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From the Archives
STATE FAIR ANNOUNCES 2007 CALIFORNIA FINE ART AWARD WINNERS Award-winning artworks to be exhibited at the State Fair
In the Detail
Pen-and-ink artist layers thousands of strokes
As seen in The Times-Standard, September 29, 2006
Through the unique drawing style known as “rapidography,” local artist Kay Harden is capturing nature’s grace and elegance with intricate detail.
Harden’s distinctive style, perfected after many years as a working artist, is a layering of hundreds of thousands of tiny pen strokes, producing a rich blend of textures that create a one-of-a-kind effect.
Harden uses Rapidograph pens and a full palette of acrylic inks. From a distance, a piece might appear to be a grove of trees, but when the viewer steps closer the individual lines of the process become evident.
Often inspired by her travels and the out-of-doors, Harden’s work intricately details the magnificence of nature. Never without her camera, she often captures elusive scenes that inevitably change over time.
“I just go to places, find what appeals to me, and recreate what I have seen,” Harden said. “When I find my subject, I rebuild or reinterpret it from the ground up. I have a fascination with breaking things down into their smallest parts.”
Evident within each piece of work, whether the focus is a herd of cattle or a grove of trees, Harden translates her vision of the environment into the details of each piece.