Cari Hernandez - Artist Statement

I have met the most challenging and fulfilling art medium in working with wax. Currently I have found myself working in three major series: Color, oh…, and tar & wax.

Color is a series depicting my passion for expression through pure color. The paintings in this series are mostly bold abstracts, giving over to color to make the first impact. They represent my joy in pairing colors to play off of one another. This series is the most expressive of the process rather than the outcome; the intention lies in the creation. Born out of my color series is Line. My Line series works on two main levels. The first is the act of “breaking” a perfect surface. I work the painting’s surface to a smooth glossy finish that is full of visual depth and luminosity. Then, I incise one or more lines into the pristine surface. Creating the incision holds my greatest challenge, a brief struggle not to inflict damage. I’ve been asked why- is it an act of mutilation? The question was more common with the earlier pieces, having flesh-tones and cross marks that resembled sutures. At first there was an element of physicality to it, now I am exploring the second level: What lies beneath? I am intrigued by the complex intricacies of our emotions, they can be “worn on the sleeve”, “skin deep”, or “buried inside”. They way I construct a painting in relation to the depth that I incise is an attempt to explore that concept.

Oh… is a lively series that has been described as “visceral”. It was developed while on a quest to explore jubilant emotion—creating a sense of movement and spontaneity in form.

Tar is the merging of dark and light…combustible materials…and faith; a bit like life. The tar and wax combine in their own dance, my job is to plan things out, use knowledge gained from creating piece after piece…looking for “predictable” outcomes in an unpredictable marriage of materials.

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