My History
The making of art has always been compelling to me. From my childhood ritual of drawing with charcoal pencils on brown paper bags to learning how to throw clay pots on a kick-wheel in high school, the quietly captivating practice of crafting something that has never existed before delights me. Simply put, it feels good to get lost in the process. It invigorates me and makes me feel alive.
After earning two degrees in Fine Art and becoming a wife and mother of two, the demands of life and the business of art were overwhelming. From time to time, as my life got messy and complicated, I would turn to my studio for answers. I might even say that art became my religion, as my creations would inevitably assuage my angst and answer my search for meaning amidst the chaos of life. I gradually began to realize that all this making was not for the sake of galleries, exhibitions, fame and fortune. Art had become a language through which I could learn to express what I did not have words for. My studio had become my sanctuary, a place where I could find the quiet in the roar.
“Art grows out of the aesthetic and spiritual needs of its author… Art feeds its makers’ higher needs and hopefully those of others. Doorways, windows, nighttime dreams as well as images gathered from her travels reveal Heidi Darr-Hope’s preoccupation with the themes of passage, change and the mysteries that lie beyond or just out of reach."
- Dr. Bradford Collins, Art History Department, University of South Carolina
Pathway Icons
"A series of small, dense objects suggesting ancient shrines, fetishes or potent magical devices that grew out of a thousand casual epiphanies: mica scooped up from the earth on mountain hikes, the discovery of Mexican retablos painting, reoccurring nightmares, outdoor shrines discovered on her many travels. Although the work seems otherworldly, their content is remarkably tied to the here and now: they are essentially reflections of the artist's own experiences – personal, political, internal, external."
- Kathryn Bennett
Reliquaries
The Reliquaries began out of my need to express and honor the sacred. Many cultural and spiritual traditions are embodied within these works as I continuously draw upon worldwide theological concerns to enrich and deepen my search for truth.
Sojourns
A sojourn is a temporary stay, longer than a visit but not quite a permanent move. When my soul rumbles for change, nighttime dreams urge me onward into a place of mystery, a place where I can meet myself anew and discard old ideas. My travels to foreign lands help me dig deeper into these rumblings. This series of work melds together my dreams and my travels, and through that process, reveals some deeper truths along the way.
