Awareness Post - Heide Trepanier - Week 23

Singularity, Acrylic on Panel, 50", 2024

Fillament, Handmade egg tempera on board, 40" x 48", 2023

Rhyzome, Handmade egg tempera on board, 40" x 48", 2023

This quarter I am choosing to highlight local Richmond artist Heide Trepanier. Born in Racine, Wisconsin in 1969, Trepanier was initially a student of natural sciences, but decided to change focus and study fine arts. She moved on to attend The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1995, earning a BFA and in Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000, graduating with an MFA in Painting. With an established career as a painter, Trepanier is currently aiming to achieve a Ph.D. ABD in Philosophy, Art and Critical Thought at The European Graduate School. Her work has been in several exhibitions and collections such as The Speed Museum in Kentucky and The VMFA. Trepanier has had fellowships from the VMFA, The Pollock/Krasner Foundation, The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Joan Mitchell Foundation, and several others. Some of her other achievements include being an artist collective and community center, as well as an adjunct professor of drawing at Old Dominion University along with being a Director of the Temple of Cosmic Mothership.

The reason I wanted to highlight Trepanier's work is because of her use of positive and negative space and contour lines. She creates an interesting composition by balancing the positive and negative space she has in her work, which is noticeable in each of her most recent paintings, but particularly in Singularity. Both Fillament and Rhyzome have this element as well, but I particularly appreciate the contour lines that are present in these works. The contour is an effective use of the space and provides so much detail that you may not otherwise get in the painting. I feel as though the contour lines almost breathe life into her work and they offer a sense of rhythm that makes Trepanier's work unique. These techniques are useful to me because I want to be able to work on them in my own art. Pulling inspiration from Heide Trepanier would allow me to make my artwork more detailed, balanced, rhythmic, and ultimately more enjoyable to viewers.