Biography | Mysite

Biography

Heather is a British contemporary artist whose paintings resonate lived experience. Rooted in close observation, Heather's semi abstract, expressive, paintings reflect both personal narratives and the shared threads of human experience voiced through colour, light and space, creating works that invite connection and contemplation.

Originally trained in spatial and conceptual design, Heather graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in 3D Design before completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Painting and Drawing and a Master's Degree in Visual Art at West Dean College, (verified by the University of Sussex).

Heather's work has been selected for the National Open Art Exhibition and she is the recipient of the Stride Open Award, Chichester 2010. Over the past two decades, Heather has exhibited across the South East, including in Chichester and London, through invited solo and group exhibitions.

Committed to the continual development of her practice, and during a time of care for her mother, Heather further refined her painting through the TURPS Correspondence Course, where she was mentored by artists Jake Clarke, Graham Crowley and Colin Smith. Heather has also been mentored at different times by artist Mark Cazalet and sculptor Tim Sandys Renton.

Based on England's south coast, Heather works from her home studio. Her paintings are held in a growing number of UK private collections.

Artist Statement

My paintings always begin with direct experience and observation, but they are not intended to describe a particular place. Instead they evolve through memory, intuition and the physical process of painting itself. Working between representation and abstraction, I seek to capture the atmosphere of a moment rather than its precise appearance.

The landscape provides a point of departure, a structure from which colour, gesture and layered surfaces can develop into something more personal. Through translucent veils of paint, expressive mark-making and the gradual accumulation of forms, each painting, becomes a conversation between what is seen, remembered and imagined. I am interested in the way places become entwined with experience, carrying emotional resonance long after the details have faded.

My background in spatial design continues to influence how I construct a painting. Space is treated as something fluid rather than fixed, allowing the eye to move through shifting planes, reflections and fragments of form. The surface records both decision and chance, embracing the unexpected marks that emerge during the painting process.

Whilst grounded in observation, my work invites ambiguity. I hope viewers find space to bring their own memories and associations to the paintings, discovering moments of stillness, contemplation and quiet recognition.

Painting for me is an ongoing journey of how we experience the world, not simply as it appears, but as it is felt.