Heather Lee Birdsong

Portland, OR

A Doubtful Dream, 2021, gouache on hot press paper, 24 x 18 inches.

Somewhere Else, 2022, matte vinyl paint on translucent polypropylene (painted recto and verso), 7 x 5 inches.

Mojave Dream, 2019, two-color reduction relief, 7 x 7 inches (paper), edition of 26 + 4 AP.

Inconspicuous Absence, 2021, Acryla-gouache on hot pressed paper, 12.125 x 9 inches.

It Has Always Been This Way, 2020, gouache on hot pressed paper, 24 x 18.125 inches. Photo by Mario Gallucci.

Comfortless As Salt (Dissociation), 2018, etching with aquatint, 8 x 10 inches (paper), edition of 17 + 2 AP.

Imaginary Shelter, 2021, gouache on hot pressed paper, 12 1/8 x 9 inches.

Biography

Heather Lee Birdsong (b. 1984, Spring Valley, NV) works in printmaking, painting, and handmade books. Influenced by feminist social research, fairy tales, and mythology (both familial and historical), Birdsong’s work describes subtle interactions and emotional states using carefully orchestrated color palettes and precise forms. “I’m always pulling back in my work, trying to evoke human complexity in understated ways,” Birdsong says.

She holds a BFA in Intermedia from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (2011). Collections housing her artwork include the Visual Chronicle of Portland, OR; Ella Strong Denison Library, Scripps College; Albert Solheim Library, PNCA; and Hoxton Hotel, Portland. Birdsong is recipient of project and development grants from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (2023, 2022, 2014) and was an artist-in-residence in Print Arts Northwest's Emerging Printmakers Program (2012). Based in Portland, OR since 2005, she serves on the board of the Northwest Art Council at the Portland Art Museum and is a member of Carnation Contemporary. In addition to her fine art practice, she works as a graphic designer, editor, and arts administrator. Her Carnation membership is supported by a 2023 ArtsC3 Grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

www.heatherleebirdsong.com

Instagram: @smidgeonpress