Ruth Heaton’s work combines the figurative and the abstract in an exploration of spatial and chromatic complexity. Her painting practice is a combination of precise visual placement and responsive mark making. A sense of rhythm is created through the repetition of compositional structures, this is interrupted by an abstraction of form and colour, intentionally provoking a perceptual ambiguity.

 Her work is largely influenced by her embodied experience of being in the landscape, and this is realised through a combination of memory and photographs. This is also informed by her previous work as a mental health practitioner and her interest in the relationship between well-being and green space. Vegetation, ecology, architecture, and maps are sources of inspiration, with seasonal variations often providing a lens through which to explore kaleidoscopic abstractions of colour and shape.

Ruth Heaton is an artist who was born in Greater Manchester and now lives in West Yorkshire. She works across painting, sculpture, and installation and graduated with an MFA (master of fine art), achieving a distinction, from West Dean College of Arts and Conservation (University of Sussex). She also holds a Graduate diploma in Fine Art and a Diploma in Arts and Contemporary craft.

She previously worked in the NHS as a Mental Health Nurse and holds a MSc and a BSc in the clinical practice fields. Her final post in the NHS was Deputy Director of Nursing. Between 2013 and 2020 she worked as a Lecturer at the University of Salford where she had a specialist interest in Mental Health and, participatory art and recovery.

 In 2021 and 2022 she had solo exhibitions in West Dean house and had work in group exhibitions in both London and Sussex. Her work is held in both private and public collections with a recent body of work installed in the University of Salford’s School of Health and Society’s permanent collection. In July 2023 she curated and exhibited work with 2 fellow artists in Sheffield, and in October 2023 will be part of a group exhibition in Athens.  She is the Curator and exhibition manager for a community based gallery in Huddersfield, and also provides curation and installation support to an artist led gallery in Sheffield.

 www.ruthheaton.com
@rutheheaton