About

Hedda Neelsen is a painter based in Phoenix, Arizona. Her work has been shown in multiple group shows at galleries and institutions across the US. In addition to her studio practice she is also a teaching artist in classroom and community settings.

Statement

I create paintings featuring symbolic imagery composed of adaptable human-made objects and materials. The intentional arrangement of these forms are constructive towards an understanding of my emotions and subconscious processes. Throughout my creative practice, I have alternated between using observation and imagination as the primary references for depicting and arranging objects. Exploring the relationship between my inner and outer perceptions has also led me to contemplate the interrelatedness between subject and object.

In my recent work, I am exploring themes of self-compassion, vulnerability, and shame, which are represented by the softness and malleability of cloth, rope, and orbs. My creative practice itself has become a testament to the easing of my critical nature and the softening of rigid beliefs and self-imposed limitations. In my pursuit of creating the ideal painting, which can feel impossible, I repeatedly find acceptance and gratitude for what is here and happening now.