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, experience, and the work and pain required to grow and bear fruit in our life pursuits.
I know an artwork is 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 become a living creature. 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 even painful and made it beautiful, layered and complex.
I know an artwork is 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 become a living creature. 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 even painful and made it beautiful, layered and complex.