art

I read your letter...

I was thinking about making a different kind of art. Art evokes a response. Even being non-responsive to art is technically a response to it. I was thinking of a chain of letters. The first letter (below) makes a statement. A response to this letter will be made by someone anonymous…maybe you? You can respond with advice, a reflection, a different perspective, a critique or a story. Whatever you are moved to say…say it. Your response will then be responded to by a new anonymous writer. The chain of letters will go on and on until it ends. Your responses become the project and the project is the art. The first letter is here below. The author will remain anonymous. Please email me at cottonwoodcanopy@gmail.com with your response if you have a response to the below letter or if you have a letter you’d like to write to help move things along. I will select the letter that is most interesting to the integrity of the project and publish it on my blog for the next writer to respond to.

Sometimes I feel so completely and utterly ordinary. When having conversations with others I often focus on the fact that I have nothing to say about what they are saying. Is it me? Am I hollow? Or is it them? Perhaps being hollow is my way of being deep? Every “normal” conversation bores me. I want to hear something good! Something juicy, something worth celebrating, something worth crying over, something maddening, something that makes my jaw drop. Something that deserves a hug…or a slap! Tell me something good. Am I allowed to make such demands when I feel I have nothing “good” to say myself. It’s like inside I’m saying “entertain me!” Me. Me. ME. Maybe this will entertain you?

Geometric Series

Evolve II, 2016, Natala Heiser

Evolve II, 2016, Natala Heiser

My inspiration for most of my work comes from nature and modern design.  They each have their own sort of rawness and simplicity yet can be very complex.  Take a tree for example and all it's different parts.  The deep roots in the ground keeping the trunk anchored.  The outstretched branches with fluttering leaves from the wind.  I can hear them.  Have you ever listened to the leaves of a tree as they are blown by the wind? I find it to be one of the most relaxing sounds I've ever heard.  Experiencing nature like this reminds me of how small I am and that mankind is just another fixture on this planet. I like to stay in this place of awe when I can but I'll be honest.  If I've been allowed to get to this blissful state of awe someone in my house is probably drawing on a wall or eating hand lotion out of the bottle!  So I take these moments when they happen and I say to myself "remember this."  

What I love about modern design specifically Mid Century Modern are the lines.  They are clean, crisp, smooth and minimalistic. You know it's good design when it's been around for 60 plus years and hasn't gone out of style. It could be architecture, decor or furniture; there are so many good designs that are being replicated and reproduced because we realize that era got it right!  

My love for nature and for modern design is what brought forth the Geometric Series.

This is my first geometric drawing on reclaimed wood. I took an image of a Cottonwood tree and broke it down to a simple outline then started filling in with individual sections.  What I love about this process is it breaks the image down to a simple almost unrecognizable form and then as I fill it in with more lines it becomes a beautiful rendering. 

After trees I was intrigued and wanted to see what different shapes would look like with these geometric fractles so I tried circles.  After making this drawing below  I knew this series was going to be something special. For the first time in my artistic life I felt truely inspired on a larger scale.    I could see that my work was going to evolve and that this was the beginning of a collection!  

Evolve I, 2016, Natalia Heiser

Evolve I, 2016, Natalia Heiser

I wanted to see these on a larger scale so I made the two pieces below.  They use the same technique but turned out very different.  I was torn on which direction I wanted to go in.  I enjoyed the complexity of the image on the left but also loved the larger scale of the geometric shapes of the piece on the right.  I wanted to explore though and see more segments; more fractles on an even larger scale.

There was something about the repitition and seeing the negative space becoming filled in that made the work more interesting to me.  It was almost mesmorizing. So I decided to take it to the next level and make it bigger and create more movement.  I wanted the viewer to stop and stare as I found my self doing while I made this piece below.

"Stare", 2016, Natalia Heiser

"Stare", 2016, Natalia Heiser

 From here I'm going to explore more ways in which these lines alone are simple but together are becoming chaotic.  I'm also exploring what adding another dimension does to the movement and flow of the sparatic pattern by adding in projections of wood.  Here are a couple samples I've recently done as studies for some larger works I have in mind.  I'll be spending these next few months getting ready for a couple shows this Spring in Seattle.  Follow me on Instagram for some behind the scenes to my process & some sneak peaks!  Thanks for reading!  

THE TREE PRINT GIVE AWAY

I'm so excited to share this give away with you!  This print is going to be available in our shop very soon but you have the opportunity to get one for FREE before anyone else can buy it! I'm a fan of trees and nature (if you couldn't tell by our name). They are a sort of inspiration for me. This drawing is an ink drawing that I made many years ago.  It's been living in my portfolio forever. Each time I come across it I tell myself "you need to frame this one" so I finally did! I love how it looks and hope that you will love it too! The black and white drawing looks amazing with a white matte. I bought this frame at Target, in case you want it, but it would look good with just about any frame finish. The beauty of black and white art or photography is it's versatility to go with any style.  It's  an easy addition to any room or it can be that one piece you plan your space around. I'll talk more about this in an upcoming blog but for now subscribe to the blog (located on the right side of the screen) for a chance to win this print!  I'll be giving away 5 of them so sign up!  I can't wait to see who wins!

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*The give away is for the print only. Frame not included*