Featured Artist Heidi Pitre

Artist Heidi Pitre presents two collections that reflect her love of nostalgia and capturing personal memories. See more of her portfolio on her website.

 

 

I currently reside in Kansas City, Missouri, but claim most of the South as home. It is “that” South that always seems to seep its way into my work. It is provocative but gentle, connecting us to personal memories through intimate and nostalgic amusement.

 

 

I want to strike a chord in people, permitting them to laugh at unpleasant memories or situations. With time, edges can be softened into warm recollections, whether it’s a bad hair day or a bad marriage.

 

 

My work is a collection of short stories. It shares messages from the perspective of different people who understand what it means to be a floundering mother, an awkward daughter, an exhausted housewife, a scorned lover, or someone who has been through hell and back.

 

 

My characters prove that everyone can embrace their realities. You can laugh at tragedies, spotlight bad decisions, expose vulnerabilities, and choose to exchange pain or sadness for a new understanding of the past.

 

 

I am a recipient of the Pollock Krasner Grant and the Mississippi Arts Commission Fellowship. I have an ever-expanding list of publications, residencies, grants, awards, and nationwide shows. Two of my collections have been displayed multiple times across the country. One is a series of paintings titled Southern Peculiar. The other is my collection of library card drawings titled A Permanent Record.

 

 

A Permanent Record is a series of paintings and drawings on vintage library borrower cards. These cards, some of which date back to the 1920s, are ephemera created only to perform a simple function. None were ever expected to retire from their first career and start a new life as a permanent guest on a collector’s wall.

 

 

I selected each card by searching through stacks of books that had been cast aside and long forgotten. The titles of these books bring to mind times when we lived inside their worlds for a bit, rooted for their characters, or wished we could be with them or be them.

 

 

It is a merging of art and literature, nostalgia and history, recycling and reusing. Each one is unique. The drawing relates to symbolism from the book or a play on words with the title. This project intends to open conversations between generations. It provokes discussions of the past and hopefully creates interest, introducing old titles to new readers.

 

 

I have also created numerous murals across the country. My 40-foot mural, “Suffragette,” in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, celebrates the 19th Amendment. It is dedicated to all women who have held office over the last century.

 

Heidi Pitre invites you to follow her on Instagram and Facebook, and A Permanent Record on Instagram and Facebook. 

 

 

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