Expressionist Figurative Acrylic Paintings by Heidi Keyes

Heidi Keyes (Artist)
Figurative Watercolors

About the Artist
In my past life as an artist, I was caught up in the excruciating details. I insisted on perfection; I obsessed over the unrealistic notion of how I was convinced things should be. I found that over time, this caused a loss of creativity. Art became hard. I have always loved blind contour drawing, and one day, in a fit of frustration, I began to draw wildly with a paintbrush, with an emphasis on technique rather than end result. I was pleased and surprised at the level of sophistication achieved through the use of simplistic lines and connected forms. The figures I created were uncertain, unsure, and often pensive, but my lines were confident and bold.

While I do still work realistically at times, I now prefer to experiment with exaggeration of form and the superfluity of line. I generally depict various stages and situations of the human figure in my work. These images are selected to express the incompleteness of humanity, a continuous search for truer answers. I look to the moment when one finds oneself on the precipice of a life-altering decision, reluctant to continue, but too far gone to turn back– the past and the future expressed in a single brushstroke of delicious uncertainty. I use washes to achieve this effect of impermanence, and allow them to drip freely down the canvas, embracing spontaneity in my work, as in my life.

I have always been captivated by adventure and experienced a certain degree of wanderlust, so after college I became a flight attendant for an international charter company. My profession has allowed me to experience different cities and cultures throughout the world, and as a result, I began painting landscapes as well as the human figure. I believe my sense of adventure and my free spirit is captivated in the paintings that I create. The way I look at painting is the way I view my life– nothing is ever certain, and often the best results come from mistakes.

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Article by James Day

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