We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Whiteside a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Although I had some fine art schooling, I am mostly self-taught. I learned my craft by just doing it. This requires a lot of experimentation with various paint mediums, materials and thinking outside of the box so there are no barriers to creativity (at least that is the objective). Year after year, I learned from my mistakes and discovered what works well and what doesn’t. I also learned what my strengths are and what aspects of my craft I enjoy doing the most, so I could focus more on these aspects of my artwork.

I’m not sure if there is any way to speed up the process of learning art. It’s really a process which takes time to evolve and mature. For most people, it is a process which takes a lifetime and a craft which has no end to learning it.

There are people who are more creatively minded and others who are more analytical. So I think one of the most essential skills of an artist, is to have been born with a creative mind. Obviously, that is not a choice, but a personality trait but it certainly dictates (to an extent) how a person looks at the world and solves problems. As well as how one expresses him/herself.

I began working as a professional artist right out of high school, so I had to hit the ground running and learn as I went. However, I believe I could have learned a lot more of the basics in the beginning, had I attended a full time applied art school. Instead, I learned the basics the hard way and on my own.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a fine art painter with more than thirty years of experience professionally. My primary focus is contemporary landscapes and cityscapes on canvas and wood. I specialize in old world painting techniques and contemporary archival print methods for producing reproduction giclées. In addition, I have expertise in traditional art restoration utilizing conservation methods to repair, clean and restore paintings and sculptures in various mediums.

My art studio is based in my Knoxville Tennessee home. I work closely with clients to create custom paintings for their home or business, stretched canvas giclées and full service custom picture framing. My artwork is a feature in many prominent corporate and private collections internationally and a favorite of many interior designers.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think non-creative people often do not understand how differently artists see and relate to, the world around us. We tend to approach everyday things from two entirely different perspectives and it is difficult to understand something that is so foreign to a person’s senses. Artists are born this way, not made this way.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

It saddens me that our government and society does not understand how fundamentally important arts are to our human existence. Even for non-creatives, making art is a very therapeutic process. Art brings joy to people’s hearts and it is a form of pictorial history. I think it’s important to support the arts in schools from a very early age, and to support public works, museums and individual artists. I believe it is the last thing that should be defunded, but unfortunately, it is often the first thing to go.     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.whitesideart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whiteside.art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1263004198
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyVQS2xbMKXFVqGakzNkiww

Image Credits
Image Copyrights – 2023 – Heather Whiteside