1999 abstract collage by artist Nancy Hathaway (American; 20th century). Titled Mist Over Water. Signed in pencil and dated lower right. Titled verso.

Measurements:  46.5" H x 36" W x 1.5" D (frame); 37" H x 25" W (sheet).

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From the artist:

I have been painting for as long as I can remember. First, there was the wood stove, melting crayons on the hot, slick surface; watching the colors run, mingle, create new hues. Then there was the garden mud, blossoms, twigs, and leaves; organized into overlapping shapes with lost edges and hard edges. Always, there was the telling of a story, of the discovery of the moment and of the universal constants. 

I have tried to record these discoveries through art, and most often through painting. Like story telling, painting is a messy business. It is not unusual for the painting to talk back, to challenge the focal point, or the central theme of the story.

As an artist, I know that I must listen when a painting talks to me, for there are many things I have yet to understand. As I wrestle with the story, it comes into focus and becomes a deeper, richer story than the one I had imagined, or it becomes completely unhinged, akin to a miscarriage — a painful lesson on mortality — but even in these moments, there is grace (after some deep breathing, etc.).

A painting that survives and lives, like a well-crafted story, speaks not only to the story-teller, but to the listener. You, as the viewer of my paintings, are the listener. You bring your experiences, struggles and successes, sorrows and joys, and, yes, those feisty personal demons. You hear the parts of the story that interface with your life.

My hope is that my paintings will bring you hope and comfort as you interact with the stories they tell. All is not pretty and safe. There is great suffering — hunger, illness, fear, tragedy, a cacophony of madness bound to anger and frustration. But there is also dignity.  As we embrace the story of life, we dignify our life and the lives of others.

So about my current paintings, I adore working in watercolor, the transparencies, the layering, the need to tread lightly and not over-do. The process is not only a joy, but serves as a reminder of the complexities of the lives we live, and the need to look through the layers, and to integrate the layers, to understand the whole. 

All lots have imperfections or the effects of aging. Sheafer + King Modern shall have no responsibility for any errors or omissions.