Born in Germany in 1964 Heidi Koenig came to Britain in 1989, after travelling for two years around Australia and South East Asia. Heidi rose to the forefront of contemporary abstract printmaking in 2002 and was one of the strongest artists to graduate from the Slade during the 1990s.
Influenced by the works of Frankenthaler, Rothko and Matisse, Heidi Koenig is largely inspired by travel, particularly in the developing world; Africa, the Himalayas and South East Asia. The rich melange of colours, smells, sights and sounds emerge through her enigmatic and energetic images. She says: “In my work I do not want to create a pictorial view of where I have been, but a sensual view of what I experienced there. The artist’s ability is to see what others do not, to achieve harmony, sensuality and beauty from nature’s raw elements, and to offer a new way of seeing.”
‘I live my life passionately, even impulsively and yet at the same time I take measured steps and considered decisions. My work reflects this attitude to living. Inspiration for individual pieces is driven purely by observation and physical experiences. When I set out to paint I don’t have a conscious view point of how I want it to turn out – the image evolves as I paint, taking me back to the places that I have been and the sensory information that I have absorbed, allowing me to express my visual responses to these experiences.’
A move to the Devon where she now lives, brought her inspiration closer to home and Heidi Koenig’s main artistic resource is now Dartmoor and the coastline. Heidi has won numerous awards for her outstanding etchings, monotypes and oils, sought after all over the world and widely exhibited throughout the UK. She has works in numerous private collections and corporate institutions in the UK, Europe and Japan.
