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I 'm Heather.
Welcome to my studio!
I am so glad you are here.
If you're anything like me, then your home is your happy place, and you only add the pieces you can't walk away from.
Not only that, you also never miss an opportunity to invite someone in.
Your mom's recipes are at the top of your dinner party menu, and you don't necessarily need a special occasion to celebrate.
Is your motto "simple is best" – except maybe when it comes to that statement piece?
Then you're in the right spot.
I may have grown up in England (if you ever see me in a Barbour and Dubarrys – you'll know why), but I hold fast to my Southern roots. Hosting and celebrating are some of my favorite things, especially with the people I love.
Part of the comfort I have in hospitality is the confidence and conversation starters in my home.
My absolute favorite thing as an artist is to help you bring your memories to your walls to let your home tell your story.
I started painting as a gift to my grandmother. She had just moved from her home to be closer to family, and so for her birthday, I painted her much-beloved azaleas that she couldn't take with her.
When my grandmother opened her new azaleas, she was overcome. But I was even more impacted than she was, because I realized from what was supposed to be a simple gift just how meaningful art is in our lives and how it can bring not only our memories but our feelings into our homes.
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So I started painting more memories.
Want the full story?
Then grab a refill and settle in!
In a nutshell – I was raised in the south, and I grew up in England.
I am originally from Mobile, Alabama and was brought up on gulf coast beaches, historic homes, and southern manners. Southerners have perfected the art of turning anything into a celebratory occasion at the drop of a hat, and Mobile takes the cake.
One of my favorite things about Mobile is the relaxed, casual use of bright, bold color. Even if it's a seersucker suit, it's worn casually. It has to be it's simply too hot to do anything else! Between the clothing, décor, and even the architecture – this city isn't afraid of color. If the only things you know about my art are the images on this page, then I'm sure you can tell how this is a major influence!
When I was in middle school, my family and I moved to Manchester, England. Needless to say, England has a much different atmosphere! But over the years, this started to fit really well too. I love history and literature, and England has an abundance of both. My family settled in a home out in the country, and we seized every opportunity to visit a castle or go to a medieval banquet.
England is such a lush, green country, and I will always have an English countryside landscape collection forming in the back of my mind. If I ever pronounce anything a little funny, please forgive me – some words still linger!
I came back to the states to go to Auburn (War Eagle!), where I majored in chemical engineering. I know what you're thinking – engineering pairs perfectly with painting, right? So I feel like I need to explain a few things here.
I grew up in an engineering family (in fact, I'm a third generation Auburn engineering grad), and I have always loved problem solving and critical thinking. I have been in a ballet studio since I was three. For as long as I can remember, I have always been torn between critical thinking and creativity. When I went to Auburn, I didn't put a lot of thought into my major, and even though I ended up adding a minor in my favorite subject (English literature), I never got around to fully changing it. But as an engineer, I get to do one of my favorite things - solve problems!
Solving problems also leads to one of my other favorite things, which is helping people. Win-win in my book! Performing arts as well as visual arts is also a form of helping, sharing, or gifting to others, and now we are back in the creativity realm. Welcome to my paradox ! And I have never been able to choose between critical thinking and creativity, so I just chose both.
While at Auburn, I met and fell in love with my now husband, Eric. After a few years back in Mobile, we moved to Troy, Alabama, where we live with our children – Beau (2018), Anne Holloway (2020), and Kellerman (2023). Troy very quickly became home for us, and we love raising our family in this small, southern town!
Pike County Lake in Troy, AL
Image by Jennifer Schiller Photography
Soon after we were married, my grandmother moved from her home to be closer to family. For her birthday, I grabbed a canvas and painted those azaleas I was talking about earlier, so she could hang her flowers in her new home. One of my aunts saw the painting at my grandmother's birthday party, and she asked me if I could paint her something too.
And honestly, I have been painting ever since.
Just like the casual celebratory style of the south, I love bringing bold colors to my otherwise neutral walls with my paintings. Art is the perfect way to bring a little something extra to your décor or to find a tangible home for a memory.
After that first azalea painting, I fell in love with palette knives. By using palette knives and heavy body acrylics, my paintings include a lot of smooth texture. Palette knives also lend very nicely to abstract impressionism, an art movement which is reflective of how most of us would recall something to mind from memory.
Every stroke is loose and gestural, creating just an impression of the subject – our minds and our memories do the rest!
Possibly my favorite piece in our home is the painting of the church where we were married. It hangs framed with our wedding invitation.
Not only does it serve as such a special reminder to us of our marriage, but it's also a conversation starter for many who come into our home. They always ask - where were we married? Where is this church?
Then, oh the stories we remember and share!
This church is also where our son was baptized, and I can never resist diving into the story of the jazz band that happened to be leading the worship service that day to celebrate Mardi Gras!
Paintings bring with them the many stories we love to keep preserved in our memories.
Which painting has you smiling like that favorite memory?
Let your home tell your story.
Are you ready to find your next conversation starter?
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