statement

My work stages conflicts between reality and decoration, depth and flatness, movement and stillness, and light and dark. For me, exploration of these formal conflicts is also a way of asking questions about the Anthropocene, about the experience of being a woman in contemporary society, or the possibilities of aesthetic experience amidst today's noise—or, often, all of these interrelated issues at once. Through my drawings, I solidify my place in the world and my relationship to it.

Patterns based on nature are the subjects of my drawings. They take the beauty of nature and make it even more "beautiful" by forcing the elements into a predesigned structure. Nature in its true state is outside of our control, but nature as decoration is fully within it. Patterns are comforting—reminders of wallpaper and upholstery at home and favorite pieces of clothing. But they are mass produced, and lack originality and thus aura. In my drawings I depict this mutation of nature to decoration through layering. Each layer of the image represents a different level of decoration. The more extreme layers of decoration I create with hand stitching, cut-outs and collage. The sewn elements forge a relationship with the drawing by continued use of line, but also engage with the traditions of "women's decorative work" such as embroidery and quilting. The cut-outs and collages remove the representation of volume from the image and focus on flat shape. They are significantly more aggressive layers as they displace or block portions of the original image. My inclusion of any of these processes force the viewer's awareness onto my influence on—and control over—the image. It is no longer just an image of nature, but now an image of nature adjusted by me.

While the added layers create decoration, the base of the image emulates the uncontrollable nature of organic objects. I achieve this by highlighting the impermanence of the leaves and driftwood I represent. These organisms are full of life and growth, but they decay over time. My materials replicate this fragility. Graphite, charcoal, watercolor and ink all appear solid from a distance, but become dust and translucent color on close inspection. While the colors and forms may seem bold from one viewpoint, there's also a softness and delicacy at the core of the image. So while I do violence to nature with "decoration," I try to let nature reclaim its province with my choice of materials. I thus find the ability to perform both assertiveness and receptivity in my drawings. And in so doing, I work through conflicting ideas about what a woman is and "should" be.

bio

born: 1985, Ohio

education

University of Washington, MFA: Drawing and Painting, 2009
Boston University, BFA: Painting, 2007
Boston University, BA: Art History, 2007

selected solo or two-person exhibits

Tinnin Fine Arts Center, Haley Farthing, Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 2015
Davis and Cline Gallery, Out of the Woods, Ashland, Oregon, 2011
Fetherston Gallery, Haley Farthing: New Works, Seattle, Washington, 2009

selected group shows

Foundry Art Center, Contemporary Women Artists XVII: Reimagining Femmage, St. Charles, Missouri, 2015
Southern Illinois University Museum, Combined Faculty Show, Carbondale, Illinois, 2013
Fetherston Gallery, Gallery Artists Group Show, Seattle, Washington, 2012
Center on Contemporary Art, East/West 2009: Emerging Artist Exchange, Seattle, Washington, 2009