Heidrun Rathgeb - March 2026
Heidrun Rathgeb is an Austrian artist working across painting and drawing. Her practice is rooted in observation, often focusing on landscape, still life, and the relationship between interior and exterior space. She stayed at House of Hulda in March 2026.
Rathgeb’s work is built through looking - returning to subjects over time and translating them through a careful, measured approach to line, colour, and composition. Her paintings and drawings often carry a quiet intensity, shaped by sustained attention.
During her ten-day residency, she established a clear daily rhythm, moving between observation, sketching, and painting. Mornings often began outdoors, followed by long walks and hikes across the landscape, where she filled sketchbooks along the way. “To several of the local mountain tops I hiked… and filled my sketchbooks.”
While she noted the absence of dialogue with other artists, the solitude became an important part of the experience. “I did thoroughly enjoy entering into this world of silence. The only voices were the wind and the sea.” This quiet allowed her to focus closely on both landscape and interior space.
Encounters with wildlife became a meaningful part of her time on the island. Eagles circling overhead, ptarmigans in winter plumage, and a close sighting of a capercaillie. These moments carried particular weight, connecting her to environments and species no longer present in parts of Europe where she is based.
“The views from the house… I kept looking and looking.”
The house itself also became a subject. Its interiors, colours, objects, and light fed directly into her work. She produced drawings and paintings of the space, alongside landscapes shaped by her daily walks. Evenings were spent painting by the fire, extending the day’s observations into more resolved works.
“Ten days didn’t seem quite enough for everything I wanted to explore and draw.”
Since her stay at House of Hulda, Rathgeb continues to develop her practice, with the drawings and paintings initiated during the residency forming part of her ongoing work.
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