Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Heather Heitzenrater. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My parents always supported me in whatever I wanted to do. My mom started to put me in different activities as a kid to see what clicked with me. I always came back to art or anything creative. I grew up in a small town and there weren’t too many art classes. When I was around 8, our local historical society started to run creative workshops for kids. I took so many of those classes. When we started to get older the teacher decided to host more in-depth art workshops on weekends. My parents made sure I was signed up for every one of them. It was never a question when it was time for me to graduate high school what I was going to major in college. I am so thankful, that even though they worried about the amount of jobs out there for an artist, they still never batted an eye or made me think of majoring in something that wasn’t art.
Heather, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a Pittsburgh-based oil painter. My paintings often incorporate figures immersed in environments surrounded by Mylar film and mirrors. Mylar’s silver, liquid-like surface forms abnormal shapes and catches magnificent colors from its surroundings. I have always been interested in art as a kid. I played with as many art supplies as possible. It wasn’t until art school that I found my love for painting and color. while learning how to paint, I realized I had a difficult time painting reflections. I made it a goal to focus on the subject and painted everything shiny that I could. I did a series of bottles, cans, and even people underwater. During my junior year of college, a grad student introduced me to reflective Mylar. The rest is history. I was about to combine my love of painting reflections, people and color all in one. I have been painting my style of Mylar oil paintings for 10 years now and I still love it and always have new ideas. I sell and show my own series of work and do portrait commissions in my style.
I have also been teaching art classes for 7 years. I mostly focus on teaching others how to draw the human figure and portraits. I teach at the Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media along with smaller workshops out of my studio. I also really enjoy doing scenic painting for Haunted Attractions, Escape Rooms, and Amusement Parks. I love transforming a bare room into another world. I really feel that everything I do really feeds each other. I always have a constant flow of inspiration and motivation.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I feel that every day, as an artist, you have to be resilient. Art is so subjective, and not everyone is going to like what you do. You have to have a thick skin and get used to rejection letters from galleries or negative comments on social media. I found the best way is to make your own experiences when you get a lot of rejection letters. You don’t have to have an art show at a gallery. You just need walls and eyes to see them. I have shown and had more success at showcasing artwork in local coffee shops. You can get creative with where you show your art. Most local businesses love to work with artists. Restaurants, hair salons, yoga studios even empty storefront windows can be great places to show your work in front of many people.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Stop buying cheap art from department stores! Most of this artwork has been stolen or plagiarized in some way. It is also cheap for a reason. The canvas is thin and will sag. It will more than likely warp and fade in a short amount of time. There is no meaning to this work, and it isn’t personal. Hundreds of people are going to have the same print as you. Yes, buying from an artist is going to be more expensive, but it will be one of a kind and be something you can hand down. Art is also an investment. It is going to gain more in value over the years. especially if the artists gets to be well known. We also need to hire artists more instead of relying on AI. AI art is stolen artwork as well. There are so many artist out there waiting to get a commission to create something beautiful, unique, and valuable just for you! When you buy from an artist, we do a happy dance and we get to do what we love and support our family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heatherheitzenrater.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_heitzenrater/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherheitzenraterart/
- Linkedin: https://www.instagram.com/heather_heitzenrater/
Image Credits
Serena and Bobby Bridges