The Gypsy Diaspora in Western Montana, 2015 / acrylic and pencil on wood / 12 x 24 inches
Two Youths Waiting, 2015 / acrylic and pencil on wood /18 x 24 inches
Boys in Costumes Approaching the Sleeping Girl, 2015 / acrylic and pencil on wood /18 x 24 inches
Me, Unhinged, 2015 / acrylic and pencil on wood / 12 x 18 inches
Civilizations On Top of Civilizations in Western Montana, 2015 / acrylic and pencil on wood / 24 x 48 inches
Andrea Joyce Heimer (b: 1981) is a self taught painter known for her exploration of the suburban experience, drawing inspiration from the neighborhood mythos of her childhood home in 1980's Great Falls, Montana.
Adopted as an infant and plagued by lifelong clinical depression, Heimer struggled early-on with feelings of disconnect from her family and community. Her sense of isolation continued into her teens, but by then she'd found comfort in a peculiar activity: observation. Through quietly observing the lives around her Heimer was able to piece together neighborhood tales of madness, conspiracy, and love, often substituting her own theories to fill any missing pieces of the story. The result was a kind of vicarious connection to those around her -- a connection that sustained her during deep depressive bouts.
It is fragments of these stories that make up Heimer's darkly imaginative narrative works. Part allegory part autobiography, her tremendously detailed paintings depict scenes of heartbreak, madness, and the emotional claustrophobia that stems from living as an outsider in one's own backyard.
