Heather Hogan makes art because she must create. The process of creating calms and connects me to place, time, and people and provides a sense of worth and purpose. Hogan is drawn to collage, printmaking, and assemblage art because all require hand-work, engineering, and process. Her work aims to amuse, tell stories, and make one see or remember things differently through themes of motherhood, feminism, and impacts of modern life.

As a child (ok, these days too) I’d put things on my head to make people laugh: a change in context to charm the viewer. She does this in my art with concepts and materials. To begin, she gathers objects and images that create a story or a composition, like pairing guests for a dinner party, she senses objects that would get along and make good friends.

In my day job she make websites. The tools and processes she employs are complex and inaccessible to many; she contrasts this part of her life with art. She aims to focus on objects and images with history and longevity, apply simple processes to elevate or transform common goods, and reuse materials for economic and environmental benefit.

If you have a vivid dream about toast you will likely think differently about your breakfast. When your perception of an object shifts, it can change you.