I am a Collector of Beauty
but it wasn’t always like that…
Photo: Martina Uthardt
I used to dread winters and daydreamed of escaping to some sun-drenched country by the Mediterranean.
I sucked at appreciating my everyday places. Like, really sucked. Of all my friends, I was the one who sucked at it the most. I would have been the first to jump on an airplane and leave it all behind.
I live in Finland, one of the Nordic countries right by the Arctic Circle, where winters are long and dark and summers are short and sweet. Actually, we spend most summer days waiting for the real summer to come.
Only, the thing I wanted to escape from would have followed me to the end of the world.
What I was really missing, was the feeling of being alive.
The thing is, I wasn’t creating any art back then and a creative who doesn’t create ends up being miserable.
At this time in my life, several things happened that fundamentally changed my perspective of life. (If you want to know what happened, sign up for my emails and I’ll tell you all about it.)
When I finally returned to my easel, I slowly began to rediscover my sense of wonder and I started seeing beauty in my everyday places and in every season. It was transformational.
I made it my mission to be a Collector of Beauty.
I collect moments of nature’s transient beauty and share them through my paintings. When I paint or collect beauty, I feel my most alive and connected. My art is an invitation for you too, to soar above everyday life for a moment and to feel exhilarated to be alive in this world.
There is beauty in your everyday places and it’s right under your nose.
Every day of the year the sun will rise and the birds will sing. You can either continue to let it pass unnoticed, OR choose to inhale the beauty and reconnect to your innate sense of wonder. It’s up to you.
The beauty is there, nonetheless.
Listen. Your life is already filled with magic. If you can’t seem to see it, we need to become friends!
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Artist Statement
"I paint the beauty of the ordinary. The sort of beauty most people are only dimly aware of, or don’t notice altogether.
The impermanence of nature's beauty fascinates me and keeps me in the present moment. In the next moment everything will look different and I want to capture the beauty before it slips away.
I choose to paint with oils in a technique called "alla prima" (Italian, meaning at first attempt). It's a perfect technique considering the impermanent nature of my subjects. Many times I paint the entire painting in one go.
My art reflects the deep appreciation I feel for life. I wish to raise awareness of the quiet beauty in our everyday places. It’s available every day in every season.”
Artist Bio
Heidi Hjort works mainly in oil. Her paintings communicate a sincere appreciation for life. Her ability to see beauty in the ordinary is a key asset in her creative process.
Using a the alla prima technique (wet-on-wet) often times painting the entire painting in one go, she manages to keep a light freshness to her work. She is often seen outdoors painting on location, regardless of season.
In addition to landscape paintings, she has also been much appreciated for her sensitive floral paintings and child portraits.
She studied Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Vaasa. A student exchange program took her all the way to Tokyo, Japan, where she discovered the Japanese aesthetic of treasuring the beauty of simple everyday things. This spirit still defines and inspires her art today.
Heidi Hjort has had a number of solo exhibitions in Vaasa, Mustasaari, Ylihärmä, Närpiö, Kristiinankaupunki and most recently in Uusikaupunki in southern Finland. She has also participated in numerous group shows and juried exhibitions.
Her artwork is in private collections in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. In addition to her official website heidihjort.com, you can follow her work on Facebook and Instagram.
Heidi Hjort was born in 1975 in Vaasa, on the west coast of Finland, where she still resides.
