Heather Hansen - Expressionista

I believe the human body is capable of amazing things and that our physicality often mirrors our mindset. We channel attitudes held by our inner-self in the various mediums through which we express ourselves.

This is Heather Hansen. She is incredible. 

Photo curtesy Bryan Tarnowski

Photo curtesy Bryan Tarnowski

Photo curtesy Bryan Tarnowski

She is an artist based in New Orleans who is making waves within the art community for her unique approach to her artistic method. She expresses her creativity through physical movement on the canvas itself.  

If her body is the method, than the charcoal is the prism she uses to channel her physicality. She coats herself with charcoal to prevent the slightest touch from going unnoticed by her canvas. 

Photo curtesy Bryan Tarnowski

When asked about her inspirations behind her method, she talked about a day she spent at the beach. While dancing around, she noticed the varying patterns her trails made in the sand. She further explains her thought process behind her "Emptied Gestures" series: 

"[it] is an experiment in kinetic drawing. In this series, I am searching for ways to download my movement directly onto paper, emptying gestures from one form to another and creating something new in the process.’

Photo curtesy Bryan Tarnowski

And she really is. She is taking her experience within one domain, the patterns on the beach she created through dance, and applying it to a different domain, illustration. This is a great example of analogous thinking. In other words, she is taking something she knows about in one situation and transferring that process and applying it in another situation.  

James Kauffmann offers a unique insight. He breaks down creative thought into 4 main types: little-c, mini-c, Pro-C, and Big-C. Heather happens to be a Pro-C creative. She deliberately set out to make something unique, insightful, and specific to her own experiences which, in turn, shape her mindset. The art she creates as a result of her expression allows her to continue being an artist. She made her passion her career; snaps for Heather, everyone! 

Heather was asked about her reasoning behind the series, and when she answered, she referenced one of her muses, Joseph Campbell:

"The goal of life is to make your heartbeats match the beat of the universe. To match your nature with Nature."

She is very profoundly creative, and her process takes expressionism to a whole new level. Heather found a new method of self expression in art by making it an art form itself. Much like Jackson Pollock, her expression is an experience. 

What will our notions of art become when artists truly become channelers? Watch her process below.