The Artist
Heather Dawn Batchelor
“Playful yet Restrained”
American painter Heather Dawn Batchelor refers to herself as a Contemporary Expressionist. Her abstract paintings use bold colors and gestures to illustrate her memories and experiences. She fell in love with abstract expressionism in art school the first time she saw a painting by Franz Kline and would soon irritate her instructors by trying to pass off a curved line for a female body and red brush stroke as an apple.
"I am inspired by all painting styles but I am especially inspired by the Abstract Expressionist's freedom and mark making, the Romantic's emphasis on sense and emotion and the Hudson River School's use of luminism."
"When I'm painting I am not trying to represent my current reality,
I want to create - not something new but someplace new, a place where colors and shapes are free to play.
Into these new worlds I infuse my own personal emotions and experiences."
"I am trying to capture a feeling; something unseen by the seen."
In her Linear Series titled “Everyone in a Straight Line, Please” she focuses on using minimal elements to convey maximum message. The series began 2018 when she was trying to sort through her thoughts and emotions while navigating a difficult transition in her life. The title comes from a childhood memory of kindergarten teachers lining up students to move them from one place to another. This series led to her first show at the Saks 5th Ave Gallery in Indianapolis. She states that “line and color are the foundation of all her art - everything is built on these two elements.”
Horses have been a part of Heather’s life since she was young. She grew up on a horse farm, her daughter competed in hunter jumpers and she had an equestrian hand bag company for several years. She now resides in the horse capital of the world. “I can’t get away from horses,” she states “I don’t ride but I love what they represent - gently beauty and fierce strength.” Heather’s Horse Series combines her two favourite elements, line and color, to bring a sense of subtle whimsy to her equestrian paintings.
Her current work is larger, covering more of the canvas and contains elements of action painting and performance art as she videos her painting sessions and post those on social media set to music. You can view her Instagram account with her painting sessions here - @hdb_art.
Heather’s work has been shown and sold in the USA and internationally.
She studied art abroad and at the Herron School of Art.