Cortney L. Haley

Artist Statement

I am content being called artist. My work is diverse, spanning different mediums including painting, environmental sculpture installations, video, photography, and jewelry design. Each medium presents challenges and opportunities for artistic expansion. I feel no compulsion to limit my work to just one medium. In fact, I am most energized when different mediums blend and influence each other. This is a direct reflection of the way I live in the world, constantly seeing connection, contrast, and color.

Beyond politics, religion, culture, and war you find people – diverse, complex, profound, lovely, distorted people. Some time ago, I realized that making peace in the world isn't really that hard. Each person can make peace in their heart, their home, their community, and thereby their world. The myth of redemptive violence is powerful in our culture. People must decide for themselves whether to follow the myth. Making art is my peaceful action in opposition to the myth of redemptive violence."

Bio

I grew up in rural southeastern Ohio surrounded by the foothills of the Appalachians along the muddy Ohio. The landscapes of my youth influence my work to this day. I have a deep connection to the land and the water and this is evident in my work. I graduated from Ohio University in 2002 with a degree in Interior Architecture and an art minor. I earned my Master of Arts in Religious Communication in 2006. My "day" (and night and weekend) job is as a freelance graphics and web designer and video producer. I am also interested in the intersection between spirituality, science, and art. Most importantly, I am a staunch advocate for peace in the world.