosmos took to finish. I’ve released timelines and deadlines and expectations. I’ve relaxed into my opportunities to create because I’ve let go of the need to be creative all.the.time.

And in the letting go, I find my Light is freed up to better listen to my intuition and follow it where it leads.

With joy and ease…

I’ll continue to create, as it calls me, following this new direction. I think the next Portal will be filled with bright color. I’ll share it as it comes alive.

As always, I sign my art with a poem. Read “Portals 1: Cosmos” here.

Interested in my art, my writing, my poetry, or learning more about bringing consistent joy and ease into your life? Then let’s talk!

Contact me to schedule:
* A virtual coffee
* A private (virtual) art show of my art
* A commissioning conversation to discuss hiring me to create a textured fiber painting uniquely yours

If you enjoyed this art piece and the essay, and it feels aligned, please share on social media or via email. If you liked it, someone you know will probably like it too!

Studio Update: A New Direction

2021 was an interesting year. I went back to work in construction management and moved across country from the humid and salty southeast to the dry and joyously hot southwest. This shift impacted my studio schedule in dramatic fashion — I only completed two textured fiber art paintings last year.

(c) 2021, Hilary Clark, “Tree of Life”, Fiber & Acrylic Paint

But I’m okay with that.

Over the course of the last two years – pandemic time – I learned more about myself and what I want out of life. What I want is to live with joy and ease and, for me, that means releasing the pressure to turn any of my creative endeavors into full time work.

Would I like to sell my art? Of course I would. I’d love to see it hanging in someone’s home or in a gallery or in a museum.

Is that necessary for my happiness?

Turns out the answer is no.

And what a blessing it was to discover that truth.

By releasing myself from those expectations, I’ve discovered I’m free to create whatever I want, whenever I want, as frequently or rarely as I want. I create for the joy of it, not the marketing or image or perceived consumer desirability of it. I create for me and if others enjoy what I create, that’s a true delight.

With this release, I decided to take my art in a new direction. My second piece of 2021 included hand painted aspects on a fabric background. I found this to be a truly pleasurable and satisfying addition to my work. It turns out painting is an art form I can do.

(c) 2022, Hilary Clark, “Abstract 2”, Digital Painting

I always told myself I wasn’t a painter. It was fun to change that story and make it false — all of life, all we perceive, is just stories we tell ourselves about what we think, feel, and experience. We’re free to change the story whenever we want.

So I changed mine.

For 2022, I’m adding paint to my work. Using acrylics, I’m painting abstract designs on commercially printed fabric to create the canvas. To that canvas, I’m fusing additional fabric that enhances or contributes to the painting. From there, I’ll stitch my work in the dense style I’ve adopted. That’s part of my voice, after all, the dense stitching.

I’ve begun my first work in this style. I’m calling it “Cosmos”. As soon as my Bernina is back from its time in the shop for a good cleaning and tune up, I’ll start stitching. I’m thinking a spiral design will be just perfect.

(c) 2022, Hilary Clark, detail view of “Cosmos”, acrylic paint and raw edged fused material on fabric, work in progress

With joy and ease…

I’m loving this new way of creating my art. I’m loving exploring new styles, techniques, and abstractions. I’ve loving this direction I’m going.

My 2022 is starting off with joy. I hope yours is too.

Interested in my art, my writing, my poetry, or learning more about bringing consistent joy and ease into your life? Then let’s talk!

Contact me to schedule:
* A virtual coffee
* A private (virtual) art show of my art
* A commissioning conversation to discuss hiring me to create a textured fiber painting uniquely yours

If you enjoyed this essay, and it feels aligned, please share on social media or via email. If you liked it, someone you know will probably like it too!

Move In Day! Can Art Making Be Far Behind?

If you’re reading this on Monday, May 10th, it’s move in day! Can art making be far behind?

This was move OUT day. Move IN pictures may appear some other time.

For the past two months, we’ve lived in spare rooms and a hotel. While there’s certainly joy to be found in a temporary living situation, as well as remarkable ease (you quickly discover how little stuff you really need), we are so ready to sleep in our own bed!

During this transitional stage, we’ve been out exploring the surrounding area. We’ve found several craft breweries with delicious offerings, a great food scene, and friendly people. But the thing we’re finding most enjoyable is the sunset.

AZ sunsets are gorgeous, even through a dirty windshield

While beer and food and people and sunsets are wonderful, I’ve missed my art making. With the delivery of our household goods, I’m looking forward to a return to my art practice. I can’t wait to pick up where I left off with my Tree of Life textured fiber painting because making art feeds my soul in a way even Arizona sunsets can’t do.

With joy and ease…

Keeping this short and sweet to focus on move-in. Stay tuned for next month’s essay – I’m determined it will be a progress update on my latest art piece!

Interested in my art, my writing, my poetry, or learning more about bringing consistent joy and ease into your life? Then let’s talk!

Contact me to schedule:
* A virtual coffee
* A private (virtual) art show of my art
* A commissioning conversation to discuss hiring me to create a textured fiber painting uniquely yours

If you enjoyed this essay, and it feels aligned, please share on social media or via email. If you liked it, someone you know will probably like it too!