What better way to be represented than through the eyes of an idealist?  On the scene throughout January 2022 at Heartland Artists Gallery in Plymouth is featured artist Erica Coffing, a painter whose bright colors and natural sensibilities evoke joy and the power of visual acuity.

“I use bold brushwork… to create vibrant and energetic forms… a looser, more playful abstraction,” states Ms. Coffing, who believes “our traits reveal our true spirit.”

Via bold landscapes and dramatic portraits, her paintings evoke a depth and warmth captured through the artist’s eye yet defined by the nuances and shades beneath every person and subject. “We dwell in possibility,” said poet Emily Dickinson, and Ms. Coffing strives to see what resides in a person’s core and expresses those subtleties through her artistic eye.  Coupled with her ability to translate her vision are her extraordinary and colorful landscapes that powerfully invigorate the senses.

Also, on January’s roster of creative works to see at the gallery are the collaborative efforts of artists Vickie Cook and Todd Hoover in a pop-up exhibit of lighthearted vessels. Boasting ceramic rabbits, pigs, roosters, and more, these amusing pots are detailed and whimsical characters.

Playful and whimsical pottery created by Vickie Cook and Todd Hoover is on display at the Heartland Artists Gallery through January 29th.

Enjoy a brisk outing and visit the gallery to leave the doldrums of winter behind for a moment.  The Heartland Artists’ mission is to support area artists and to bring and to teach the arts to our community. Our not-for-profit gallery gives area artists a venue to show and sell their artwork. Activities are made possible, in part, by the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County and The Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and The National Endowment for the Arts. Visit www.heartlandgallery.com and find us on Facebook and Instagram. For more information, contact the gallery at 574-936-9515, which is located at 101 N. Michigan Street in downtown Plymouth.

Photo 1 Erica Coffing’s oil painting, In the Garish Light of the Sunset, is on display at the Heartland Artists Gallery through January 29th.

by Jan Peyser