HEIDI BARNETT

(775) 741-8614, warpfrenzy@msn.com www.heidibarnettart.com

Heidi Barnett loves color, and sometimes knows what colors she wants to use in a painting before choosing the subject. “My inspiration comes from my surroundings, the Northwest and Puget Sound area have no lack of inspiration,” she says. She calls her style of work organic pointillism, explaining, “When you read the definition of a pointillist, outside of the dots/ dabs of paint I don’t feel

I have much in common. In my circles of color I use I have many colors and strive for that —I want lots of color coming through in each swirl of color. I also love the randomness of dripping paint, which I often use in my work. Pointillism is very planned and usually solid dots of color.”

Color leads Barnett to experimentation, to liberation and to expression at the most profound levels. She says, “The first time I saw the impressionists, I fell wildly in love with their mode of expression, and the love affair continues. So, I am not a fan of straight lines or pictureperfect realism, although that has its place in art. I like to take chances, focusing on color—not the object—and breaking up the restriction of lines.” Straying from the confines of a paintbrush, she often uses palette knives, forks, her fingers and Q-tips in her paintings, adding, “Art allows me to share my love of life, color and texture on canvas. Art represents my passion and my voice in the world. Heady, organic, exuberant and bursting with raw emotion, I want my work to exude vibrant dynamism. At the same time, I want onlookers to feel as if they’ve stumbled upon a secret world of surrealism and symbolism.”

Barnett has an upcoming show at Salt and Iron in Edmonds, Washington, in October; a November show at Whimsey in Fairhaven, Washington; and shows regularly at Parklane Gallery in Kirkland, Washington.