Katy Horan show

Katy Horan

One of my very favorite painters, Katy Horan, has a show of new working opening in Houston at Domy Books.  Titled "Keep Your Arms From Going Astray" it features specters, crones, and seers adorned in Horan's signature flurry of lace and line.  Info here:

Domy Books is pleased to present

Keep Your Arms From Going Astray
Katy Horan

Saturday, September 15, 2012
Domy Books - Houston
1709 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77098
7-9pm, FREE

Exhibition runs September 15 - October 18, 2012
The artist will be present.

My work examines female roles and representation found throughout history, art and mythology. I pull from a variety of sources, using mixed references and visual fragments to build new variations of familiar figures. My hope is that the image will be at once identifiable and ambiguous, inviting the viewer’s imagination and personal associations to inform their interpretation.

Research plays a large role in my work. I derive visual reference and ideas from film, literature, the internet and countless other sources. I then filter and combine fragments of imagery and information absorbed from this research through an intuitive process. This allows me to explore subject matter and interests that range from Victorian spinsterhood to Renaissance portraiture to the archetypal witch figure. I also work to incorporate imagery from the books and movies that affected me as a child. By working organically, and moving between repetitive detail and loose experimentation, I am able to bring these varied sources together as singular characters.

Form, detail and gesture are also important aspects of my work. I intend each figure to function both as a character and as a solid form. Solitary figures allow more focus on their interior structure and detail, which I intend to hold as much interest as the character itself. Historical costume has long interested me, and I use these inner details to reference varied eras of dress and decoration. Similarly, I use my character’s postures and gesture to explore those found in art history and illustration. While external research informs each piece’s narrative and concept, emphasis on form, detail and gesture inform its execution.

Sounds superb.