Heidi Lewis Coleman’s artwork reflects an ongoing exploration into
the aesthetics of using language in art. The artist creates mixed
media pieces that incorporate her own stylized abstract writing.
For many years, Coleman developed variations of her abstract languages
which she incorporated into symmetrical designs that were printed on
Asian kozo tissue and applied onto stretched canvas. As her work has
grown and transitioned, the artist is creating mixed media collages,
combining fragments of printed tissue onto painted watercolor paper or
canvas. She still utilizes her abstract languages, but in ways that are often
nearly-hidden and unexpected.
This new approach has allowed Coleman to infuse what she’s learned
about color, symmetry and composition into artwork that is asymmetrical,
less formally designed and more expressive. Though very different, these
two bodies of work relate to and inform one another. This invites viewers
to observe how an artist, after many years of working in one format, can
combine her experience with personal growth to impact and inspire the
ways she currently creates. A viewer can see and understand how an
artist can make important transitions while retaining a vision that runs
throughout all of her artwork.
Coleman studied art at Parsons and the New York School of Design,
where she graduated with highest honors. Her artwork has been included
in several private collections. She is a juried member of the National
Association of Women Artists, the Women’s Caucus for Art and the
Silvermine Guild of Artists. Coleman is an award winning artist who has
exhibited widely in galleries and museums across the country, including
the Mattatuck Museum, the Hammond Museum and the Katonah
Museum of Art.