Suffused with pessimistic shadows and redemptive illumination, Canadian pop-surrealist painter
Heather Watts' intricate paintings harness the pageantry of anthropomorphic heroes and martyrs
to tell the story of individuals grappling with forces larger than themselves.
“Some of the pieces for this show are quite dark thematically, but I'm not interested in focusing on the darkness for its own sake in my work, I'm interested in using it to show light, to paint darkness as something that reveals light, to see the darkness as a canvas for light, an opportunity for light to shine,” states the artist.
1. Sun Goddess
2. Wheel of Fortune
3. The Weary Shepherd
4. Self-Portrait
5. Pearls of Wisdom
6. The Protector
7. The Rat King
8. She Sees Things Differently
9. Green Eggs and Ham
10. Goliath
11. Beneath the Surface
12. Insert Coin
13. The War Canoe
14. New Gods
Show Statement:
If I could choose a metaphor for the idea behind this show, it would be that each of us carries a lantern, a source of light, within us. Some of these lanterns are lit. Some are unlit. But when there is light in the world around us these lanterns are indistinguishable. Invisible.
It is only when we are thrown into darkness that most of us realize how all-important these lanterns are—or that they even exist. And it is when we are surrounded by the most terrifying, empty blackness and bleakness that these lanterns shine the brightest. For such is the nature of light.
Small heroes tells the story of individuals grappling with forces larger than themselves and discovering, in the looming shadows of these forces, the light which a single lantern can cast upon the world.
Heather Watts weaves the detailed narratives in her paintings from threads of collective memory and mythology. Her work explores the bittersweet nature of life through the pageantry of anthropomorphic villains and anti-heroes, all rendered with an eye to what they reveal about the realities of our own world. Watts is self-taught in the arts, having learned to paint and create through a trial and error process of obsessive practice. Based out of Vancouver, Canada, she has been a full-time professional artist since 2003. Her paintings have been exhibited and sold in galleries from California to Florida as well as abroad. She is currently working on a new series of paintings to be shown in Los Angeles in April of 2011.
To view more of Heather's work visit www.heatherwatts.com
For limited-edition prints visit Prints
To preview her upcoming show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, April 1 - May 1, 2011
(Artist Reception, Friday, April 1, 8:00-11:00 pm), please visit Show Preview
ISSUE:
S P R I N G
2011
THE NEW
RULES OF
W R I T I N G
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