Do you remember you are water? Acknowledging that all humans are bodies of water, and are connected by water, is the primary message within –Annie Irene Hejny’s practice. She creates abstract, acrylic textured paintings with respectfully collected water and sediment from significant freshwater sources in the Midwest.

Annie’s collaboration with the Mississippi River began in June 2015. She carried two large buckets to the shoreline, dipped them into the river and brought the water back to her studio, beginning her Water Series. Not knowing what would emerge but trusting the voice of the river to move through her, she closed her eyes and felt the movement of the current. Annie recalled the luminous reflections and the strong, steady flow as she poured the collected water, mixed with acrylic, over the canvas. A new painting technique emerged and over the next several months she expanded it to include collected sediment as well. Since those first poured paintings, Annie has developed an extensive body of work comprising of more than 100 original pieces from places such as Lake Superior and the St. Croix River.

What inspires Annie today has the same threads that originally brought her to the shorelines: awe and gratitude. Each painting represents her deep relationship with water and is a call to tell our water stories. Annie invites you to remember that you too are a body of water.