THE SECRET IS IN THE DETAIL
You might not expect a forensic investigator who examines gruesome crime scenes to be the creator of beautiful art. But police officer and artist Heidi Woodhead says the attention to detail required in her dayto-day policing duties is also a key component of her intricate paintings and drawings. And the 41-year-old says having seen the darker side of humanity she loves the opportunity to celebrate a happier side of life through an exploration of colour and light.
Woodhead currently works in the police radio room, but spent 12 years before that trawling crime scenes for clues. “You’re trained to observe things and notice the small details, and I think that’s definitely come out in my art,’’ explains Woodhead, who joined the force in 2001.
“When you’re examining a crime scene you’ve got to look at everything and try to look beyond the obvious. And that’s kind of the way I approach painting as well. You kind of ignore what your brain is telling you ... and break what you see down into shapes and colours and tones. I really like interiors and objects — still life. I really like the way light interacts with objects, and I particularly like trying to paint glass and shiny things.’’
Art helps Woodhead deal with the demands of her job. “I need art in my life. Especially with the high stress and some of the horrible things you have to deal with as a crime scene examiner. I really found it essential to have a creative outlet to create beauty in this world of sometimes horrific things.’’
Born in Sydney, Woodhead moved to Tasmania as a teen, studying at Hobart College under the guidance of teacher and artist Wayne Brookes.
These days she paints in the light-filled attic of her 1830s stone cottage in South Hobart, although a two-month stay on Bruny Island last year also fuelled creativity.
Woodhead and her husband spent the depths of last winter volunteering as lighthouse keepers on Bruny Island which, she says, was wonderful for escaping city life and concentrating on painting.
The trip inspired much of the work in her Mermaids in the Basement exhibition, which opens at Handmark Gallery this Friday.
“We took two months off work and just immersed ourselves in our surroundings,’’ Woodhead says. “We recorded the weather for the Bureau of Meteorology. We did general grounds work and maintenance and kept the place clean. And it was good for my art — I just had time to relax, I suppose, and just do it. I’d walk on the beach and pick up shells and sponges and find shards of pottery.’’
Woodhead comes from a long line of artists and says her passion for art began when she was a child. “I had a really creative upbringing, I’ve always been surrounded by artists,’’ she says. “I remember using my great grandpa’s books and brushes when I was little. Even as a toddler, Mum would sit me and my older sister at the coffee table and we’d just draw and paint.’’
She completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and Ancient Civilisations, then an honours degree, while making art in the background. She had an interest in crime fiction so decided to become a forensic police officer and write a crime novel. However, during her policing career her interest in writing faded away while her love of painting grew stronger.
“The older I get, I’m just drawn to painting — I just have to do it, it’s like a lifeline,’’ Woodhead says. “Everything I’ve done throughout my life — painting is just there. I just do it, sometimes it’s not even conscious. And I think it will always be there too. I see art as the real me — that’s my passion, that’s what I’ve always done since I was a little child. I do enjoy my job in the police, it’s quite fulfilling. But I identify more as an artist.’’
See Heidi Woodhead’s Mermaids in the Basement at Handmark Gallery, 77 Salamanca Place, Hobart, from June 28 to July 15. handmark.com.au