Heather Wright

“I would like viewers to connect emotionally with the art. Possibly a time they were frustrated or upset, reflecting on the facial expression it represents.

I love the performing arts and being able to express myself in drama and dance. Since I was young I have always pulled silly faces in photos, and this inspired the reference photos for my paintings. Personally this work has closed the gap for me between physical performance and visual performance. 

Frank Auerbach, Vincent Van Gogh, and Lucian Freud are all inspiring artists. I connect with the way they paint portraits with detail but they still look messy or undefined. 

I am learning to paint without the need for the art to look realistic and instead explore rough painting techniques.

Going into 2020 I refused to paint people or faces in my folio because I believed that I couldn't paint them for if they weren't realistic they aren't good enough. Somehow after a lot of practice I have been able to paint unique expressions and enjoy portraying faces in my paintings."