Bernie White Hatcher
About the Artist
Raised in the Midwest, Bernie has lived in Illinois since 1960, receiving a BA in communications, majoring in fine art & design, and an MA in arts management from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Along with an ongoing pursuit of painting since the late 60s, she worked as a draftsman and drafting supervisor for the Bell System, a graphic designer, and manager of graphics and illustration at SIU School of Medicine, and as part-time adjunct faculty at Lincoln Land Community College in Arts and Education. Now retired, Bernie concentrates on painting. She lives in Springfield, IL.
Artist Statement
Over time our perspective on life changes, and as an artist mine became visibly evident in the work I produced. So much in life has inspired me to create, but landscape has been a vital influence. Recognized for my representational landscapes, my imagery changed as I aged and matured. I stretched, enlarged, and deepened the parameters of how I defined landscape and with that, new inspirations became evident. Within the landscape, I saw beginnings, changes, adaptation, disturbances, and competition. Destruction and decay were obvious along with extinction, innovation, and renewal – a multitude of constructs was apparent. All of this made me more intrinsically connected to the landscape. In order to communicate this change in perspective, I needed to find a visual language that moved beyond representational.
Today some of my work is devoid of recognizable symbols, whereas in others suggestions are present in the painted shapes, colors, and texture. The challenge, or summons of these abstract landscapes, is to look longer, think deeper, and rediscover the land. Enjoy new connections to the meaning and interpretation of landscape. Change how you think about it and ultimately how you are able to see and experience it.
