Heidi McDowell

1890 Bryant St ( map )

San Francisco

who ♥'s Heidi McDowell (8)

Bio: I paint expansive landscapes which unapologetically celebrate the transformations brought about by time and the elements. My paintings depict a heightened sense of realism using an economy of means. Rough painterly marks suggesting layer upon layer of texture combine with precisely rendered sunlight to define both architectural form and emotional tone. It is this juxtaposition of the specific and the general which leaves space for the viewer’s own experience and memory to flesh out the painting’s narrative.

Subject matter is derived from travels along the California coast and abroad and is informed by a background in architecture. Using digital photographs and video stills as reference I distill my memory of visiting a particular location into a physical re-creation of that site, the process of painting akin the natural process of weathering.

In recent work I have begun to incorporate more evidence of the painting’s origin as a digital image. Lens flare and digital “artifacts”, the aberrations left behind in the making or processing of a visible image, are often regarded as mistakes to be discarded or overlooked. When incorporated into a painting, they further clarify and enhance the experience of specific light conditions, most often intense sunlight, and root the viewer more thoroughly within the space of the painting.


			Heidi McDowell 1890 Bryant St Studios 1890 Bryant St ( map ) San Francisco Media: Painting - Oil Website: www.heidimatic.com Blog: www.heidimcdowell.blogspot.com who ♥'s Heidi McDowell (8) 8 Bio: I paint expansive landscapes which unapologetically celebrate the transformations brought about by time and the elements. My paintings depict a heightened sense of realism using an economy of means. Rough painterly marks suggesting layer upon layer of texture combine with precisely rendered sunlight to define both architectural form and emotional tone. It is this juxtaposition of the specific and the general which leaves space for the viewer’s own experience and memory to flesh out the painting’s narrative. Subject matter is derived from travels along the California coast and abroad and is informed by a background in architecture. Using digital photographs and video stills as reference I distill my memory of visiting a particular location into a physical re-creation of that site, the process of painting akin the natural process of weathering. In recent work I have begun to incorporate more evidence of the painting’s origin as a digital image. Lens flare and digital “artifacts”, the aberrations left behind in the making or processing of a visible image, are often regarded as mistakes to be discarded or overlooked. When incorporated into a painting, they further clarify and enhance the experience of specific light conditions, most often intense sunlight, and root the viewer more thoroughly within the space of the painting.