Heidi Brueckner

Dracena

Oil, fabric, paper, buttons, recycled bubble mailers

"Inherently, we are interested in observing others as a way of understanding ourselves. My work is inspired by this curiosity and allows the viewer to participate....I’ve been experimenting with texture and the physical quality of the surface through using alternative recycled materials such as pieced-together bubble mailers and paper bags. I've found them to be exciting and sturdy surfaces and believe these media add a uniquely interesting and environmentally friendly component to the work.”

— Heidi Brueckner

About the artist

Heidi Brueckner

Heidi Brueckner is a Professor of Art at West Valley College in Saratoga, California where she has taught painting, drawing, and design for over 20 years. A native Californian, Brueckner studied at the University of Heidelberg and The Goethe Institute in Germany in the late 1980s. During this pivotal year, she was able to visit the major museums of Europe and found herself heavily influenced artistically by 20th century German art. Brueckner received a BA in Fine Art and a BA in Art History from University of California, Santa Cruz in 1991. She received an MFA in Painting from University of Kansas in 1997.

Professor Brueckner’s work has been shown at museums, galleries, colleges, and in publications nationally and internationally. She has received several awards and scholarships for her work. In 2018, she published the book “Monsterbet”, a series of 26 oil, acrylic, and mixed media paintings based on the format of children’s alphabet rhymes. The book is available for purchase at Etsy, Amazon, and heidibrueckner.com.

Most recently, she was awarded 1st Place in the international Italian art competition, Prisma Art Prize. Upcoming solo exhibitions will be at GearBox Gallery in Oakland, California in 2021, and at Buckham Gallery in Flint, Michigan in 2022. She currently lives and makes art in Oakland, California.