Heather Bentz
My art crosses boundaries of painting, drawing and sculpture and serves as a record of how I see the world. Nature is the basis of my inspiration. Process is central to my expression.
Category: Artist/Individual
Discipline: Visual arts
Program Affiliations: Artist Roster
About Heather Bentz
Heather Bentz is a contemporary artist based in Tucson, Arizona. During her career she served as assistant dean of the College of Arts and Architecture at Montana State University and College of Visual and Performing Arts at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, taught courses on process, painting and drawing, and worked for World Wildlife Fund and the National Museum for Women in the Arts in major donor development. She has been an invited speaker at Site Santa Fe, was a Ucross fellow in 2017 and received her first public art grant in 2022. Bentz has exhibited nationally and has work in private and corporate collections around the world. She received her MFA in painting from Montana State University and BFA in printmaking from Pennsylvania State University.
Heather Bentz
Preferred Pronouns: She/her
hbentz1@icloud.com
4065999238
https://www.heatherbentz.com
Three dimensional, sculptural wall-mounted painting
Hold Me
Layered, jigsaw-cut sculptural painting
In Sway
24″ x 48″ x 5″, plywood and latex, 2023
Three dimensional painting
Bloom
Jigsaw-cut birch plywood and latex, 36" x 36" x 7"
Public Artist Art Roster
My art crosses boundaries of painting, drawing and sculpture and is a physical record of how I see and process the world around me. Organizing and layering frenetic bits, I create imagery that captures my energy and expresses the joy I have in making work.
The natural world serves as the basis of my inspiration. Nature sparks my creativity. Process is at the heart of what I do, exploring my content as I work with my hands and materials. I translate real-world observations of color, pattern, shapes and forms into organized expression. As a formalist, I care about design and composition. The result is colorful, contemporary abstract, flora-based imagery that embraces a love of nature and happiness.
My experience in Public Art started with receiving a grant from InFlux Cycle 10 to work with the City of Glendale, AZ to create a large-scale, interior wall piece for the lobby of City Hall to be exhibited for one year. I focused on making a piece that would evoke joy and make a pleasing visual impact in the large space. I presented my plan and received unanimous approval from the Glendale City Arts Council. I had regular communication with the City's Arts and Culture Program Manager and the City's contracted installer to coordinate installation and removal. The dimensions of the piece measured approximately 132" x 132" x 8". It was constructed of plywood attached to multiple birch panels, painted with latex. Constructed in parts for ease of handling, the overall image was cohesive when installed on two horizontal bars using French cleats. The experience was positive and continues to inform my work.
