Heather Kirtland
Heather Kirtland is an artist, author, speaker, and creative instigator. She received her BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art and was a Maryland State Art Council Grant recipient that same year. Her work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and in both Italy and Wales. In addition to her painting practice, Heather teaches encaustic, is a community founder at Carve Out Time for Art (33K), and is the published author of The Motherhood of Art, selected as a 2021 Best New Book on Motherhood by Book Authority. Heather lives just outside of Baltimore with her husband, two children, and their dog.
Artist Statement
My work is a reflection of our state of being. It responds to our need to be seen. Through abstract compositions, I create visual representations of our universal human emotions. Using brushstrokes, drawn lines, layers of paint, and recognizable forms, I show how outside forces surround our inner selves and convey these emotions through paint. I use encaustic, oil, and acrylic paints to build layers, incorporating marks with oil pastels, spray paint, and markers that relay immediacy and intensity. My paintings give you room and a place to express what you cannot in words. In my own experience, I find that it is a struggle to take up space and to be valued when I show up as myself. I create a connection to this collective experience that is at once unique to you and universal to us.
www.heatherkirtland.com
Who and/or what are your influences when you were first starting out vs. now?
When I was first starting, I would say that my influences were Susan Rothenberg, Jane Bartlett, Eric Fischl, and Robert Rauschenberg. I am also an avid reader and find a lot of inspiration in turns of phrases and even words themselves. That has continued through the years of my artistic practice. The amount of art I can be exposed to now is mind-blowing compared to the pre-internet existence of my undergraduate days. Currently, I am always finding new artists and amazing ways they are creating and experimenting with so many mediums.
What is your favorite thing about the materials you use?
I love creating a surface and playing with depth and layers. My work with encaustic greatly influenced this body of work. I wanted to find a way to work that could mimic encaustic and push the surface of my painting a bit more without going into the encaustic studio, which isn’t always convenient. I started playing with cold wax and oil paint, and in the interest of drying time, I turned to combining heavy body medium with acrylics. This allowed me to not only work quickly but also to build up the surface, use collage, and create transparent or opaque moments within the composition.
What would you say is hidden just underneath the surface of your work? Meaning, what are you revealing to your viewers?
I use a recognizable form to represent a persona, and through abstraction, I design situations within the composition to create tension. With this particular series, I am utilizing a sphere. Within these works, the horizon line plays with the idea of dichotomy and perspective. I am exploring how our identity is tied to these themes. What is our vantage point? How have our circumstances shaped our view? How do we see ourselves? The horizon line is a focal point that also divides. Do both the dark and light, above and below exist within us at the same time? I want to bring light to our common experience while focusing on how our identity shapes these views.
Can you tell us about a turning point in your practice? Was there a moment when things started clicking?
The biggest turning point in my practice was when I became a mother. It caused an identity crisis while also affecting my output as an artist. It made me more reflective, and in turn, I came out of it with more clarity about my work. I returned to my practice with confidence and efficiency regarding what I wanted to say.
In honor of our women’s issue, who are three women and/or gender nonconforming artists that inspire you?
I would have to say Ann Carrington; her skill and imagination in creating new objects from found objects and common tools is inspiring. She uses these materials in ways that fascinate me. Danielle Krysa has been a force in introducing me to new artists. She has inspired my artistic journey through her honest dialogue with the artists she interviews. Ann Truitt—I have re-read her journals over and over. We were assigned her Day Book when I was in college. It was one of the first times I had the words of another woman artist to refer to.
