COMMON ELEMENTS | Heidi Martin Kuster & Machelle Knochenhauer

In this exhibition, Heidi Martin Kuster’s abstract paintings reference the rolling waves and shifting sand dunes on Hatteras Island, and the spring snows and blossoms of the Sonoran Desert. She uses collage and varied mark making as she zooms in to create intricate compositions that explore the common elements of nature and life on our ever changing planet.

“My work is an examination of nature’s mark making and memory. My paintings acknowledge the interplay between earth’s physical notations and my human recollections. In this way I consider the inevitable merge between universal and personal history.”
- Heidi Martin Kuster

Heidi Martin Kuster was born in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and spent her childhood in the rural midwest. Currently residing on The Outer Banks of North Carolina, she has lived and worked in New York City, St Petersburg, Nashville, Chicago, Brussels, Barcelona, and Paris. She received her Master’s from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is in private and public collections throughout Europe and The United States.

ABOUT MACHELLE KNOCHENHAUER: Machelle is a ceramic sculptor who creates contemporary clay sculpture influenced by architecture and human anatomy. Her work is characterized by a perceived simplicity aimed at revealing the value or beauty inherent in color, texture and form.