Mary Heilmann

Many artists have influenced me over the years but most recently I’ve been inspired by Mary Heilmann, an artist who was marginalized most of her career but who recently has gained much deserved recognition. That’s not a unique story, of course, but she is a unique talent. She is one of the highlighted artists this week in the second installment of the new season of Art:21. It will air in Western Washington on Channel 9 at 10:00 pm tonight and Wednesday at 4:00 am (this is not a type-0!).

Part of what distinguishes Ms. Heilmann from my list of influences is that she is purely an abstract painter. She began her career making sculptures and then moved on to painting in the 70s when it was largely viewed as an act of defiance because painting was considered on it’s way out . . . again (yawn). Ms. Heilmann’s influences included Modern Art, many genres of music, popular and California beach culture. Her innovative interpretations of these subjects through the use of vibrant color are what particularly inspire me.

One of my favorite Heilmann paintings is called Surfing on Acid. Here’s a link to the Wexner Center for the Art where you can see this and other images of her work. My recent collage series, Little Pieces of Happiness, where done while I was reading To Be Someone, the book put together in conjunction with the Wexler retrospective. You might notice the influence but, as a point of clarification, I was not working from the imagery of waves nor, uh hum, was I on acid. As further disclosure, I have no knowledge of Ms. Heilmann’s state of mind when she was inspired to make this painting. Maybe we’ll find out the real story when we watch Art:21.