Thirsty Clipper
36 x 18 in.
Oil on canvas
$1725
Available from the artist
Thirsty Clipper depicts a scene Heather Gibson came across in Berlin, New Jersey, by happenstance. A setting easily found anywhere across the United States and perhaps barely given a second glance, but Heather’s eye and artistic mastery pull a viewer back to see the complexity of the scene and invite curiosity, to wonder how it came to be.
“Passing Johnny Boys Farm, an abandoned, old farm, I noticed the main building is now storage to lots of junk and piles of stuff. Illegally parking my car on the property, I started tramping around, to see if I could find something that would make a great painting. And then I spotted this old Clipper car hiding among all of the clutter. Its turquoise paint was faded and its chrome had seen better days,” says Heather.
Along with Heather’s inquisitive nature, her humor is also evident in Thirsty Clipper.
“The car along with the whole scene looked perfectly preserved in a time capsule, except for one glaring detail—a McDonald’s drink with straw perched on the hood. I thought that it was hysterical. Combined with the turquoise colors on the door on the second floor and the car, against the complimentary colors of the oranges of the tractor wheel and the other equipment, I just knew the scene had enormous potential to be a great painting.”
Heather is a representational oil painter with a slight impressionistic edge. Accurate drawing is foremost in the underlying structure of her work.
“This allows me the freedom to apply my paint with expression. By choosing unique subject matter, unexpected point-of-view, or bold placement of elements on my canvas, I add an inventive twist to each of my paintings.”
Heather’s art has a freshness. The bright, complementary colors of the underpainting pop throughout the final artwork, which visually competes and vibrates with the colors of the top layer of paint. Her brushwork is purposeful. It is mostly opaque but occasionally skips along the surface to highlight the texture of the canvas.
“I especially enjoy the freedom of ragged strokes near the boundaries of my art because it shows the potential viewers how the series of thought-out strokes made the whole,” adds Heather.
“My personal goal is to continue to grow in my craft and find the beauty not only in subject matter that is naturally lovely but also in those that some may consider mundane—in my opinion, that is true artistry.”
Heather graduated valedictorian from Hussian School Of Art in Philadelphia, with a split major in illustration and design. Her art career started with Walt Disney’s Animation Studio Florida, where she learned from some of the top artists in the field. Returning to her home state of New Jersey, Heather started her studio. As her art progressed, she gained more satisfied customers with her graphic design and illustration, such as Universal Studios, Disney Design Group, and TD Bank. Today, Heather is devoted to her fine art and utilizes her years of design expertise into each of her paintings.
To see and learn more of Heather’s work, visit her website. Heather can also be found on Facebook and Instagram. For regular updates on her newest work and events, sign up for her e-newsletter.
