Janet Heekin

My paintings explore the subject of landscapes that blend elements of representation with the abstract. These landscapes are often about my daily observations and the feelings they evoke in me. I am attracted to repeating patterns in nature, such as the fractal patterns in a leaf, rippling water, and rock formations. I strive to portray the beauty in every landscape, no matter how mundane, infusing it with a sense that there is a reason for everything.  I am also drawn to things that are hidden or not easily visible to the eye. This drives me to replicate these enduring patterns of nature in paintings through the process of creating, uncovering and exploring what lies beneath the surface.

I work with mixed media on canvas using acrylics, spray paint, sand, and water to create a baseline layer. At this point I may infuse the layer with images that represent a landscape and have symbolic meaning for me. From there I build successive layers by removing parts and working over them. Each layer is a painting in itself. Working on several canvases at a time, I put them aside; and later when I come back to them, I use water and various tools to scrape and scratch away the top layers. This technique, known as pentimento, is used in restoration work to remove the top layer of paint to expose possible underlying images. It also refers to a painting or drawing that has been painted over and shows through the surface layer. This process of painting satisfies my urge to create by building layers and the urge to uncover through excavation. The canvas is always in the process of becoming a painting yet there remains the possibility for other paintings to come about or remain hidden as I choose.