Featured Artist Cena Hoban

Cena Hoban presents a colorful portfolio of joyful abstract paintings inspired by positive spirituality. Visit her website to view more of her work.

 

 

I am a mixed media artist with a background in teaching, spirituality, and counseling. Although not formally trained in art, I have always been interested in color, paper, paint, art supplies, and design, with a big emphasis on color.

 

 

As a child I remember gathering (well, hoarding really) different bits of paper to make booklets to use as image journals. These journals became a place I could paste cutout images from magazines (in only my favorite colors). I considered these journals a visual feast.

 

 

Color to me is especially sacred and spiritual. All you need to do is step outside and see all of the fantastic colors created in nature. Nature has been my primary source of inspiration for color, line, and composition.

 

 

No matter the time I spend in nature, I am always beckoned to photograph color and image together in unusual ways. My nephew refers to these as Cena pics. I regularly use these pictures as inspiration when creating works in mixed media and collage.

 

 

I became more interested in collage during the pandemic. I began making small collages using my own hand painted paper. This became a regular exercise I would often do during the fifteen minute breaks in between seeing my teenaged clients in therapy.

 

 

Art resides and radiates in those liminal spaces in between. Creating small works of collage held a space for healing which led to further exploration and larger works. And I love the visceral feel of paper. I love placing it carefully or sometimes spontaneously, in ways that enhance the mystery of the ineffable stirrings of the soul.

 

 

In each piece created in the past three years, I have always incorporated a message of loving kindness using asemic writing (unreadable text and image). These messages included loving words and sentences such as: May you be loving and loved. May you be safe from inner and outer harm. May you dwell in peace and ease. These messages really help me to connect to the piece and potential owner, whether I know them or not.

 

 

My goal for whoever views my art is that they connect with the shapes, lines, and colors in such a way that they will be inspired and relate to a story within their own heart.

 

Cena Hoban invites you to follow on Facebook and Instagram.

 

 

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