BRATTLEBORO — Richard Heller's new portrait and figurative paintings, “Remote Work,” will be exhibited throughout October at Gallery in the Woods with an opening reception during Gallery Walk on Friday, Oct. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Heller says these portrait paintings are a reflection of the previously unfamiliar circumstance of looking at himself on Zoom while speaking in a group. Distortion, exaggeration, and reality guide these paintings.
The figurative paintings are a recurring theme in Heller's work and are a way to reinterpret the body. Each figure is allowed to progress based on its own demands and trajectory but starts with an outline.
He uses rubber stamps, which he carves, to apply paint. In some cases, he puts paint directly on the stamps like printmaking; in others, he pushes them into the wet paint or has sanded and scraped the surfaces, creating “the illusionistic space that is deeply layered and textured which is distinctive in his work,” as a news release described.
Most of the paintings on exhibit were created during the past 18 months.
Heller is currently the head of the art department at Brattleboro Union High School, where he has taught art since 1995. His work has been shown at the Vermont Arts Council Spotlight Gallery and at the Brattleboro Museum & Arts Center.
For further information, contact Gallery in the Woods at 802-247-4777 or at galleryinthewoods.com.