The Canvas

February 11, 2008 —

by James Fry

Caroline Heller's piece Serenity Prayer (left) is located in SVSU's Admissions Office along with her paper mache piece The Act.

"Therapy through art" is the theme of Caroline Heller's Serenity Prayer, located in the SVSU Admissions Office.

Painted in blue, green, purple, and yellow, the five-panel piece is a study in forms, lines, space and abstraction. The layout of the panels - latex on homasote (a type of wallboard made from recycled paper) was particularly challenging to Heller because of the unique angles that each segment expresses.

Created in about a month for her Advanced Painting class, Heller said that the focus of this sculpture was "creating an ambiguous relationship among the five piecesto make one question their own perceptions."

Heller is very passionate about art because of its capabilities of "communication, expression, healing, and therapy," and has been an artist for as long as she remembers. Influenced by renown artists such as Hans Hoffman, Mark Rothko and Frank Stella, Serenity Prayer is a good example of her current style, although she remains very experimental as she grows, learns and adapts her aesthetic.

Heller also has several more pieces displayed around SVSU that embody her abstract and experimental style, including her paper mache The Act, located in the Admissions Office, and a stylized staircase in Arbury titled Progression/regression.

Currently working on her BFA and a minor in psychology, Heller intends to pursue a master's degree in art therapy and eventually hopes to open her own gallery.