Caroline Otis Heffron

Biography

Caroline Otis Heffron was born in Berkeley, California, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She has pursued painting and ceramics since graduating with her MFA from the School of Visual Arts. Heffron received her BA in Studio Art from St. Lawrence University, where she received The Frederick Remington Prize. In addition, her undergraduate degree included a semester in Florence for Art History with Syracuse University. Recent exhibitions include group shows, “Phantom Body” at Gloria’s Project Space in New York, and “Plexiglass Proscenium” online exhibition with Paradice Palase. Highlights of her curatorial work include “Objects of Desiring” at SPRING/BREAK 2022 and “Pearls of Wisdom” at Studioninedee, 2023. Other exhibitions include Kent State University, Long Island University, La Mama La Galleria, and Gowanus Open Studios, with a recommendation from Hyperallergic. She is the founder of @artistsconnectedprojects, which brings artists together through inspiration and connected art themes. Her figurative oil paintings and ceramics connect historical and contemporary cultural symbols with body language in complex stacked compositions through the surrealistic female gaze.

Artist statement

My paintings create a conversation through selected images of women on thresholds of power and imaginative potential. I am inspired by how women are portrayed in art historical references, personal photographs, and cultural symbols found in museums, architecture, and urban spaces.  I start a layering process that is sparked by body language and gesture, then surrounding nature and ornamentation found in decorative arts and amusement parks. These imaginary new worlds highlight archetypal personas that represent women like me: wanderers, collectors, and creators who reflect my dualistic experiences of belonging yet feeling isolated, being vulnerable yet needing to be strong, and remembering to be present but longing for the future. The women’s unguarded gaze opens up new relationships as these characters ponder dreams, anxieties, and desires.

The remixing of the woman protagonist with animated objects reclaims the patriarchal telling of ancient myths, contemporary women’s lives, and women as consumers of culture. The compositions have a skewed spatial depth and uncanny saturated colors that emphasize the invented worlds of time travel and personal introspection.  My paintings evolve into a theatrical tableau formed into a manageable scale that focuses on a frozen moment for a reflection as these figures walk along beside me in connected choreography.