Lilis K'Dair
Portraiture, Encaustic Mixed Media, & Stained Glass
"Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which
the soul may fix its intellectual eye."
- Mary Shelley
About my work:
I have always enjoyed the challenge of capturing convincing likenesses, especially of people and natural objects rich in texture and movement. I am attracted to subjects that appear to be in transition or in a state of growth or decay. Curling leaves, opening flowers, flowing water, wrinkled skin, sweeping folds of tattered fabric, and cracks in glass are some of my favorite subject matter. I find objects with visible wear and tear particularly captivating. Whether bent, stretched, crumpled, or cracked, I am moved by the fact that they have been affected by a force of some kind and have undergone a change. I enjoy drawing attention to the beauty of flowing organic forms; change, time, and experience; and the work and pain required to grow and bear fruit in our life pursuits.
I consider an artwork finished when, as I step back from it, I feel a rush of excitement and simply stop and stare. After a long creative process fueled by the weighty energy of abrasive cracking, burning or smudging, I suddenly find that I am handling the work very delicately or am hesitant to touch it at all – as though it has suddenly become a living creature; a baby. I want to be with it for a while. I can’t wait to see it again when I have left. It is texturally striking, full of intention, has a sense of movement and a nice play between vibrant colors and neutrals. It holds in it a personal truth, full and complete, and has taken something mundane or painful and made it beautiful, layered and complex.
My favorite pieces are what I like to call “subtly dark” and address more existential themes. When finished, they are lovely enough to draw viewers in and hold their attention, even when difficult feelings are conjured up. A fellow undergrad student once said my artwork “allows people to be with pain.” My work offers opportunities to settle in and get curious about the all-consuming feelings that arise, quite naturally, out of the mere monotony of daily life and the limiting stories we often tell ourselves. I invite people to approach these difficult emotions in an accepting way – without a desire to avoid them, without a sense of urgency or hopelessness, but with the calm of knowing that they are inevitable, necessary, and temporary. My aspiration is to evoke a grounded passion for life in myself and others, and to perpetuate messages around authentic expression, resilience, compassion, and hope.
I consider an artwork finished when, as I step back from it, I feel a rush of excitement and simply stop and stare. After a long creative process fueled by the weighty energy of abrasive cracking, burning or smudging, I suddenly find that I am handling the work very delicately or am hesitant to touch it at all – as though it has suddenly become a living creature; a baby. I want to be with it for a while. I can’t wait to see it again when I have left. It is texturally striking, full of intention, has a sense of movement and a nice play between vibrant colors and neutrals. It holds in it a personal truth, full and complete, and has taken something mundane or painful and made it beautiful, layered and complex.
My favorite pieces are what I like to call “subtly dark” and address more existential themes. When finished, they are lovely enough to draw viewers in and hold their attention, even when difficult feelings are conjured up. A fellow undergrad student once said my artwork “allows people to be with pain.” My work offers opportunities to settle in and get curious about the all-consuming feelings that arise, quite naturally, out of the mere monotony of daily life and the limiting stories we often tell ourselves. I invite people to approach these difficult emotions in an accepting way – without a desire to avoid them, without a sense of urgency or hopelessness, but with the calm of knowing that they are inevitable, necessary, and temporary. My aspiration is to evoke a grounded passion for life in myself and others, and to perpetuate messages around authentic expression, resilience, compassion, and hope.