Estuary
Artist
Willy Heeks
American, born 1951
Date1991
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions73 x 63 in. (185.4 x 160 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of Tom and Charlotte Newby
Object number2010.5.2
On View
Not on viewArtist Willy Heeks uses a number of different processes to experiment with two-dimensional form and movement. By layering drips and stains of light washes, Heeks achieves diverse visual effects. In Estuary large sections of yellow and green underpainting are visible beneath thin washes of blue oil paint. Like abstract expressionist painters from the mid-twentieth century, Heeks activates every inch of the canvas in order to create a composition without a clear focal point or narrative. The title Estuary gives a clue as to what, perhaps, inspired Heeks to make this painting. The result is both maplike and molecular; its inner light source seems to filter up to the painting’s surface through murky, watery depths.ProvenanceCreated New York, 1991; collection of the artist; [David Beitzel Gallery, New York]; Thomas A. Newby Jr., Chapel Hill, NC, 1991; given to NCMA, 2009.
Exhibition HistoryNew York, NY, David Beitzel Gallery, "New Work," July-August 1991.
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Boldly Stated: Contemporary Art from the Collection of Tom and Charlotte Newby," October 10-December 8, 1999.
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