Growing
up surrounded by the beautiful mountains and
lakes of Central Arkansas, Erselle Hiemstra
began drawing and painting when she was in
her early teens. Although she lived in
Hot Springs, her inspiration came from rural
areas, particularly the Ozark Mountains and
the backwoods of Northern Arkansas where
respect for life and art are reflected in
culture.
Using
her work to communicate artistic expression,
Erselle impresses the observer with a joy for
life which can be found when common objects
are viewed as works of art. Her
eclectic styles include a depiction of nature
from a larger than life perspective that
gives the viewer a fresh approach to the
representation of familiar subjects.
An
artist for more than 40 years, Hiemstra works
primarily in oils and occasionally works in
acrylic and watercolor. She believes
that her art has been widely influenced by
her love of natural surroundings and ordinary
subjects such as bag of onions, a rope of
garlic, or tomatoes on the vine. Her
interest in still-life eventually evolved
into her current style that includes
examining ordinary subjects from a
microscopic viewpoint and painting them so
that the viewer receives the full impact of
the interplay of color, light, and shadow in
the most common objects.
Believing
that art is an accessible vehicle in the
means of communication, Hiemstra has also
studied and developed an approach to teaching
children an appreciation of art. Her
method is taught in a step-by-step drawing
process on a two-hour
video for children ages
4-10 which is produced and marketed by
Hiemstra Educational Enterprises.
She
has been associated with various galleries in
Hot Springs for the past seventeen years and
is currently represented by the American Art
Gallery.
Erselle
retired from the National Park Community
College in 2003.
Come
On In ...
Take A Stroll Through Erselle's Botanical Art
