Anita Zymolka Amrhein

Barbara Heile studied painting and received degrees (BA76 and MFA82) at American University in Washington, D.C. during a time when the faculty was still grounded and sensitive to the tradition of painting as embodied by artists who worked in a visual and refined expressive process.

She works primarily in oil and cold wax and began exploring acrylics in 2022.

Any medium that affords her a visual and painterly way into relationship with what she is feeling - and open to seeing - is her path.

Her approach is truly Aquarian in nature. Her work is original and she is open to the new; honoring of tradition she is not held by it. In earlier years the landscape had her full attention. This gave way to her interest in the abstract surface for its own sake, as expressive paint. The inner landscape of her felt sense is at present her main subject where new shapes come into painted form.

The paintings express joy and freedom and a depth of stillness through the healing qualities of color and light.

The directness and spontaneity of her approach, often using her hand directly to move the paint, can be felt in the surface and in the free interplay of color. She sees her way of painting as a path of expressive contemplation and is grateful for this way of loving the world as a visual artist.

Barbara has been actively showing in group and one person shows since the early 1980‘s and is a familiar face among artists in Rappahannock County. She enjoyed three years teaching Drawing and Painting at Lord Fairfax Community College in Warrenton, VA. Until its closing in 2015, she kept an active and open studio at River District Arts in Sperryville Her daily studio work now takes place at home.

Her natural call to painting supports her wish to share the experience of the mystery we all live in as human beings. A lifelong meditation practice supports the silent depth you can experience in even her smallest paintings. Her paintings have found homes around the world.

Being the mother of three independent and creative sons, raised in Rappahannock County, is by far her most rewarding life experience.

Barbara keeps an active diary of her work in progress on Instagram @bheileart ~~~thank you for looking! ~~~

ANITA ZYMOLKA AMRHEIN

Artist Statement

Nature, color, details and classic music inspire my paintings, which can turn out to be realistic, abstract, whimsical or all of it at once. My paintings seek to capture the intricacies and interrelatedness of Nature. From human beings and charismatic megafauna to the tiniest insect or nematode, each species has a role to play. I imagine species that have yet to be discovered alongside those that are familiar. I present the viewer with both a big-picture ecosystem view and also the tiniest details to remind us of the important part each of the world’s creatures contributes to our environment. I usually start with a random color scheme and then let my feelings, imagination and intuition guide me to a finished painting. That is why I often try to express a serious side through my paintings to remind us of the importance of protecting nature and our environment.

Curriculum Vitae

I grew up in East Germany and escaped just a day before the Berlin Wall went up. Together with my diplomat husband I have lived, traveled and worked extensively overseas. My husband and I now make our home again in Virginia.

Beginning with drawing in 1964, I moved on to oil, acrylic, porcelain and silk painting. Along the way I painted ceramic and porcelain gifts for the Smithsonian stores, bathroom porcelain items for a specialty store and classic Delft tiles for a manufacturer. In 1981, I settled on watercolors as my favorite medium. It was also the most portable medium since my husband joined the Diplomatic Service and we started to move frequently overseas and domestic.

I continued my watercolor studies in '81 to '85 under Prof. Yan Yee Hong at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, later continued under Prof. August Ohm in Hamburg and Berlin, Germany. Several workshops in Germany and Italy, and with Linda Doll, Michelle Tremaine, Skip Lawrence and Paul Jackson in the U.S., helped me develop my own style.

I have had solo exhibitions in Hamburg, Berlin and Potsdam, Germany; Milan, Italy; Warrenton, Virginia; Seattle and Everett, Washington. My paintings have been juried into Exhibitions at the Tacoma Museum of Art, the National Watercolor Society (NWS) and International Exhibitions of the Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS), California Watercolor Association (CWA), Collective Visions Gallery (CVG) and the Shenzhen (China) International Watercolor Biennial. My works can be found in private collections in many countries. I am a member of NWS and Signature Member of NWWS and CWA. I sign my paintings with my maiden name “ZYMOLKA”.

artbyzymolka@gmail.com http://www.artbyzymolka.com 540-547-2368