About

Hedda Neelsen is a painter based in Phoenix, Arizona. She earned her BFA from Arizona State University. Her work has shown in multiple group shows at art galleries and institutions across the US and will be featured in the forthcoming issue of New American Paintings, West edition.

Statement

I create still life paintings informed by my inner experiences and somatic sensations. Initially inspired by mental imagery, I arrange materials and objects as references to support imagined compositions. Forms are intentionally composed to visualize how a range of emotions and thoughts arise within the inner landscape of the body and psyche in response to the external world. I am particularly interested in how my creative process is shaped by practices such as meditation and mindfulness, which encourage me to cultivate presence and receptivity.

Exploring the relationship between my inner and outer perceptions has led me to contemplate the interconnection between subject and object. In my recent work, I examine themes of intimacy and interdependence by portraying malleable forms that respond to one another and their environment. The subject matter of my paintings refers to the physical body from the perspective of lived experience more so than visual representation. My intention is to invite viewers to interpret my work somatically, encountering it viscerally as something intimately connected to themselves.