Observations

Cortney Herron’s latest body of work explores identity as a frequency — something continually transmitted, interpreted, and recalibrated in relation to one’s surroundings. Her figures appear as beings in disguise, with elongated fingers, gloves, veils, masks, and animal forms functioning as tools for translation between the internal self and the external world. Recurring feline imagery shifts from companion or guardian to camouflage, blurring the boundaries between figure and disguise while reflecting the subtle adaptations required to navigate spaces in which one may feel misunderstood or othered.

At the center of the series is an exploration of energy and the invisible exchanges that occur between individuals. Herron considers the tension between what can be controlled or concealed and what is inevitably communicated through presence, perception, and connection. Her figures appear to move between possible versions of themselves, shifting in response to how they are perceived. Through this evolving visual language, Herron examines adaptation as a form of endurance, revealing the complex ways identity is preserved, transformed, and expressed.

In the artist's words:

"A figure looks out through a screen of leaves, fully present in the act of watching rather than hidden from it. The disguise is still doing its work, blending her into the environment so completely that the jungle itself seems to be looking back, but the gaze here is active, not evasive. This is the cat's version of attention: still, unbothered, taking in everything while giving almost nothing away. Observations is what it looks like to camouflage yourself not to escape the world, but to study it more closely."