Art Files: Samantha Van Heest
Pull Shapes (Duet), Oil on canvas, 12” x 16” (each), 2020.
I explore the intimacy of impermanence throughout my work, utilizing still life, found objects, and portraiture. My work acts as a visual catalog of my memories: a secure, physical representation of how I remembered a moment. What may initially appear as non-sequitur represents my exploration of the limitations of long-term memory. Minimal backgrounds speak to our brains’ selective focus and serve as a visual example of how I myself remember. Through this examination of memory, I am also exploring my identity as a multiracial woman, my femininity, and my experience processing the intense emotions of grief and trauma.
Here lie we, Oil pastel on paper, 20” x 30”, 2020.
August Breakfast, Oil on canvas, 8” x 10”, 2021.
26, Oil on canvas, 30” x 24”, 2021.
The Footstool of David, Oil on canvas, 38” x 54”, 2020.
Somewhere between teeth and toilet, Gouache on paper, 9” x 12”, 2021.
Samantha Van Heest is an artist and art educator residing in the greater Washington, DC area. She has exhibited her work across the United States and in Aix-en-Provence, France. Van Heest has worked as a studio intern for painter Amy Sherald, exhibited work at UMBRELLA Art Fair in Washington, DC, and been featured in New American Paintings South no. 148. In the Washington metropolitan area, she teaches art with a focus on drawing and painting. Van Heest is the recipient of the Dr. Judith Temple Scholarship, the Alfred Levitt Memorial Scholarship in Art, the Emil R. Schnellock Award for Excellence in Painting, and the Rosalie Chauncey Memorial Scholarship.
All images courtesy of artist.
