IN A CURATOR’S WORDS

Contemporary artist Heather Stivison transports us to transcendent realms in her “Water Series” where the inherent nuances of nature’s aqueous properties arouse a palpable visceral force. We are lulled into a euphoric reverie that awakens and restores our mind and soul.

Stivison ventures beyond nature’s physical boundaries into abstraction with the profusion of free-flowing biomorphic patterns and tonal ranges. In her paintings the innate attributes of water evolve into metaphors, symbolism and visual poetry. She emphasizes the varied atmospheric influences of elements and their rhythmic interactions. The warm luminosity of the sun and the gentle whispers of the wind create radiant ripples that coalesce in contrast and harmony.

In Stivison’s paintings the entity of familiarity is fused with an altered sense of reality and holistic spiritual perspective where dimension, space and time exist without boundaries and barriers. We are propelled into a powerful awareness of unlimited possibilities and potential above and beyond sight.

In her “Water Series” Stivison’s versatility and expert approach to artistic concepts and mediums shine with innovation and expansive variation. The dynamic and confident power of creation pulsates from every brushstroke and composition.

In Feng Shui water signifies adaptability, abundance, and emotional depth. These healing modalities and more emanate from Stivison’s paintings and provide a haven of renewal, restoration, and personal growth.

—Renee Phillips, Director &Curator, Manhattan Arts International
and The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS, New York, NY

IN THE ARTIST’S WORDS

I don’t “illustrate” water as in a plein air painting or photograph. Instead, I paint to capture the essence of water—something clear and colorless, with a shape entirely formed by external forces of objects, land, wind, gravity. Searching for water’s most primary qualities, I use light, color, form, shape, line, to engender a sense of water. Fluidity, reflections, rhythms are evident on the surface, while a sense of weightlessness and mystery are found in the unknown ocean depths. 

Water has held such a deep fascination for me that I have approached it differently in several bodies of work,
including in the solo shows Quench (2017); Surrounded by Water (2021); the Synergy series Visualizing the Unseen (2020-2024);
and the two person show, Duets: Two artists & Our Blue Planet (2025) . It is also the focus of my upcoming solo show,
Ebb & Flow: The Many Faces of Water (September 2025).

ABOVE: Beneath the Surface is a quadriptych that developed from my interest in water and my interest in the sublime. I used texture to suggest the “noise” and mystery beneath the ocean. I used water as a metaphor for “going deep” into a place in our mind where we no longer hear the barrage of news and jangle of daily minutia that assaults us. Instead, we float in the unknown mystery of our thoughts and memories, exploring places that can be dark and unsettling, or can fill us with new light. This work has been exhibited at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, and in a solo show at the Cape Cod Cultural Center.

Oil over Acrylic. 36x110 inches. $10,800.