"Human Nature" Opening!

33 pieces of art. Hundreds of hours of work, ranging from a few hours to 50 hours of work per piece. Small watercolors, hand-cut paper, layered cut paper over drawings, pencil drawings and black and white charcoal drawings on toned paper. The human figure. Leaves, branches, buds, shadows, images curving around the form on skin. Dense leaves and branches are seen in the shadows of a face. Eyes, arms, hairs, wrinkles, freckles, pores. This is the culmination of years of art in my current solo show called "Human Nature."

Friday, January 30th was the artist lecture and opening reception. It was a day I had been working toward for many months. It started at 3:45am, to be at the exhibit by 4:30am, to be on the news several times for the 5am and 6am shows. Then home to practice my artist talk one last time. Then back to the college, then talk for 45 minutes with large images projected behind me, in front of a full room of students, teachers, and others, then 20 minutes or so of questions and answers. Then home to relax a bit. Then change and back to the college, Gulf Coast State College, to the Amelia Center Main Gallery (a really beautiful gallery space, by the way) for my opening reception.

And at the risk of sounding too proud: it was a hit. The gallery was full the entire reception. The words "thank you!" poured out of my mouth so much the words seemed to pale in comparison to my gratitude. My gratitude was for people just showing up, for the compliments on my art, and for the recognition of all my hard work.

I'm humbled.

I'm grateful.

Seeing most of my recent works up on the clean gallery walls is satisfying. It's not often you get to see a giant room full of the results of hundreds of hours of work. I like to see the works next to each other, across from each other, and how they interact and build off of one another.

It also makes me feel a bit vulnerable. Any time you put a piece of art on the wall it can make you feel vulnerable. You've put your heart, soul, intellect, philosophies, years of experience and learning, and many hours of work into a piece of art. It's a piece of you, up on the wall, for anybody to see and judge. And a solo show is a full room of that.

I am so completely honored that I was asked to have this solo show at the Amelia Center Gallery. I have seen so many amazing works of art there from accomplished artists, national as well as international, and I am beyond honored to have my art hang on the same walls.

My sincerest thanks to all who came, all who have shared the exhibit with others, all who are buying art, and to all who have been supportive of my artistic endeavors over the years.

The exhibit is up until February 19th. The gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 10am-4pm, or by appointment.

Now for some photos!

A quick snap of the crowd gathering before my artist talk:

People shots during the opening reception:

When I realized a lot of the models for my art in the exhibit would be at the opening, I made it my goal to get photos with all of them and the art of them:

Then a couple buyers who I borrowed art from wanted in on the fun!

And I caught Carrie doing this right next to the newest drawing of her:

Near the end of the opening, and the end of a very long day for me, I started the trend of sitting on the floor.

 Thanks for visiting my blog!

-Heather

Backyard Love and Native VI

Right now I'm sitting on the porch of my art studio in my backyard. I'm in the cool breeze of the morning on a surprisingly not-humid day in Florida in August.  I hear cicadas and the sound of the leaves rustling against one another in the subtle wind.  Every now and then I hear a quick scuttle and then catch a glimpse of a tiny young lizard, quickly hopping or running, but scurrying so fast you can't possibly see the movement of his legs.

The long grass blades arch and bend to caress against one another.  Young bamboo shoots reach up sporadically and slightly branch out their long and graceful leaves.  Shadows of the rustling foliage dance on the ground.

Half of this euphoric experience is because of our decision not to interfere with the nature of our yard.  Really, it's only our yard legally, but much like the Native Americans and many other indigenous people, we don't believe in ownership of the land and the plants and animals that inhabit it.  But, we'll take the legal ownership if it means we can protect the plants.  I know how this may sound, if you're not used to this perspective.  But after just a few years here, this mini ecosystem has begun to flourish.  Some may consider it "unkempt" but we consider it natural and beautiful.  We have a neighbor a couple blocks away who raises bees.  He says he can watch them head straight for our yard, and is glad they have such a nourishing place to go to.  Butterflies, lizards, and birds, too, are drawn to the habitat we have let grow that houses so much more life than a trimmed and mowed lawn, which has roughly the biodiversity of a desert.

I heard a true story of an old man who lived most of his life on a few acres of young, beautiful forest.  He had new neighbors who moved in and worked many hours on the weekends to mow and landscape their yard.  Then when visiting their new neighbor they were taken aback by the beauty of his property and complimented him on it.  "Wow, you have such a gorgeous yard, how do you do it?"  they asked.  He said, "Don't mow for fifty years and it will become a forest."

We're pretty sure the plants know how to grow on their own, so we just let them.

So while many of our neighbors may assume we're just lazy, given some more years, our yard will become more and more appealing even to them.

Our little patch of backyard.

Aaaaaand that brings me to my latest drawing, "Native VI."  I drew from the grass in our yard for the shadows on her back.  The reference photos were even taken in our backyard.  So really, I guess this piece is also about my own personal experience letting the natural world grow and interact with me.  I even modeled for this one myself, as well as my previous drawing, "Growth II."

"Native VI" graphite, 22"x28", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Native VI" (detail) graphite, 22"x28", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Native VI" (detail) graphite, 22"x28", by Heather Clements, 2014.

Here are two different versions of this drawing blended with the reference photo.

Inspiration Source #26:  Swoon.   Swoon is a street artist who specializes in life-size wheat paste prints and paper cutouts of human figures.  She is among my favorite street artists and you should check out some of her beautiful work here, and follow her on Instagram!

So many thank you's for taking a gander at my blog.

-Heather

Patterns and Fractals in Nature in "Growth II"

Trees.  Blood Vessels.  What these (and many other things in nature) have in common is they are fractal-like patterns.  There's mathematic equations involved that explain and predict the formation of branches, veins, crystals, river networks, and more.  It's a pattern found in so many living and non-living formations.  [Click these links to read more about fractals and patterns in nature.] I think these patterns are fascinating and beautiful and can illustrate just how inseparable we are from the rest of the natural world.  

"Growth II" pencil, 22"x28",  by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Growth II" (detail) pencil, 22"x28",  by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Growth II" (detail) pencil, 22"x28",  by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Growth II" (detail) pencil, 22"x28",  by Heather Clements, 2014.

My latest drawing represents this pattern connection between tree branching and our own blood vessels.  From the bottom, it definitely feels like a tree, perhaps a tattoo on the skin, but as it follows her form up her arms they begin more to resemble veins, and as they grow up the hands and into the fingers, they begin to sprout new life from her finger tips.

"Growth II" is for sale for $825.  Contact me if you're interested (and payment plans are an option!)

Here is another drawing blended with the reference photo, for fun.

And this Flipogram video briefly illustrates a bit of the process:

Thank you for your time spent here on my blog.

-Heather 

Growth

Lines drawn on the skin follow the curves of form.  As they rise, they begin to lift off the skin into reality.  Has she caused this growth?  Have her drawings sprouted to life?  Whatever the reason for this coming-to-life, she seems to be enjoying it, elated by it.

Perhaps this piece is even more personal.  The drawings of the plants are literally coming to life.  Perhaps it is my hopes for the best outcome of my art.  For my art to inspire the conservation of nature, or planting new life, even in the smallest bits, would be reaching the pinnacle of my ambitions.  

Part of me feels like it's egotistical to even dream of such things.  But really, if I weren't trying to make a difference, (however small that may be) then why create art?

Here she is, "Growth."

"Growth" chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Growth" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Growth" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Growth" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

For some reason, two of the images above appear more yellowed than they are, once I uploaded them into blogger.  So, sorry about that.

Here is another one of my reference photos blended next to the drawing:

"Growth" is for sale for $975.  Payment plans with no interest or fees are very doable.  

Green Tip # 25: Butterfly Beauty.  Learn a bit about the importance of butterflies to our environment, and ways to help encourage them in your yard.

Thank you so much for reading my blog!

-Heather

"Native V" and the Studio Process Video

Cast finger shadows grow a life of their own in the form of tree branches, reaching across a woman's shoulder and back.  And she's diggin' it.

Perhaps there are tree branches that we cannot see, that are extending from her finger tips.  We cannot see them, but we can see their shadows.  We cannot see them, but we can see the evidence of their existence.  We cannot see them, but we feel their presence and their connection to her body.  They become a part of her.  Just as our shadows cast our form, the branching shadows cast her interconnectivity and oneness with the natural world.

Here she is, "Native V."

"Native V" chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Native V" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Native V" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Native V" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

Again, I created a blend of the original reference photo with my drawing, just for fun.

"Native V" (photo blend), by Heather Clements, 2014.

For $635, "Native V" could be yours and live in your home.  Contact me if you're interested.

If you haven't seen it yet, I'm SUPER excited about this professional video that was created in my studio.  Evan Lanier of Theory Y Design created this beautifully shot glimpse into my process, thoughts, and studio atmosphere.  I'm working on the piece above in this video.  Watch it!

Inspiration Source #25: Embroidered Stop Motion Animation.  Really.  It's animated from 3,000 hand-drawn frames, 250 square meters of denim, 12 million stitches, 40 days of animation, 1,800 hours of digitizing, 3,500 hours of embroidering, and 500 hours of capturing.  And it's a story about mad science.  It's pretty much the most wicked thing you'll see in a long time.

Thank you for reading/looking/watching/visiting!

-Heather

Identity II

Here is my latest drawing, "Identity II."  She is 18"x24" created with chalk and charcoal.  You may remember my drawing, "Identity" which had a young girl (my step-daughter, actually) and among the shadow pattern on her form there were leaves and branches.  In this new piece I am further exploring a similar visual concept.  In this one there is more of a direct juxtaposition between the human form and the natural form of the tree.  The trunk compares with the torso, the branches and leaves with arms and hair.  The branching out pattern of trees is also so similar to our circulatory system.

She is for sale for $475.  Payment plans with no interest or fees are available.  Contact me if you're interested.

"Identity II" chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Identity II" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Identity II" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

Here are a few images of the work in progress:

 

Thank you so much for the visit!



-Heather

Concepts and Benefits of Art in Series

Several times I have created work in a clear series.  For example, I had "Ecocide I" through "Ecocide VI" and "Embrace I" through "Embrace III."  Working in a series helps me to explore a very specific theme or idea in multiple pieces.  I also think it helps the viewer to further understand the concept.  Once they see that three or more pieces share the same title, they begin to think, "What do these all have in common?"  And that question alone can make someone re-examine the visual aspects that I was exploring, and the possible meaning behind them.

In my most recent "Native" series, I'm exploring the shadows created by plants cast on the human form.  The original plant itself is not pictured, but it's presence is alive and clear simply by the shadows it has cast.  The shadows are imprinted on the women's skin, following the curves of their form, and creating one image together.  Human and nature.  Body and plant.  Our natural world is where we come from and constantly has its impact on us.

My latest piece, "Native IV" features the shadows of pine needles instead of the branches of the previous ones.  Here she is!

"Native IV" chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Native IV" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Native IV" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

"Native IV" (detail) chalk and charcoal, 18"x24", by Heather Clements, 2014.

*Update: This piece is now SOLD.*  Thanks so much!

 And here are all 4 of the "Natives" together:

"Native" Series by Heather Clements, 2014.

Inspiration Source #24:  Finding Yourself in the Dance (and other arts.)  This short video features three amazing street dancers, showing their moves and talking about the nature of dance.  They make discoveries with their bodies and their minds follow.  Almost everything of what they say can be applied to any art form.  Be sure to make it to 3:42, when they really get into the concepts of fun, learning, improvisation, and the amazing benefits of dance (and all art forms.)

On a personal note, many of you may know how in my free time I have fallen in love with hoop dancing.  I have always loved to dance, but never before I have I become so immersed in it, using my body as my medium.  I have found that so many lessons I have learned through art, apply fully to dance.  Lessons of open-mindedness for learning, practice, improvisation, practice, inspiration from others without imitation, practice, finding my own voice, practice, and going in full force, giving it my everything.  The more you give, the more you get, right?


As always, I super appreciate that you have come to my little blog land to read my thoughts and see my art.  Thank you!

-Heather