Art & Critique » Heather Horton

Heather Horton: Still Life

elijah — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:24:12 +0000

The still life pieces allow to make a more round evaluation of the artist’s style. They are less dramatic; they are calmer. The inherent stillness brings in an air of objectivity and provides a respite from the intensity of human figure. The often unusual viewing angles, which may seem unnerving and disquieting at the first glance, do precisely the opposite: because the view from above captures maximum detail, they reduce uncertainty, hiding less, and relax. The combined profile and en face depiction of the garlic (ironically reminiscent of police bringing photographs), for instance, repeats the portrait trend, but exerts an opposite effect, as the viewer is being reminded that a garlic is a garlic is garlic, from any perspective.

The light and the air (made almost palpable by the broken color technique) added density and depth to the models in the portraits; here they infuse the subjects, letting them breathe, and “open them up” in way, similar to the term oenophiles use. This is exactly what ingredients need: the air carries their aroma while light shapes their familiar form — the viewer is being reminded of the subjects’ role as food. The artist conditioned the audience to respond seriously to her portraits (via a collection of psychological impressions); it appears that here she tries to veer the discourse into a lighter direction. It makes sense, because portraying smiling and joyous people, for example, wouldn’t have done the trick; but a shift to a different genre would, and to my mind it does.

I like the solid and confident compositions. Perhaps even overconfident: it’s as if the brush compensates for the intense effort of painting layers upon compositional layers by lavishing all the hard-won experience upon a simpler theme, just to feel easy and light. As a result, I get the impression that the subjects are being toyed with, maybe even slightly ridiculed. The artist paints the meat and the vegetables as a chef would handle them. And both know where they would eventually end up. And we know, too.

In other words, the still life may act as a valve that lets out the steam of the mental strain resulting from an imaginary exchange between the viewer and the people on the portraits. For some it may appear as a comic break, for others a different kind of diversion. Either way, the artist’s venture into the genre could be read (once again) as the will to take responsibility for the entire creative output — the ensuing versatility putting the final embellishing stroke.

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Heather Horton: Bathroom Reflections

elijah — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:37:36 +0000

I believe that a painter’s readiness to step beyond the generally conventional subject matter into revealing and intimate themes marks her as a daring artist willing to take serious risks. But not only: in such cases art transcends to a medium of protest, of defiance, of radical and even desperate statements that wish to change, shock, and shake things — and no less significant is the sense that the artist is willing to take responsibility for the consequences, whatever they may be. In other words, it is often the artist’s will to sacrifice which distinguishes her as “important.” And in today’s art scene it may not be easy to recognize a true sacrifice.

What makes it easy in Heather Horton’s case is the consistency and continuous scrutiny of similar themes with increasingly complicated and changing conditions. She makes her own path; it winds between splashing femininity and aloof introspection, and moves forward with quiet but forceful independence. Her portrait scenes challenge the audience, saying “I’m here — and you may watch me” but then they also defy it, adding “I will continue to be here, whether you watch me or not.” I tend to regard this slightly irreverent, openly self-centered attitude as a sign of a consummate artistic credo that has experiences to share and deserves to be listened to — or to be watched.

Although the people portrayed on these pieces are engaged in the process of cleaning, the symbolical hidden motif of cleansing soon overpowers the former. The creative act of painterly recording followed by the artistic act of exposure of the final result — the painting — induces the transition to spiritual (not necessarily religious) and allegorical spheres. This is, in a way, a private sanctification. It is interesting to observe (perhaps not without some voyeurism) the individual struggle in the process: the plastic curtain and the water in the tub serve as the last, transparent, and seemingly dissolving screen between the beholder and the depicted persona, who anguishes over the dissolving. The compositional device of separating the viewer from the model exerts a stealthy dramatic effect.

Despite the struggle, the intention of the model (or the artist, or both) is made evident by that same screen — its lucidity implies the desire to appear before the audience in a spiritually transparent manner, as if with a naked soul. We are gently reminded of the sacrifice, and at this moment begin to empathize — it was, after all, offered up for the audience’s sake and on its behalf. It is difficult to pinpoint whether the artist redefines the ritual of baptism and absorbs it on her own terms, or subverts (especially in the inverted bathtub piece) the sacred element with the purpose of focusing on the mundane as the real alternative. Either interpretation has its merits and is hard to ignore… The sacrifice, however, may be rejected — but this is one of the risks the artist was willing to take.

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Heather Horton: Portraits

elijah — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:00:49 +0000

Heather Horton is a Canadian figurative artist painting mostly portraiture and still life. She is represented by the Abbozzo Gallery, the Loch Gallery and the Kurbatoff Art Gallery and many of her sold and available paintings and illustrations are on display on her website. Today’s review is dedicated to the artist’s portraits.

The artist utilizes portraiture to construct an effective and flexible tool of psychological analysis. Three major trends, which may also be viewed as distinct stages in each particular analysis, emerge as the tool’s core components: profile, en face and close-up portrayals. In some cases the latter conjoins with the other two as a formal auxiliary element, bringing the model farther from or closer to the viewer but, it assumes an independent role, not dissimilar to that of a sub-genre, when radically foregrounded. Combined, these categories constitute a conceptual blueprint — an artistic framework with the outspoken purpose of variety and the underlying purpose of systematic psychological excavation.

The endeavor to create a phased, relatively three dimensional replica of a model reflects the desire to present her or him as a nuanced and complex human being. Interestingly, more often than not, a single model would enjoy only one of the stages. It doesn’t matter: the artist’s method should be seen as a grand scheme for tapping into the human condition as a whole rather than into a particular individual psyche. I think it is up to the audience and other artists to decide whether this method has a universal value — but it’s individual worth for the artist is unquestionable, as the portraits consistently display a spectrum of mental and emotional experiences, from ironic self-awareness to quiet and timid introspection, from embarrassed self-consciousness to spontaneous expressions of joy.

Settings and accessories play an important part in adding psychological bulk to viewer’s mental image of the depicted, particularly because many of the portraits, and especially the self portraits, appear to be carefully staged. The artist’s choice of subject matter in this sphere leads me to conclude that her models concern themselves with transitions. For instance, the bed as a place of transition from the state of waking to the state of sleep — or from life to death in a more generalized interpretation (which I prefer). The wedding dress may symbolize a transition from loneliness (or solitude) to a communal form of living, from hiding to sharing, and so on. It’s easy to see that these common to all mankind themes resonate with that “grand scheme” mentioned above.

Although it may seem that the craft itself becomes a secondary element for a portrayal of human experiences, it is in fact the carrier, or the host that indeed fosters the artist’s conceptions into actual realization. To my mind, the artist possesses both the vision and the means to express it — and it is these qualities together that make her portraits such deeply telling images.

Art & Critique » Heather Horton

Heather Horton: Still Life

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Heather Horton: Bathroom Reflections

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Heather Horton: Portraits

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