The architecture in my paintings is largely imagined: dream-like mash-ups of places I've left behind. Plants and landscape, on the other hand, come from observation and research. I've always liked hiking, whether in the desert or temperate rainforest. I moved often, so I found my idea of "home" in the environment rather than in buildings. Whether plants are native, invasive, or poisonous has symbolic meaning. As a white person who is often asked if my last name is Indigenous (it is not), I’m keenly aware of American landscape painting’s role in furthering the violent colonization of the American West in particular. This is why I deliberately undermine illusionistic space with flatness, drawing attention to the artificiality. I don’t want anyone to forget that these images are imaginary and idiosyncratic, though based in reality.

https://carnationcontemporary.com/Imaginary-Shelter-Heather-Lee-Birdsong