Cory Willingham van der Does

Cory Willingham van der Does

At work in the studio...

Welcome!

Houston-based artist Cory Willingham van der Does' website and blog offers images of and insight into her paintings. Many of the paintings, drawings, and prints shown below are for sale unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to email comments or inquiries to CORYJAX@GMAIL.COM. Thanks for your interest!

Featured Post

Painting A Garden!

I was honored to be asked to paint a million irises for the 2016 Houston Garden Club's Bulb and Plant Mart event, which runs October 13...

Wonderfully Made

Wonderfully Made
In 2014, Cory and her husband Nicolas, a glass blower, had a joint exhibit at the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center in North Carolina. Their work focused on the concept of heritage and worth.

Danforth

Danforth
19.5" x 27" Acrylic on canvas; From the 'Wonderfully Made' exhibit, 2014.

Dashwoods

Dashwoods
18"x 18" Acrylic on canvas, 2014. SOLD

Henry

Henry
24" x 48", Acrylic on canvas, 2014.

William

William
11" x 14" Acrylic on canvas, 2014. SOLD

Charlotte

Charlotte
One of the largest of the nest series paintings Cory painted for the 'Wonderfully Made' exhibit in North Carolina in 2014. 48" x 48" Acrylic on canvas; SOLD

The Colonel

The Colonel
8" x 10" Acrylic on canvas; 2014

James

James
8" x 10" Acrylic on canvas, 2014. SOLD

4th and Main

4th and Main
48" x 48", acrylic on canvas, 2011.

After Ike

After Ike
After Ike, oil and acrylic, spackle, and earthen materials on canvas, 72" x 72", 2009 (Private Collection)

F5: Painting the Psychological Impact of Extreme Weather

For my thesis (F5: Painting the Psychological Impact of Extreme Weather) I employ the depiction of extreme weather events such as tornados, hurricanes, and dust storms in a narrative format to move the viewer to the unsettling space that lies between basic instinct and self-awareness. Why and how do we react to such severe and life-threatening storms? These paintings work to define and contain these psychological states within a single moment and shed light on the complexity of human motives and the way we relate to the world around us.

Employing painting techniques such as abstraction, collage, and experimental surface treatments, I explore new possibilities within the narrative tradition. I combine images from sources such as meteorological surveys, psychology textbooks, scientific journals and websites, and personal photographs to create highly textured paintings deeply layered with meaning. By exploiting the unique properties of oils, acrylics, and charcoals, and by embedding within the paint natural materials such as pine needles, rocks, twigs, sand, and moss, and incorporating man-made common household construction materials such as spackle and bead-board panelling, the forms within the compositions and the surface of the paintings become interdependent in the translation of the message.

If you are interested in additional information about this body of work or my thesis, please don't hesitate to email me!




BFA Thesis painting...

BFA Thesis painting...
Dogged, 36" x 48", acrylic, oil, spackle, earthen materials on canvas, 2010.

Dogged (detail)

Dogged (detail)
Thick application of spackle in the foreground of Dogged is used to replicate the chaotic disarray of plywood, lumber, and debris that used to be this man's home before a tornado.

BFA Thesis painting...

BFA Thesis painting...
County Fair, 36" x 48", acrylic, oil, sand on canvas, 2010.

County Fair (detail)

County Fair (detail)
Sand and rocks embedded into the gesso layer of County Fair create a sense of "grit" that comes at you violently in the winds of an approaching summer storm.

BFA Thesis painting...

BFA Thesis painting...
Darrell & Daryl, 24" x 48", acrylic, oil, and sand on wood panel, 2010. SOLD

Darrel & Daryl (detail)

Darrel & Daryl (detail)
These two brothers represent our modern, YouTube-obsessed culture and risk life and limb for the ultimate Kodak moment.

BFA Thesis painting...

BFA Thesis painting...
Almost Home (diptych), 30" x 24" each panel, acrylic and wallpaper on canvas, 2010.

Almost Home (detail)

Almost Home (detail)
Wallpaper embedded beneath the paint is meant to provoke subconscious memories of "home."

BFA Thesis painting...

BFA Thesis painting...
All is Calm, 24" x 48", acrylic, oil, and spackle on wood panel, 2010. SOLD

All is Calm (detail)

All is Calm (detail)
Spackle was applied to my painting surface and then carefully modeled to help build out the billowing advances of the dust storm, as well as the front porch of the vulnerable, quaint home.

BFA Thesis painting...

BFA Thesis painting...
Eunice, 72" x 72", charcoal, acrylic, oil, and earthen materials on canvas, 2010.

Eunice (detail)

Eunice (detail)
Before any paint was applied to the canvas, I worked pine needles, rocks, sand, twigs, and even an unsuspecting ant or two into the gesso to replicate the sort of storm detritus that ends up everywhere after a hurricane.

Eunice (detail)

Eunice (detail)
The surface of Eunice is rich with texture and meaning...

Other weather-related works...

Other weather-related works...
Clearing Up, diptych, acrylic and oil on wood panel, 48" x 48", 2009. SOLD

Ominous

Ominous
"Ominous," 32" x 44", Acrylic on canvas

Chaos

Chaos
Chaos (Lucy I), oil on canvas, 48" x 36", 2008

Isn't Life Grand

Isn't Life Grand
Isn't Life Grand, drypoint, 15" x 22", 2009

FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME

If you have any questions about my paintings or prints, please feel free to contact me at CORYJAX@GMAIL.COM.

From the Billboard series...

From the Billboard series...
Billboard 1, 18" x 24", acrylic on canvas, 2009

The Billboard Series

My billboard series is based on my ongoing interest in urban decay. I am fascinated by billboards that have been stripped of recent advertising only to reveal subsequent layers from days gone by. In a sense, these patchwork signs seem to me a sort of roadside archeology. From a technical aspect, I am also inspired by the challenge of representing torn paper, rusted metal, and curling, weathered edges frequently seen on these signs.

02-1

02-1
02-1, acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24", 2009 (Private Collection)

ESBY...From the Billboard series

ESBY...From the Billboard series
ESBY, 18"x24", acrylic and spackle on canvas, 2009 (SOLD)

14-2

14-2
14-2, acrylic and spackle on canvas, 24" x 36", 2010

Edinburgh

Edinburgh
Edinburgh, acrylic on canvas, 24" x 36", 2009

Monday, May 10, 2010

May 10, 2010: Tornado Outbreak...

I have been watching the news, The Weather Channel, TornadoVideos.Net (my favorite storm chase website), and weather radar today as the worst tornado outbreak in a decade broke out this afternoon across the state of Oklahoma. Having just spent a year studying and painting severe weather, I am, of course, riveted by the stories and images that are streaming in tonight. My congratulations go out to the storm chasers who risked life and limb to deploy scientific instrumentation ("turtles") in the paths of the twisters - your bravery astounds me, and your efforts will greatly improve our knowledge about these storms (and increase our chances of predicting tornados sooner and with greater accuracy). At the same time, my heart goes out the the thousands of people who have suffered loss in the wake of these violent funnels....as of 10:30 PM tonight, there are unconfirmed reports of five deaths in two Oklahoma counties. I think about this past year, as I read so many personal accounts of those who experienced tornados, and how I tried to internalize their experiences as I painted my thesis paintings. But I cannot even begin to imagine what it must REALLY be like....how terrifying....how amazing. I am also reminded of several visitors to my BFA Exhibit who asked me (quite churlishly, I might add) why I "like to paint devastation," as if my chosen subject matter is merely violence and destruction. In actuality, I am merely grabbing for something larger than life. The tornados (and hurricanes and dust storms) I paint have an inherent beauty; they are awesome --in the truest sense of the word. They remind us that there is something much, much larger at work in our natural surroundings. They remind us that our connections with our homes and each other are tenuous. And they remind us to appreciate what we have. Tornados, after all, are living, violent metaphors for the efficient manner in which our lives can change drastically, immediately, and without warning. My prayers go out to those effected by the storms today.

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