Lilis K'Dair

I was brought up with a love of all that is old, beat up, and has stood the test of time. As a long-time proponent of reducing and reusing, my artwork often incorporates salvaged materials and transformed recyclables. I also gravitate toward old-world artforms, primarily expressing myself through encaustic and stained glass. I have always enjoyed the challenge of capturing convincing likenesses, especially of people and natural objects rich in texture and movement. I love the drama of subjects in transition, like curling leaves, flowing water, wrinkled skin, and sweeping folds of tattered fabric. Items with visible wear and tear are 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. My work is meant to draw attention to the beauty of flowing organic forms, time, experience, and the work and pain required to grow and to 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.