Mr. Forager and I are spending this week celebrating Thanksgiving, so I decided to show my thanks to this month’s Featured Artist by re-running a few of her previous posts!  This feature first ran in November 2011. Enjoy!

Many artists will paint multiple paintings on the same canvas, one on top of the other.  But while most are painting over work that they’ve tired of or that was unsatisfactory, Vancouver artist M.A. Tateishi, layers her paintings in order to later reveal what is hidden underneath.

In her Excavations series, she layers 10 to 20 underpaintings onto her panel, then begins her process of excavation to reveal the varied surfaces underneath.  A final coat of resin seals the surface and enhances the visual depth of each work.

To me, there is something really beautiful and moving about work that utilizes this process of selective revelation.  After the artist has created a visual history, to then go back and unearth those hidden gems must be a bit like the excitement of opening gifts on Christmas mornings.  Oh, what treasures may be found!  What happy surprises lurk just beneath the surface!

M.A.’s Transparency Series offers an even more fluid experience of each work’s visual history, as each layer is transparent and clearly visible in the finished work, as well as the underlayer of the wood panel, adding a wonderful organic texture against the pops of bright color.

M.A. once told me that she often feels like a piece isn’t complete without a little touch of pink.  This is an artist that definitely embraces the power of pink and isn’t afraid to unearth what is hidden.

To see more of M.A.’s revealing work, check out her website and Facebook page.  If you happen to be in the Vancouver, BC area, MA Tateishi will be participating in the Eastside Culture Crawl this weekend.  See her website for more details!

Featured image is Thrush Song, mixed media on panel, 36×36.  All images are via that artist’s website.