Bucks County native, fine artist and graphic designer Christi Hetrick chooses joy. She finds inspiration in farmlands hemmed in by trees, covered bridges, fields, barns, farm implements, and the region’s arts history traditions.
“For me, every drive through a town or countryside here becomes a hunt for subject matter,” she said. “I get giddy when I discover something I want to paint.”
Hetrick was surrounded by the arts as a child. Her mother, artist Carol Gilbert, was always painting and drawing and she exposed her to the creative process and to observation and discovery at an early age.
But it was her Council Rock High School art teacher Mary Ann Bowman who became her mentor, who appreciated her, understood her, and who pushed her forward. It was there that Hetrick also acquired her interest in anything vintage.
“In our classroom there was a wall of objects that we were able to use for subject matter — it was a random collection of junk, old pots and milk glass, hats, fabric, old Coke bottles, and coffee grinders. It was that junk and her encouragement that made art come alive for me. She made me want to be an artist.”
Hetrick has worked as a graphic designer and a fine artist, and her true love is painting en plein air, or out of doors. She often takes photographs to use in her studio work but loves working from observation.
“When you are painting plein air, it is an adventure,” she said. “You pack up your supplies, head outside, and you don’t know what you are going to paint until you are out there exploring and discover what calls you. The painting finds you.”
She also loves the arts community the Arts & Cultural Council provides.
“Painting with Bucks County artists is extremely encouraging,” Hetrick said. “We have fun, we laugh, we learn from each other; the experience is valuable. It is a perfect mix of socialization, adventure, art — and pushing, and looking. It is also a way to spend more time with my mom.”
Hetrick is inspired by nature, light, color, detail, and especially reflections. Though she maintains a fairly consistent color palette, she enjoys the challenge of working in a variety of subject matter. Her personal approach to each piece is rooted in a simple philosophy.
“When people are looking at my art, they are looking at a piece of me — I want them to use my art as a way to see the world,” she said.
What makes art so special for Hetrick? In a nutshell, she noted, “Art makes looking at the world so much richer. Life is more interesting because of art.”
Christi Hetrick has been a member of the Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County since 2020. See more of her work in her Member Gallery at www.bucksarts.org.
Local Color is a column produced by the Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County. It appears on the first Thursday of each month.
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