Heidi Howard
New York, NY
ARTIST STATEMENT
I paint portraits of close friends.
Traditionally, a figure is depicted in a landscape or a room and the space in
the image is created by the illusion of light falling on the figure and in the
rest of this setting. My paintings do not rely on creating an illusion of light
to conjure a figure. Because my marks do not aggregate to form an illusion of
light, they are more evident. They make the process by which the painting is
made transparent. The viewer can more easily see the marks come together to
form the final image. This evidence of the passage of time, and the process of
creation, is an invitation to share my experience. The structure of each
painting is based on the color feelings, style, and images inherent to the
sitter. Through this approach each sitter is reflected not only in an outward
likeness, but also via the paint application. The occasion of painting a
particular person, for me, is an occasion to create a new abstract space. I
also encourage the viewer to engage with my subjects through close observation
of the paintings and/or by googling the paintings’ titles on the Internet.
Recently my portrait projects have expanded to a 40 foot high by 100 foot long
wall painting/ collaborative sound installation and directing an interactive
performance.
BIO
Heidi Howard was born, raised in Queens, NY and has been painting portraits since 2008. The structure of each painting is based on the color feelings, style, and images inherent to the sitter. Through this approach each sitter is reflected not only in an outward likeness, but also via the paint application. The occasion of painting a particular person is, for Howard, an occasion to create a new abstract space. Howard also encourages the viewer to engage with her subjects through close observation of the paintings and/or by googling the paintings’ titles on the Internet. Howard has exhibited at diverse venues across the world including The Queens Museum, Queens, NY(2018-20), Gaa Gallery, Provincetown, MA and Cologne, Germany (2019, 2018, 2017), W139, Amsterdam, NL (2018),The Hunterdon Museum of Art, Clinton, NJ (2017), Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York, NY (2017, 2016, 2015), James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY (2016). Howard has participated in numerous residencies including the Rauschenberg Residency (2020), Carrizozo AIR (2019), Palazzo Monti (2018), Byrdcliffe (2014). Howard teaches in New York at CUNY Hunter and Columbia University. This semester Howard shares the AIR position with Esteban Cabeza de Baca at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where they will be starting the podcast Life is Collaborative.