Brooklyn-bases painter Angela Heisch is known for her abstract geometrical art, consisting of lines, gestures, shifts in texture, and gradients, as well as elements of illusion. Reminding of either early 20th-century abstract art or vintage optical illusions, her paintings invite the viewer to further investigate their many twists and turns.
But though the finished result is seemingly structured, Heisch admits that her creative process is mostly intuitive. “Usually this involves a few ideas,” she explained in an interview with Maake Magazine, “such as color restrictions and combinations I might give myself, or something the painting will feature (such as a shape that looks as if it’s in motion, is standing upright, or is covered in specks).”
At the heart of her work lies a basic contradiction between revealing and concealing. “My compositions are ultimately the result of revealing and concealing,” says Heisch, “pulling things forward, pushing things back.” For the most part, this involves taking information away, such as blackening out a once brightly colored line or covering an entire space with her linear systems.
“I like how the unveiling of this forgotten and often incompatible component throws me a bit off course,” she adds. “It’s funny, most of the time these areas are pushed to the far background, covered up, or in the end aren’t all that noticeable; but it never fails to force me to change directions, or at least avoid heading in such a straight line.”
