Animals are the primary subjects of Hiemstra’s works, with dogs and cats slated as her favorites and thus reoccurring most often. In art, like literature, animals can challenge perceptions of reality exhibiting an uncanny resemblance to the behaviors of their human counterparts. Hiemstra explains, “I find animals with all their different shapes and forms very interesting and I’m keen to learn about their behavior. In this behavior, I see parallels to the lives of humans—and vice versa—and that triggers my imagination.”
Hiemstra matriculated from art school with a focus on illustration, and subsequently held a career as an award-winning illustrator for several years before choosing to focus solely on her art. For Hiemstra, the biggest difference between her works on paper and her paintings is that drawings take more planning as she prefers to work with the darkest tones of graphite,which makes erasing more than once nearly impossible.
Her paintings comprise multiple layers of acrylic paint, a medium that is fast drying and translucent in nature. Layers of paint are expertly built up by Hiemstra to add depth to every piece, with each layer playing host to another layer of the story like an intricate cake whose flavors have been specially selected by some culinary mastermind so that each bite compliments the flavor before and seemingly introduces you to the next. In her mixed media pieces, Hiemstra trades in canvas for a variety of found objects, harboring a strong affinity for vintage book covers. “I was struck by the beauty of the covers,” she muses. “I loved how they looked with their imperfections and damages, and so I thought they would make an interesting canvas.”
If you’re intimidated about misinterpreting her work, don’t be. Hiemstra says, “With my work I like to invite the viewer to imagine the world that lies inside.”*
This article originally appeared as the special insert section of HI-Fructose issue 29, which is sold out. Get our latest issue in print here.
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