Heidi Ruth Green ART
Artist biography
Heidi Ruth Green is a contemporary artist from the UK, living in Spain.
She studied Art and Design Foundation at Leicester Polytechnic, then Ceramic Design at Central St Martins, London, graduating in 1994. She has previously worked in ceramics and printmaking. Her main art practice is currently oil painting.
Since moving to Spain, Heidi has found the Pyrenees a great inspiration. People’s relationship with nature is a longstanding theme. Social commentaries have cropped up since her series of Plymouth urban seascapes; her painting ‘From sail to diesel’ was shortlisted for the Artfinder Climate Change Prize, 2019.
Artist statement 2022: new discoveries
"My current oil paintings start with still life and move into the spaces around objects, sometimes taking in interiors, figures, and landscapes. Stories emerge while I am painting them. I like to paint over the top of older canvases, or on a coloured ground, and leave layers showing through. Crossing the line between what I can see and abstraction is interesting, and I am experimenting with using windows, reflections, water, and glass as portals for seeing deeper spaces, abstraction, or fictional elements. I like there to be new discoveries that are only seen after looking for a while. I am inspired by Susan Lichtman’s use of fictional but believable figures. Light, colour, luminosity and spontaneity have been recent interests. I am passionate about nature and connecting with landscapes, especially living close to the Pyrenees. In still lives, I sometimes juxtapose natural and man-made objects or incorporate my own ceramics and Indian textiles.
Artist Blog
Balcony studies and plein air spring 2021
I've got more interested in painting people this year and did several self-portraits and studies of people combined with still life on the balcony. I prefer the outdoor light, compared to indoors, and the advantage is having shelter. I'm interested in Vuillard's interiors with figures that capture the effects of light. The people painted at Lago Barasona ( below) were moving, so involved a more spontaneous process.
Plein air painting 2020/21
Most of my recent work has been plein air painting, where I complete the canvas in one sitting. I love the fresh energy of being in nature while painting. You never know how the scene will change, with passing clouds and rain, so a rapid response is needed. This leads to more energetic spontaneous mark making.
Mountain roads and caminos 2020/21
Mountain roads have now started to feature more strongly in my paintings , increasing my focus on the relationship between people and nature in the Pyrenees. I am working on a collection ' Mountain roads and Caminos' which explores the feelings of walking Caminos and mountain roads. The sense of freedom I feel is well expressed through loose paintings. Colours are soft and natural expressing peace and solitude. Distant monasteries and hermitages on the horizons refer to the pilgrims and the sense of walking in their steps.
'Living by the water'
Online show at Espacio Pirineos, Graus
In the spring and summer of 2019 I was able to paint outside regularly at Lago Barasona ( a reservoir in the pre -Pyrenees, Aragon, Spain). It became my outdoor studio. The water sometimes appears turquoise, and I bought some Schmincke turquoise oil paint especially for this, which mixes well with Schmincke magenta for the distant mountain.
Revisiting and painting the same place often has resulted in a strong emotional connection with the place. It has also resulted in a series that shows the seasonal changes by the reservoir. The paintings were going to be exhibited in a small solo show at Espacio Pirineos, Graus, in April 2020. This community art space is close to the area where the paintings were made.
This exhibition became an online show, which can now be viewed at:
http://espaciopirineos.com/2020/05/26/la-exposicion-viviendo-junto-al-agua-en-linea/
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