There is a lot of superb contemporary realism portraiture being made these days; this article by Allison Malafronte shines light on a gifted individual.
Working as a freelance sculptor, mold-maker, and adjunct professor at several academies in New York City, Heather Personett (b. 1988) stays active in her own Brooklyn studio and through an on-the-go lifestyle in the Big Apple. Recently, she has been moving beyond capturing a physical likeness in favor of excavating beneath-the-surface emotional and spiritual content from those who sit for her.
Personett’s prowess in this regard has earned awards, residencies, and commissions, including a First Place in the Salmagundi Club of New York’s Library Portrait Sculpture Competition for her rendition of the great sculptor, and former Salmagundian, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907).
“Saint-Gaudens was lauded as a thoughtful and gifted teacher who trained some of the finest American talents through his own artists’ colony and other classical New York City institutions,” Personett shares. “His work also carries the same tenderness and humanity that he himself possessed. I therefore aimed to create a portrait that embodied the sculptor he was while paying homage to his skill and delicacy of touch.”
Personett’s own skill and delicacy are apparent in the sculpture illustrated here, “Portrait of Justin.” Just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she invited fellow sculptor and friend Justin Kendall to work on their mutual goal of building stronger studio practices. “I was interested in working on a portrait study that went beyond the mere copying of nature to delve into the realm of emotive portraiture,” Personett says. “I am highly aware of the portrait’s role as a record of how a person will be remembered long after they are gone, when there are no longer people around to describe who they were or how they lived. It’s also a record of my own experience as the note-taker. What emerged here was a portrait that captured a depth of character within the eyes and an invitation to get to know the sitter more.”
Personett earned her B.F.A. in illustration and animation from the State University of New York at Fredonia. She continued studying ceramics and sculpture, then went on to receive an M.F.A. in sculpture at the New York Academy of Art (NYAA). More recently, Personett worked as a portrait sculptor and freelance artist at Studio EIS in Brooklyn, under the tutelage of head sculptor Jiwoong Cheh. Today she is a sought-after teacher herself, and she relishes being connected to a community of students and fellow instructors through adjunct professorships at both NYAA and the Fashion Institute of Technology; she is also the lead sculpture instructor at the Grand Central Atelier. In these classrooms, she says, the inspiration and enrichment flow both ways.
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