So you want to know more about me? Hmmmmm... what to say?
I guess I will start from my earliest memories of drawing. My Grandmother would come up with ideas of things for me to draw using my memory like "sheep in a field" or she would ask me to draw the pictures from the TV Guide contest page. Do you remember them?!
I guess I will start from my earliest memories of drawing. My Grandmother would come up with ideas of things for me to draw using my memory like "sheep in a field" or she would ask me to draw the pictures from the TV Guide contest page. Do you remember them?!
I remember my third grade teacher questioning whether something I had drawn for a book report was actually my Mother's work! Fifth grade was a rough year socially for me. I would sit alone at a table in the school library and draw. My favorite "How To" book was Draw 50 Famous Faces by Lee J. Ames. I must have drawn every face in that book during that school year! It really helped to solidify my love for portraiture. I recently found an old copy of the book on Amazon and had to add it to my art library.
I couldn't wait to get to high school so that I could take all the Art classes available. I was able to take a basic drawing class as a Freshman but then they cut the entire Art Program! I was devastated!
I slowly built up my own portfolio of work so that I had something to show the College Administrators in order to get accepted into the Art Program at UMass, Amherst. I took a year or so of basic classes like Figure Drawing and Graphic Design before I became interested in Interior Design.
I was unfortunately influenced by the stigma of the 'Starving Artist'. I couldn't be the first person in my family to go to a four year college only to become an 'Artist'! I had to have a 'career'! I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design in 1995 and entered the work force designing kitchens and bathrooms.
I enjoyed picking out tile and faucets and creating beautiful spaces, but dealing with people when they have just torn apart their kitchens or bathrooms is very stressful! I burned out quickly and moved on to other jobs that had nothing to do with art or design.
When we had our son in 2006 I stopped working and became a stay-at-home Mom. I was able to resurrect my passion for drawing while he took naps. When I had built up a small portfolio of portraits and standard subjects I started showing my artwork at local art festivals in Old Saybrook and Mystic, Connecticut. I was shocked and encouraged when I won awards at the festivals and people started to commission me to draw their pets and children.
I slowly built up my own portfolio of work so that I had something to show the College Administrators in order to get accepted into the Art Program at UMass, Amherst. I took a year or so of basic classes like Figure Drawing and Graphic Design before I became interested in Interior Design.
I was unfortunately influenced by the stigma of the 'Starving Artist'. I couldn't be the first person in my family to go to a four year college only to become an 'Artist'! I had to have a 'career'! I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design in 1995 and entered the work force designing kitchens and bathrooms.
I enjoyed picking out tile and faucets and creating beautiful spaces, but dealing with people when they have just torn apart their kitchens or bathrooms is very stressful! I burned out quickly and moved on to other jobs that had nothing to do with art or design.
When we had our son in 2006 I stopped working and became a stay-at-home Mom. I was able to resurrect my passion for drawing while he took naps. When I had built up a small portfolio of portraits and standard subjects I started showing my artwork at local art festivals in Old Saybrook and Mystic, Connecticut. I was shocked and encouraged when I won awards at the festivals and people started to commission me to draw their pets and children.
I've basically stumbled along, doing the occasional commission, for the past 14 years while raising our son. Everything changed on December 2, 2019. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had surgery in January and radiation the entire month of March 2020.
I count myself as very lucky for how things went. I didn't need chemotherapy and I am feeling really healthy again. It sounds cliche but there is nothing like a cancer diagnosis to wake you up and make you think about what you really want to do with your life!
Which brings me to this moment, the creation of this website, and dedicating myself to doing what I love. Creating Artwork!
Please follow along with me as I explore subjects that excite me. I hope that you see beauty in the pieces I create. Maine is a gorgeous part of this world and I hope to capture as much of it on paper as I can.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little better. I hope to work with you soon!
All the best,
Heather
I count myself as very lucky for how things went. I didn't need chemotherapy and I am feeling really healthy again. It sounds cliche but there is nothing like a cancer diagnosis to wake you up and make you think about what you really want to do with your life!
Which brings me to this moment, the creation of this website, and dedicating myself to doing what I love. Creating Artwork!
Please follow along with me as I explore subjects that excite me. I hope that you see beauty in the pieces I create. Maine is a gorgeous part of this world and I hope to capture as much of it on paper as I can.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little better. I hope to work with you soon!
All the best,
Heather