Solitude

About Solitude

Simply gorgeous! Two canoe-shaped vessels appear to traverse the canvas in this recent series of enigmatic works by Heather Allen Hietala. The natural earthy colour palette of her acrylic and mixed media composition is accented by broad vertical bands of a wash of sky blue. For Hietala the vessel represents life’s journey; the open space—a window for the soul. The textured netting on the canvas is from onion bags saved by the artist’s sister. The paper that creates a 3-D effect for the vessels is salvaged from her grandmother’s collection of watercolours and life drawings. Elegant inscriptions reveal the artist’s thoughts. This series was created as an homage to Hietala’s parents.

“We are all on a journey and one day we will go somewhere we have never been.” Heather A. Hietala

She studied painting and sculpture at the University of New Hampshire and textiles at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Hietala furthered her studies at Penland School of Crafts, Haystack, and Arrowmont in the US. Her work has been shown in Canada, the US, France and Singapore, and is held in collections worldwide. She has also taught and lectured in the US, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Nepal.