Heather Walsh

Fly Over Landscapes questions what happens when our parents are no longer present in our  lives and the new landscapes formed over time and faded memories. Through the grief,  resiliency takes hold, and new life is breathed in, created from the depth of loss and sorrow. A  glimmer of hope leads us forward.

When my father was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, I began an 18-month  journey flying from New York to the Midwest to be by his side during the last days of his life.  Each flight was more heartbreaking than the previous; I consoled myself by photographing  passing landscapes beneath me.

After his passing, alone in my memories, I began to layer the landscapes, using collage and  overpainting techniques, revealing my personal journey of the healing process, and  transforming this traumatic experience into something bearable to live with. This work seeks to  celebrate the beauty and sorrow, the ever-changing landscapes of our closest relationships, and  life itself.

Artist Bio

Heather Walsh is a lens-based artist whose creative practice is a balance between documentary  and fine art photography. For over a decade, Walsh has worked as a photojournalist photographing stories about our shared humanity for clients including The New York Times, The  Wall Street Journal, and NPR. An accomplished storyteller, Walsh excels with photographing  individuals dealing with serious illness, sensitive cultural issues, and cause-related projects that  merge photojournalism and portraiture. Her portraits exhibit respect, sensitivity, and empathy.  During the covid-19 pandemic, she began exploring the more shadowy parts of her life through  mixed media photography. Her diverse artistic practice transcends traditional boundaries and  focuses its gaze on the resiliency of loss.

http://www.heatherwalsh.com