emptied gestures

Heather Hansen is a New Orleans-based artist who really puts herself into her work. In her project, “Emptied Gestures,” she creates something like you’ve never seen before.
She begins by taking a mysterious stance on a huge, blank piece of paper.
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With a piece of charcoal in hand, she lets her imagination come to life.
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Next, she stretches her body over the white canvas… and something incredible starts to take shape.
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She contorts, and glides over the canvas as the charcoal smoothly traces her every movement.
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The way she moves is such art in itself that you almost forget what is being drawn.
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Heather’s goal is to “match her heartbeat with the beat of the universe.”
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The emotion that she puts into each piece is almost tangible, with the near-perfect symmetry of her work giving a physical form to the emotional balance she feels as she draws.
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While most charcoal drawings come off as harsh and sharp, Hansen’s are soft and mesmerizing due to the lines being smeared gently by her skin.
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The reveal of a finished piece is always emotionally charged.
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Heather has a deep, spiritual connection with her work.
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Although her pieces are black and white, the nature of her art invites us to explore the gray areas that connect our minds and bodies.
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And more importantly, it shows us that even when we are not as perfect as society would like us to be…
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… if we dare to touch the world around us…
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we can truly create something amazing.
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Heather is a dancer, painter, and sculptor and has performed all of her talents around the world and she doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

[via distractify | photos david seelig + spencer hansen]

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Tom Foerstel

Founder & President

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 60’s, Tom developed a strong desire to create positive change for people and planet.

He went on to pursue his passion for art and design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and worked for design firms in Southern California before moving to Boise, Idaho in the early 80’s. Foerstel Design opened its doors in 1985. Since its inception, the firm has cultivated a bold, happy, forward-looking team focussed on creating distinct and effective work on behalf of their clients.

An integral part of Tom’s philosophy is giving back to the community in which he lives — a company cornerstone that drives Foerstel’s long history of providing pro-bono services to local non-profit humanitarian and arts programs.

One of Tom’s proudest personal achievements is his ability to say Supercalifragilisticexpyalidocious backwards.