Heidi Barnett
Heidi Barnett lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, a location whose gorgeous natural scenery profoundly inspires her work. Descended from a family of artists, the turn towards painting as an outlet for her creative passions followed early and naturally. But it is the innovative techniques that she employs and the emotive expression of her work that captivates audiences. Organic Pointillism, her paintings draw on many influences including those of nineteenth- and twentieth-century artists as diverse as Monet, Seurat, Van Gogh, Klimt, and Pollock. While finding inspiration from her artistic forbearers, her compositions forge a distinctly new path in the art world. Heidi’s work ranges from canvases to expansive murals and can be found in private homes, café’s, galleries, hospitals, and schools. Her murals grace the downtown corridors of Seattle, Washington, and Reno, Nevada, and have received critical acclaim in regional media outlets, both in print and on television. Color represents Heidi’s first and most fundamental inspiration, and her vibrant paintings have earned her a devoted following. Largely self-taught, the past five years represent a time of great experimentation, liberation, and personal growth in terms of her technique and style. Affectionately dubbed the “Q-tip Artist” by her fans, Heidi experiments with palette knives, fingers, and a variety of eclectic tools – including Q-tips – to apply paint to her canvases. Raw, dynamic, and vibrant, her work hints at the fundamentals of Pointillism while pushing the style in new, captivating directions. Unlike Seurat – who approached painting methodically and scientifically, often, at the cost of expressivity and movement – Heidi’s compositions are heady, organic, exuberant, and bursting with raw emotion. Whimsical and dream-like, her subjects appear improvised, as if the onlooker has stumbled upon a secret world of surrealism and symbolism. She describes her work this way: “I am not a fan of straight lines or picture perfect realism, although that has its place in art. I like to take chances, focusing on color – not the object – and breaking up the restriction of lines. Straying from the confines of a paint brush, I have moved on to objects such as pallet knives, forks, my fingers, and Q-tips, which prevent me from getting too tight, too bound. I love the circular shape which I get from various items.” When not experimenting with new painting techniques or working on an expansive mural, Heidi teaches art classes to seniors. “Art is therapeutic. It is life, and I want to help others express their emotions and life stories without worrying about staying in the lines. I will continue to work to share my love of life, color and texture on canvas. It is my passion and my voice in the world.”” |
