Designing with Art: New Work in Palm Springs

RESILIENT 3 @ 20” x 20”

Three works from the RESILIENT series were recently installed in a Palm Springs–area home, where sanded textures offer a subtle tactile counterpoint in the bedroom. Bold color and luminous accents introduce small bursts of energy within a neutral palette, creating a more layered and engaging visual experience.

The clients selected two existing pieces, and a third was created specifically to sit between them—bridging the composition and completing the rhythm across the wall. The textured surfaces echo the surrounding desert landscape, bringing a sense of place and a quiet material dialogue to the room.

RESILIENT 1.4, 1.8, 1.3 (palette: vibrant) | each 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.3 (palette: vibrant) | each 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.4 (palette: vibrant) | each 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.8 (palette: vibrant) | each 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.4, 1.8, 1.3 (palette: vibrant) | each 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

Art as a design element—adding color, light, and presence to contemporary homes.

RESILIENT 2 @ 12" x 18" in custom palettes

Commissioned pieces bring warmth and shimmer to a gray-and-white bathroom—an environment where art is often overlooked. Glass and concrete prove ideal for this setting, offering durable color, subtle reflectivity, and an unexpected sense of presence in a space typically inhospitable to artwork.

Resilient 4.1 (vibrant) @ 12” x 18” c Heather Hancock 2025

Resilient 4.2 (aqua) @ 12” x 18” c Heather Hancock 2025

 

room details…

RESILIENT 4.1 (vibrant) 12” x 18” glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 4.2 (aqua) 12” x 18” glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

Architectural Abstraction in Glass | New Commission inspired by Mies van der Rohe

I’m looking forward to seeing installation images from a recent project created in collaboration with Meridian Art Consulting (formerly Boston Art).

The clients selected two existing works inspired by architect Mies van der Rohe. REFLECT 1.34 distills the repeating rhythm of windows and mullions from a classic Mies façade, while REFLECT 1.35 offers an upward view where his iconic I-beams define the skyscraper’s vertical cadence.

REFLECT 1.34 rhythm | 24” x 24” c Heather Hancock

REFLECT 1.35 cityview | 24” x 24” c Heather Hancock

To complete the grouping, a new companion piece was commissioned — designed to feel open and bright, with strong diagonal light and shadow. Shifting window scales introduce depth and a sense of spatial interplay.

REFLECT 4.16 Convergence | 30” x 30” edged panel | hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

detail REFLECT 4.16 Convergence | 30” x 30” edged panel | hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

New VISTA: Desert Geometries

VISTA: Desert Geometries
2@ 32" x 32" | glass inlay + concrete textures

I’m excited to share a dipytch that has recently been installed in a healthcare facility in California.

rendering of hospital install | VISTA: desert 2 @ 32” x 32” c Heather Hancock 2025

The brief was to create a VISTA rooted in the client’s local landscape and native foliage. Drawing inspiration from the Empire Inland Desert region, the design features distinctive desert geometries shaped by clustered soapweed, hummingbird mint, and vibrant orange poppies.

A background of linework—created with fine glass stringers—suggests windblown grasses, while textured concrete hills layer and recede into the distance.

detail VISTA: Desert Geometries 2 @ 32” x 32” glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

I hope this work brings a moment of shimmer, movement, and visual interest for patients, staff, and visitors in a busy healthcare setting.

detail VISTA: Desert Geometries 2 @ 32” x 32” glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

VISTA: Desert Geometries 2 @ 32” x 32” glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

Concept for Exterior Healthcare Installation

My work explores how material, light, and movement can shape meaningful human experiences. With a first career in healthcare—including 13 years as a speech-language pathologist and program director specializing in brain injury and stroke care—I bring a unique perspective to projects for healing environments. This background informs my interest in what engages and activates the human mind.

rendering | THRIVE c Heather Hancock 2025

I create “human-activated art”—works that shimmer, shift, and transform as viewers move past. In this case, as viewers drive past. Glass is central to this vision: its luminous qualities catch light and create dynamic interactions that invite curiosity and calm. For exterior applications, I combine UV-stable glass inlay with architectural-grade concrete, producing installations that are both visually compelling and highly durable for public spaces. I see integration with architectural context in palette and vocabulary as a top priority.

My approach to concept development is to find clean geometric forms that abstract natural rhythms and connectivity. The result is art that is deeply rooted in attention and perception—a natural complement to the mission of a neuroscience care environment.

rendering | THRIVE c Heather Hancock 2025

I can envision a series of architecturally integrated panels spanning 50-foot exterior walls—an abstract visual language inspired by nature’s rhythm and neural connectivity. The design evolves across the surface, creating a sense of progression and movement as patients and families arrive. Inlaid glass elements catch and refract daylight, bringing shimmer and subtle motion for an engaging experience. Scaled and finished to complement the building’s architecture, the installation delivers visual calm, dynamic interaction, and a strong connection to the mission of this healthcare facility. 

Commissioned Contemporary Art for Corporate & Hospitality Spaces: Engaging, Site-Specific Design

In corporate and hospitality settings, people spend hours surrounded by flat screens and digital surfaces. That’s why site-specific artwork designed with tactile, dimensional materials can transform a workplace or lobby into an engaging, memorable space.

The contemporary art commissions I create in glass and concrete bring rhythm, texture, and a distinctly human touch to professional environments. Durable by design, the works can be experienced directly, without glass barriers—adding depth and authenticity to a space. Concrete, elevated from its everyday role in the city, becomes a fine art medium: precise yet natural, weathered yet refined.

Each commissioned artwork is built from fragments of urban life—architectural lines, textures, signals, and stylized botanicals—distilled into abstractions that energize and inspire. For companies and hospitality brands, site-specific artwork offers more than visual appeal: it shapes atmosphere, reflects values, and leaves a lasting impression on clients and guests.

The Role of Contemporary Art in Healing: Site-Specific, Tactile Commissions for Healthcare Spaces

In healthcare settings, every design choice impacts how patients, families, and staff feel in a space. Beyond color and layout, art plays a vital role in creating calm, uplifting environments. Tactile, dimensional works of contemporary art bring something especially valuable: a grounding, sensory connection in moments when people need it most.

VIEW: Folded Hills 3 @ 5’ x 2’ c Heather Hancock 2025

My commissioned artworks in glass and concrete are designed for healthcare spaces to balance resilience with beauty. These materials are incredibly durable, allowing pieces to hang without glass for an unmediated, calming experience of texture and rhythm. Weathered concrete surfaces recall both the precision of the cityscape and the textures of natural elements—sand, beaches, tiny stones—creating a point of stillness and connection.

Each site-specific artwork begins with understanding the surrounding environment—views, textures, information, foliage—transformed into fresh abstractions that feel both familiar and restorative. Commissioned artwork like this becomes more than décor: it’s part of the healing environment, supporting wellness through visual rhythm, touch, and human-scale design.

ENCODE Elevation | 3 @ 30” x 20” c Heather Hancock 2025

New Pairings: Playing with Color and Texture in Contemporary Glass + Concrete Art

I create glass and concrete works that distill the city into human-scaled moments of beauty. Each piece begins with fragments of urban life—architecture, textures, signals, and stylized botanicals—cropped, reduced, and recomposed into fresh abstractions. Together, these works form a visual lexicon of overlooked urban beauty: elegant, tactile, and alive with rhythm.

RESILIENT 1.6 (mixed greens) | RESILIENT 1.5 (vivid) | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

REFLECT 6.9 (mixed greens) | RESILIENT 1.6 (mixed greens) | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

REFLECT 6.9 (mixed greens) | RESILIENT 1.6 (mixed greens) | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

ELEMENTAL 1.4 | RESILIENT 1.5 (vivid) | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

REFLECT 6.8 (vivid)| + ENCODE 3.50 | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.1 grayscale + REFLECT 6.8 (vivid)| 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

REFLECT 6.9 (mixed greens) | ENCODE 3.50 | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

ELEMENTAL 1.4 | REFLECT 6.7 grays 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.4 vivid + REFLECT 6.8 (vivid)| | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.1 grayscale + ENCODE 3.50 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

REFLECT 6.10 blues + ENCODE 3.49 | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

REFLECT 6.10 blues + RESILIENT 1.7 blues 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

REFLECT 6.7 grays + ENCODE 3.47 bloom 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

REFLECT 6.9 (mixed greens) | ELEMENTAL 1.4 | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

REFLECT 6.7 grays + ENCODE 3.48 thrive 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.1 grayscale + RESILIENT 1.6 (mixed greens) | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

Exploring Color Across Series: REFLECT, RESILIENT, ENCODE & ELEMENTAL

I’ve been experimenting with new pairings across series, and color is becoming a bigger part of the conversation. The REFLECT series, usually rooted in architectural rhythm, is taking on new color palettes that also show up in RESILIENT, creating some surprising harmonies. At the same time, the grayscale works in ENCODE and ELEMENTAL bring a minimalist, texture-forward counterpoint that grounds the bolder pieces. Seeing them side by side opens up fresh ways to think about balance, rhythm, and connection across the body of work.

ENCODE 3.44 + REFLECT 6.9 | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

ENCODE 3.48 thrive + RESILIENT 1.5 vibrant | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

ENCODE 3.52 (aim) + RESILIENT 1.1 | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.5 vibrant + RESILIENT 1.6 mixed greens | 20” x 20” hand cut glass and concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

ENCODE 3.52 (aim) + RESILIENT 1.5 vibrant | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.2 mixed greens + ENCODE 3.45 (act) | 20” x 20” hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

Summer work: ELEMENTAL

From the ELEMENTAL series: a study in tone, surface, and encoded structure. Glass inlay and textured embossing create quiet shifts across a restrained palette—part architecture, part bloom, part language.

ELEMENTAL 1.4 bloom | ELEMENTAL 1.5 flourish | 20” x 20” | glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

ELEMENTAL 1.4 bloom | 20” x 20” | glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

ELEMENTAL 1.5 flourish | 20” x 20” | glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

ELEMENTAL 1.6 thrive | 20” x 20” | glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

Summer work: RESILIENT

RESILIENT continues my exploration of nature through an urban lens—this time focusing on how organic life adapts, resists, and flourishes within the hardscape. Each piece merges textural concrete with hand-cut glass, vibrant palettes, and encoded language, creating abstract compositions that speak to endurance and renewal.

As a complement to the quiet minimalism of ELEMENTAL, RESILIENT offers a more dynamic, expressive interpretation—still rooted in the tension between order and wildness, structure and bloom.

“Biophilic abstraction” that aligns with contemporary material palettes.

RESILIENT 1.4 vibrant | 20” x 20” | glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.3 vibrant | 20” x 20” | glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.5 blies | 20” x 20” | glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.1 grayscale | 20” x 20” | glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.2 mixed greens | 20” x 20” | glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

RESILIENT 1.1 and 1.2 | 20” x 20” | glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

Summer sketching: mountain wildflowers

Fitting in some sketching time…taking inspo from my CO hiking pix from May and June. I’m always interested in how to create layered grasses and wildflowers.

VISTA: mountain grasses c Heather Hancock 2025

VISTA: mountain grasses c Heather Hancock 2025

VISTA: mountain grasses c Heather Hancock 2025

VISTA: mountain grasses c Heather Hancock 2025

Installation in New Jersey: Greens + blues for a Healing Space

VISTA: Folded Hills

3 @ 5’ x 2’ | glass inlay + concrete texture

An exciting new piece was just installed in a new construction healthcare facility in New Jersey.

The project was designed for an elevator lobby in a newly constructed facility, with a goal of creating something clean-lined, contemporary, and grounded in a sense of place. The clients wanted the artwork to resonate with both staff and visitors, reflecting the familiar local topography in a calming, abstracted way.

Vista: Folded Hills c Heather Hancock 2025 photo credit: KBAA

Vista: Folded Hills c Heather Hancock 2025 photo credit: KBAA

Inspired by the Suffern Bear Mountain Trail at Harriman State Park, the final piece captures the gentle rise and fall of the region’s low mountains through interconnected geometric forms. A soft, nature-based palette of blues and greens brings a feeling of calm, while a shimmering "river" of glass—sometimes stacked in lines, sometimes circling into a waterfall—adds movement and serenity to the composition.

inspo Suffern Bear Mountain Trail

inspo Suffern Bear Mountain Trail

inspo Suffern Bear Mountain Trail

VISTA: folded hills 3 @ 5’ x 2’ hand cut glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

detail VISTA: folded hills c Heather Hancock 2025

detail VISTA: folded hills c Heather Hancock 2025

Can’t wait to see this one installed in its new home, where it will hopefully offer a moment of quiet reflection and connection.

And explored some ideas for companion compositions, maybe prints on brushed aluminum.

folded hills print idea1 c HH 2025

folded hills print idea2 c HH 2025

folded hills print idea3 c HH 2025

folded hills print idea4 c HH 2025

From Studio to Skyline: New Work Headed to Hudson Yards

A new project is on its way to NYC for installation in an office space at Hudson Yards—exciting to see a piece head to this massive development in Manhattan.

When we began the design process, I explored a few abstracted “views” that layered the architecture of multiple Hudson Yards buildings. The idea was to find ways to abstract a number of HY buidlings into an energetic composition.

Ultimately, the client was drawn to a bold composition focused on HY50, one of the striking towers in the development.

With an abundance of natural light in the space, I was able to lean into some drama—incorporating black iridized glass that brings unexpected depth and shimmer. It's always a thrill to create something that captures the scale and complexity of the city, distilled into a more intimate, human-scale experience.

REFLECT 4.14 Planes + Facets 4’ x 3.5’ glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

detail REFLECT 4.14 Planes + Facets 4’ x 3.5’ glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

detail REFLECT 4.14 Planes + Facets 4’ x 3.5’ glass + concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2025

Based on all my research for this architectural feature piece I developed some companion compositions… smaller pieces that could support, echo and extend the bold feature piece.

1. RHYTHM studies

2. COLOR studies

3. BIOPHILIA studies

Resilient | contrasts in texture and reflectance

Quick sketches… shimmering glass inlay in layered greens set against light gray concrete textures. Lately, I’ve been revisiting ideas of biophilia—our deep-rooted connection to nature—and exploring how cities and the natural world are intertwined. Urban environments rely on nature for water management, air filtration, food production, and overall resilience. Inspired by authors like Ben Wilson (Urban Jungle), Emma Marris (Rambunctious Garden), and Thomas Rainer & Claudia West (Planting in a Post-Wild World), I’m continuously seeking visual ways to represent nature thriving within the engineered structures of our cities—the ultimate model of resilience.

Resilient 2.2 | glass inlay + concrete textures 20” x 20” c Heather Hancock 2025

Resilient 2.2 | glass inlay + concrete textures 20” x 20” c Heather Hancock 2025

And so many directions to go here. First ideas with grayscale and greens. Then what happens with blues or ambers. And could go all the way to pink/purples for a abstract wildflower idea.

Elemental | neutral tone-on-tone

Taking time in the studio to experiment with a new body of work: Elemental.

This series focuses on light neutrals, low-contrast palettes, and richly textured surfaces. Inspired by the quiet resilience of nature in urban spaces, the pieces feature dotted lines, abstracted text, and graphic foliage emerging from irregular backgrounds—creating a “vine on concrete” effect. The result is a subtle, minimalist visual language that brings texture, softness, and organic movement into clean, modern spaces.

Each piece offers a way to add visual interest and warmth without overwhelming a space—ideal for residential, hospitality, or wellness settings.

elemental 2 @ 20” x 20” glass inlay. + texture c Heather Hancock 2025

elemental 1.2 thrive 20” x 20” glass inlay. + texture c Heather Hancock 2025

elemental comp1 20” x 20” glass inlay. + texture c Heather Hancock 2025

elemental 1.3 bloom 20” x 20” glass inlay. + texture c Heather Hancock 2025

elemental 2 @ 20” x 20” glass inlay. + texture c Heather Hancock 2025

elemental 2 @ 20” x 20” glass inlay. + texture c Heather Hancock 2025

detail elemental 2 @ 20” x 20” glass inlay. + texture c Heather Hancock 2025

Feb sketching

Recently, I came across the striking 1970s brutalist architecture of Snowbird Resort, just outside Salt Lake City. Designed by architect Jack Smith, the buildings seamlessly echo the surrounding mountains and valleys, their bold angles and raw concrete forms blending with the rugged landscape—an incredible fusion of architecture and nature.

The moment I saw it, I envisioned an entire series exploring this dynamic interplay. Here’s a quick sketch of a possible composition—just the beginning of what could unfold.

sketch | winter mountain (inspired by Snow Bird resort) c Heather Hancock 2025

NYC FiDi | Steel + Light + Life

New gorgeous shimmery skyline project is headed for framing and then installation in a NYC financial district reception area.

Cities have a unique beauty. This work explores the dynamic interplay between the natural and urban worlds. Skyline views—crafted with creative license for a compelling composition—are focal points where architecture meets nature. Repetitive rhythms and textures of the built environment contrast with the organic diversity of the natural world. In the NYC Financial District, iconic skyscrapers rise alongside playful bursts of greenery, their presence magnified in shimmering reflections off the East River.

VISTA: NYC (Steel, Light + Life) 3@4' x 2.5' glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

detail of VISTA: NYC (Steel, Light + Life) 3@4' x 2.5' glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025

Pieces shipped unframed and just received a snapshot of the framed installed pieces.

VISTA: NYC (Steel, Light + Life) 3@4' x 2.5' glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2025