Heather Heitzenrater
We are thrilled to share the work of Heather Heitzenrater! She magically captures light and reflection with paint, creating figures in a reflective space, reminiscent of a fun house mirror, studying mylar reflections. These spaces transport the viewed to an imaginary world, invoking nostalgia and nodding to the future. We hope you enjoy her work as much as we do!
Pennsylvania native Heather Heitzenrater received her BFA in painting and drawing from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2015. Her work has been shown in Erie Art Museum, Boxheart Gallery, Baton Rouge Gallery and other galleries across the country. She has been published in Poet Artist Magazine, Pikchur Magazine and featured on Buzzfeed, Minus 37, and Booooooom. Along with showing her work, Heather teaches art workshops at Pittsburgh Center of the Arts and is a Scenic Artists at ScareHouse. Heather and her husband, Christopher Boring, share a space at the Radiant Hall Susquehanna location. Heather lives and works in Pittsburgh with her husband and their two cats.
Heather gives more information about her inspiration and process:
I have always enjoyed science fiction and fantasy novels; what fascinated me the most involved the characters’ traveling to faraway lands, much different than our own. These portals left me completely spellbound, and I would imagine myself stumbling upon one, awaiting the wonders on the other side. I wanted to find a world that beckoned us in with its allure of mystery and enchantment.
My current series, Thresholds, incorporates the figure with reflective Mylar. Its silver, liquid-like surface forms abnormal shapes and catches magnificent colors from its surroundings. Reflections contort images in ways that makes us see things differently. It creates abstract images in real life by twisting and bending to the point where objects and places are intangible. I use these reflections to create a world full of chaos and curiosity. The Mylar acts as the portal that ties the real world to the unknown. It pulls the figure into this thin space between worlds. Sometimes, the Mylar wraps itself around the figure as if it has arms or as if the figure disintegrates into the portal. Each figure reacts to this action in a diverse and unique way; fear, anger, intrigue, confusion, or sometimes nostalgia of a time long ago. I plan on continuing my exploration with Mylar to see what other worlds it will transport me to.
Find Heather online at www.heatherheitzenrater.com and on Instagram
Originally published 10/25/2019
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