Pencil, ink or ballpoint pen drawings — sometimes torn and collaged into multi-layered compositions — form the basis of Stefanie Heinze’s artistic practice and set the tone for the opulent and often ambiguous language of her paintings. Like in her canvases, the figures depicted in Heinze’s drawings are more open-ended than clearly defined, somewhat like mental images that invite the viewer to form a wide variety of associations.

These works are displayed in small wooden frames. In some cases, the framing is transparent, revealing drawings on both sides of the paper. Heinze’s paintings can be seen as mirroring her drawings. They are sketches for specific artistic endeavors, namely for blank canvases onto which the artist projects the forms depicted in her drawings. A process of meticulous painting ensues, the result of which is equally poignant large-scale work.