This piece hangs in my sister’s home. She’s not my sister really. She’s my sister-in-law. She’s not my sister-in-law really, since the divorce. She’s something else. And I adore her. Tough and so clever. Resilient and powerful. Complicated and strong and determined in a way I admire. I’ve never had a sister really … not…
Author: Heather Gwinn
Rapidly approaching middle age I tripped over a sudden and surprising joy of drawing. As a child I didn't draw. As a teenager, I had no artistic inclination at all. I am as left brained as a person can be, and yet...
In November of 2012 I sat down with a Bic Ultra and a notebook and started doodling. Since then I haven't stopped, but my tools have improved.
“Stride” – the taking of steps
We are all so still right now. Wandering my home, pacing the small comfortable beautiful stable space I feel the boundaries of my physical existence fully. I long for air that does not smell like home, for experiences and adventures that await in the hills of Kentucky or the deserts of Arizona or even the…
2020 – What I learned…
I started 2020 with a journaling class… at the start of the class the instructor asked us to introduce ourselves and say one thing we wanted to do or be this year. My response tickled the shit out of me: From my recording in my journal: “I’m Heather, I weigh 150 lbs and I’m happy…
the Enormity
In late September the US reached a milestone in Covid deaths … 200 thousand. That’s a HUGE number. Enormous really. At that time I started seeing and reading articles about how limited our comprehension is when it comes to numbers that size. They become vague and meaningless in many ways, our human minds are simply…
To the Feast – In Oil
Oh how I miss this: the fizzy sensation of an event, the gentle flirtation of a new friend, the ability to stand that close to someone who doesn’t share a home with me …. I miss the possibility of connection with new people and the physical connection with the people I know. And, to be…
Color Me 2020! – New Release
Five Years Gestation for this one … that’s an old baby! I released Color Me 2015, almost exactly five years ago, and a few months past it occurrecd to me that I really did have enough material to launch a follow up. Thus, Color Me 2020 was born. These are a collection of older images…
Bernadette – She Sees You.
It seems most everything in my life is about Covid now … and the stress is remarkable. So far, no one in my family is sick, none of my immediate friends are sick … there is a very very real and very very nebulous suspense. When will it arrive? I feel the coolness of the…
A note on living with trauma
I am blessed with a wonderful friend – whom I write to every day. It is a grounding and beautiful experience, to have such a correspondence. This morning I struggled with my PTSD. This morning I was snatched away from my life in an instant and had to work my way back. This happens from…
I Plant My Feet and Magic Blooms
A few weeks ago I was meeting with friends and the question was posed – ‘What do you know for certain?’ This is a big question – monumental in many ways. Can I trust my senses? Can I trust my experiences, my recollections, even the lessons I’ve learned in the last 44 years? Can I…
All Thumbs – in Oil
Last year I fell in love with a man who swore he always hurt people – that he was ‘pregnant with disappointment’ and seemed helpless to be otherwise … a week after he returned the chair and tumbler I’d left at his home … the final totems of our year together, I had this dream….
