HEATHER DENISON ’WITHIN’ EXHIBITION
ABOUT Heather Denison paints from her studio in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. The studio overlooks the gentle rolling hills of the countryside, which is conducive to her creative lifestyle. Growing up in Africa instilled in her a love of wildlife, and that passion is significant in her work. Born in Zimbabwe, she spent her early years working as a graphic designer and moved to New Zealand in 2003.
Denison was the recipient of the People’s Choice award at the Art-X National Exhibition in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and has paintings held in collections locally and internationally.
Influenced by the Dutch Golden Age painters, Denison works in oils, applying many layers and glazes to create a sense of atmosphere and timelessness. Her detailed work invites closer inspection as there are often many elements that add to the narrative.
Familiar creatures such as hares, tui, kingfish and deer are positioned against a domestic backdrop of objects in her recent paintings. Trinket boxes, ginger jars, an occasional chair and ornate side tables are arranged with flora such as kowhai flowers and peonies. This unexpected tableau of flora and fauna delights the viewer and takes them into another world.
In this exhibition, I explore the theme of being contained in an interior space or within a fragile bowl. Our world has become more constricting, and our wild creatures echo our own feelings of isolation and constraint. In the interior spaces, the inclusion of windows and chandeliers illuminate our animals who we sometimes take for granted but who are sentient beings. Although they are comfortable, there is a longing for an escape to the wilderness. The bowls are beautiful but fragile and offer a temporary place of protection.
- Heather Denison
Heather Denison Those Halcyon Days 120 x $10,50090cm
Heather Denison Those Halcyon Days 120 x$9,20090cm
Heather Denison Reception 90 x$10,500120cm
Heather Denison Harbingers 70 x$7,20090cm
Heather Denison In Dreams You are Kept 60 x$5,20076cm
Heather Denison Sacred Sanctuary 76 x$5,50076cm
Heather Denison Gaurdian 70 x$7,20090cm
Heather Denison Outburst 60 x$7,20090cm
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