‘Feeling’ the Landscapes of the Northwest

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” —Albert Einstein

Judy Hoiness’ journey as an artist, teacher and fourth-generation citizen of the Oregon high desert is as multifaceted as her work.

After 30 years as an adjunct arts faculty member at Central Oregon Community College and six years teaching at public middle and high schools, Hoiness is well known for her unique and abstract style of art, which she calls a “personal statement about the landforms of the Northwest.”

Her use of watercolor, watercolor crayons, and acrylic combined with imaginative design elements contribute to Hoiness’ unique style of expression. Her work is frequently described as ‘abstract landscapes that often incorporate calligraphic marks, collage and mixed media.’

Hoiness’ time spent in the outdoors throughout her life, and particularly the countless hours she has spent exploring the high desert since moving to Bend in 1970, inspires her as an artist.

Hoiness said she focuses her art on two types of landscapes, both based on her feelings about a place, but one with a more environmental theme.

She has created a collection of 40 paintings titled, “Save Oregon’s Wildlife and Wilderness Areas.”

In the Fall, her work will be featured in an art show at the Douglas County Museum of Natural History in Roseburg as part of an art show entitled “Legacy of a Promise: 50 Years of the Wilderness Act.”

As an artist, Hoiness said it’s her hope that she will make an impact on people and increase awareness of the importance of preserving and protecting wildlife and wilderness areas. Proud of her heritage as a fourth generation Oregonian, Hoiness said she believes the torch has been passed to her from former generations of her family. She continues to honor the responsibility of making people aware of their surroundings through artistic expression.

Despite her desire to inspire other people through her art, Hoiness doesn’t focus on capturing the true details of the landscapes, but rather tries to show her feelings for a place in a pictorial way and always paints for herself first.

“Since I rely more on my feeling at the time, it might not be true to the colors or shapes that actually exist,” she said. “Only I can really tell you exactly where this place was. I paint more abstractly than I did 25 years ago and I do what I feel, not what I think people want. This is my passion. It’s what keeps me painting every single day.”

As a teacher Hoiness gleaned inspiration from her students, through making sure they were confident in handling the artistic tools of each class. In addition to demonstrating techniques, Hoiness emphasized composition and design as students progressed through each session.

“Once you get past the medium it becomes all about the composition,” said Hoiness. “I wanted to teach about getting the most potential out of the tools and the medium and then concentrate on composition and design.

“At the onset of my teaching career, one goal was to make everyone an artist. I was so inspired by the things the students did and miss that part now – watching them grow and enjoying the interaction with each person. I only had these kids for 47 minutes, so that doesn’t make much of a dent in what they choose for life. But it could have an influence that I wasn’t even aware of.”

As she puts her teaching career behind her, now Hoiness is able to paint and draw in her studio with unlimited time, expressing that which she loves in her work.

“I got that from teaching,” she said. “My focus then was to keep up with things in the art world so I could expose my students, but now I do art for myself. I’m taking advantage of my free time to really push myself and explore.”

Part of that exploration is influenced by quilters and textile artists. After participating in an art show two years ago with Jeanne Wells Keenan — contemporary quilter and owner of The Stitching Post in Sisters — Hoiness was inspired to begin incorporating textiles into her art, sewing directly onto the paper and illustrating with watercolor crayons.

“This body of work involves pushing the combination of textiles and painting,” said Hoiness. “I’ve been doing it with some of the prints I’ve created at Atelier 6000 [Central Oregon’s professional printmaking and book arts studio] using fusing techniques with regard to fabric on paper and paper to paper, while figuring out a way to draw and paint on sheer Asian paper using fusion materials.”

Even as she explores new styles, and experiments with merging paint, paper, fabric and stitch, Hoiness always stays true to her own inspiration, her connection with the landscape.

“I rely only on what I remember or feel about a subject because that’s more true to the art I want to create,” she said.

“When I paint, I think about being the keeper of the landscape and environment. If it only has an effect on one person, that is also significant.”