Heather Vickers: Equine
The inspiration behind Heather Vickers’ artwork is the experiences humans face when challenged with mental illness. The horses symbolize the confidence we have when life is going well, and we feel healthy. Unfortunately, people who feel strong and healthy can sometimes quickly and unexpectedly experience mental illness. Like debris in a headwind, these strong, healthy horses are tumbling about and toppled just as a person can be made to feel by the challenges life can present. Even powerful minds can be upended by circumstances over which they have no control. Mental health conditions affect all people, no matter their socio-economic conditions.
Equine is part of a series of murals that share titles taken from psychological references, including Kick Off, which comes from the expression used when someone is about to “kick off” into anger or another kind of mental health episode. Other works from the series include Duality, which addresses bi-polar disease, and Headwinds I & II, the two initial works that inspired this artistic direction.
Heather Galloway Vickers’ love of horses and capturing them through drawing are obsessions that began in her youth. Recently returning to the equine subject matter as an adult, she thinks about them differently. For Vickers, horses perfectly represent those persons who have experienced the direct effects of mental health conditions either personally, within families, or within their community.
Vickers is an artist and art educator from West Lafayette, Indiana. Born in Indianapolis, she received her BA in Studio Art and Art History from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, in 1989, and her MFA in Painting and Drawing from Northwestern University in 1991. Vickers’ paintings and drawings have been exhibited throughout the Midwest and the UK.
Her teaching experience includes 15 years post-secondary at the University of Indianapolis, DePauw University, as well as Purdue University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Art Education and is a full-time Senior Lecturer at Purdue.
Contact email: hgvickers9697@gmail.com