Heidi
 
   
 
Heidi Wastweet
         
   

My sculptures invite you to look and think, to touch and feel. In a world that is often ugly and disheartening I strive to create art that will speak, even of painful things,  in a beautiful way. I am perpetually influenced by that world around me. Like a visual chef I gather ingredients from my experiences and combine them into tasty dishes, feeding the eyes and senses of all who pause to look. I want to give that viewer something they can relate to, something they can see part of themselves in.

 I work in a representational style and often enjoy employing symbolism in subjects that deal with the many faceted and intriguing human condition. The sculpture often has a life of it’s own and I feel I am just a facilitator. Other times it is a struggle of will against the artist’s demons and vain attempts to bribe the muses. There is a natural evolution of style which can not be rushed or delayed. I built my educational studies firmly on the classics of the Renaissance which is readily observable, but I am influenced as well by more modern work. These influences guide the evolution of style into something that will be a satisfying contradiction of classic and contemporary.

 Even though I enjoy color my work is naturally drawn towards the monotone. Since humans see in color the monotone allows viewers to see in a different light as it is one of the goals of art to show the familiar in a new way.

        
    Relief Sculpture

 Bas relief sculpture is remarkable in many ways. It relies solely on the trickery of the eye, the illusion of depth. It is firmly planted in between the tactile qualities of statuary and the illusional possibilities of drawing, sharing skills of both. The technique allows for background images and subtle detached detail not accomplished in traditional sculpture "in the round.”

Bas Reliefs have long been used for architectural applications and monuments but now days is an unusual sight in galleries. Uncharted territory is always appealing to the artist. I pursue that dusty corner with enthusiasm.

 My introduction to low relief sculpture came through the coin minting industry where I have worked as a designer and medallic sculptor since 1987. I have always pursued drawing and painting but found medallic sculpture came easily to me. Eventually I applied those skills to the larger format and cast them in bronze. 

 After careful planning of the composition the sculpture is created using a combination of clay and plaster. In a positive all-plaster cast the details are finished with sharp steel tools. The plaster medium allows for sharp detail and clean images. I strive to obtain fluid lines and dynamic compositions to achieve a feeling of life and motion to pull the viewer in. 

 		       
 
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