c a t h r y n   m i l e s

contemporary paintings

770.355.5764 (cell) 770.649.1006 (studio)

milestdo@bellsouth.net

figures             structures             landscapes           still-life       about the artist          home

Animal Stories

   The imagery in the Animal Story paintings is derived from a wide range of references, including pre-Columbian traditions, animation art and, various contemporary artists.  La Manada (The Herd), Matones (Bullies) are rich, earth-toned tapestries of assorted creatures. Los Vigilantes de la Puerta (The Door Watchers) is more formally design oriented and was loosely based on Picasso’s Guernica in both structure and palette. In all of these pieces, the distortion of the figures reflects my interest in the indigenous art of southern Mexico and other Mesoamerican traditions, in which fantastic and symbolic animal imagery is so prominent. Humor is also an aspect of my work, and my childhood memories of  Saturday morning cartoon characters are firmly in mind as I give each animal a facial expression or body language to suggest a personality. The characters in the Animal Stories are, to a certain degree, cartoon versions of real life specimens that I have encountered.  I thought of the title of Matones (Bullies) after viewing a magazine in my vet's office that was captioned "Bully Breeds".  Door Watchers is named for the crew of cats and dogs that waits by the kitchen door each morning waiting to be fed. Overall, the animal imagery is a visual metaphor for my own sense of spirituality and the connectivity of life and death. My process is intuitive, with each piece being started by what could best be described as "automatic writing" in graphite on the canvas.  I allow the figures to emerge from my imagination and fill in with numerous layers of color. 

  The Animal Story paintings continue to evolve.  Recent works include the In the Water series and the Night Garden series, pictured below. Both series feature salamanders, snakes and other small creatures in their subject matter.

In the Water, 1   15 x 5 inches  Oil on Paper	In the Water, 2   15 x 5 inches  Oil on Paper	Little Dragon, 1  18 x 11 inches  Oil on Paper
In the Water, 3    15 x 5 inches  Oil on Paper	In the Water, 4   15 x 5 inches  Oil on Paper
En el Jardin Oil on Canvas  22 x 28 inches	Los Silenciosos  Oil on Canvas   22 x 28 inches	Vigilantes en la Obscuridad Oil on Canvas   22 x 28 inches
La Manada (The Herd) 36 x 60 inches  Oil on Canvas SOLD	Matones (Bullies) 40 x 30 inches	Los Vigilantes de la Puerta (The Door Watchers) 72 x 48 inches  Oil on Canvas SOLD
This is a photo of me next to Santos y Milagros, in its early stages in Sept. 2008. The figures are still half formed.  I started this piece in late August, right after I returned from Oaxaca, and put it aside for a few months and completed it in Dec.. ( La Manada and Matones were actually started in April after my March trip to Mexico.)  Santos figures can be seen everywhere in Mexico (they are small religious statues that were first brought to the new world by Catholic monks (to assist in converting the indigenous tribes).  Milagros are small religious icons that can take the form of just about anything, from animals, to plants and even body parts.  These also played a big part in the conversion process.   Everytime I go down to Oaxaca, I experience some kind of renewal with my work.  The exposure to both the indigenous art and the contemporary Latin art that abound in that city has opened up a totally different creative channel for me.