Heather Goodwind’s drawings are random and unadorned – with brief texts and strange splotches. “You Struggle in Vain”, “Who Do You Trust?” – they go. They are executed in childlike simplicity but speak to viewers of all ages with their urgency and frankness.

“My drawings represent a constant outpouring of singular impressions: clearly isolated images that capture flashes of emotion, changes in perception or moments of recognition,” explains the artist. “I give fleeting thoughts as much consideration as monumental ideas: nothing is more important than anything else and every small thing has its place.” 

Interestingly, Heather’s basic and intuitive creativity is influenced by a wide variety of stuff: Lee Bontecou’s sculptures, Lan Zhenghui’s “heavy ink” paintings, Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits, Liliana Porter’s short films, Anselm Keifer’s drawings, Joseph Beuys’ early watercolor paintings, Utagawa Hiroshige’s Shunga prints, Robert Motherwell’s early collages, Odilon Redon’s surrealistic prints, Philip Guston’s late figurative work, Gustave Dore’s illustrations.

Heather Goodwind was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1973, and grew up between Berkeley, California and Key West, Florida. In 1996, she graduated from Portland State University with a BA in Sculpture. She has lived in Argentina and China. In 2012, she relocated to Portland, Oregon.