Gravitating to the idea of capturing a moment in time, Heather Millar's work is reflective of vintage ambiance steeped in nostalgia, ranging from childhood toys, vintage family snapshots and portraiture, landscape and wildlife caught in a still moment. "I love the idea of having something tangible to represent that moment caught in time" So often our memories obscure what was our reality at the time, so bringing back those images in the form of a painting on canvas lets the viewer treasure what was possibly once lost.” Heather is a professional painter living and working in Prince Edward Island, Canada, since 2008. Formerly from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, she completed her BFA at Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary in 1998. A painter since childhood, Heather discovered the seductive elements of glass blowing while at ACAD and embraced that as her major for her years there. Upon graduation, the reality of renting or building her own glass studio was out of reach, so she once again picked up her brushes and discovered an entire, untapped world of inspiration within her surroundings. Almost entirely self-taught in painting, Heather’s work has evolved into her own unique style with the overall impression of contemporary pop-art, whereupon the image depicted is the sole focus of the painting. Heather is currently represented at Canvas Gallery in Toronto, Ontario, Adele Campbell Fine Art Gallery in Whistler, BC and HAZE Gallery in Berlin, Germany. Her work can be found in private collections worldwide, in public collections nationwide and on the set of "Suits" and HGTV.
Published on March 3rd, 2024. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What are you working on these days?
As it's coming up to the holidays I'm currently working on several custom pieces as well as an ongoing body of work of sayings, painted in the form of metallic balloon letters, and more recently the old school Fisher Price fridge magnet letters. I also find myself circling back to some old favourite subjects, vintage found family photos that I love to re-create as paintings. Something about seeing a snapshot of people doing everyday things without any context is something I find so interesting. It leave the observer to fill in their own blanks.
What has been going well for you in your art career and life recently?
It has been an interesting year for me in terms of commercial representation. There's been some upheaval of leaving a couple galleries and joining a new gallery, HAZE Gallery in Berlin. My work was displayed in Frankfurt's Discovery Art Fair this fall and I had the opportunity to go to Berlin this summer and meet the owner of the gallery. Additionally I was accepted to show a piece in Santa Fe at the Jen Tough Gallery, something I've wanted to be a part of for quite a while now.
What is something new that you have discovered this past year that is meaningful or helpful for you?
I'm not sure I would say this is a new discovery to me but more of a renewed appreciation, making an effort to connect with other fellow artists. I've been exclusively working from my home studio for over three years and while it's wonderful to have the solitude to think and create without distraction, it's become increasingly isolating as well. I've been making more of an effort to visit or even just message and converse with colleagues. I think many of us are in the same boat and it can be tough to strike a balance of having the time to create while remaining social. These days it's all about pumping each other up and solidarity.
Briefly walk us through your process of making art or thinking through a new project, focusing on what's most important to you as you create.
It begins with an inspirational image or object, one that will act as reference for a painting. I like to imagine it as you would through a viewfinder in a camera and then as a piece hung on a wall, to get an idea of composition. Primarily my focus once I have an image set, is colour scheme... I like to think about context and era, tweaking existing colours or creating a totally different palette depending on the mood I want to set. I believe strongly in colour therapy and feel that it's a fuel to ignite the imagination. I love to re-create feel-good childhood memories and try to achieve this with vintage toys or objects painted larger than life on canvas, giving that sense of reverence we had for these things when we were young.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers?
I can only reflect on how I'm feeling right now, after what in retrospect was a pretty tumultuous year... go easy on yourself if you're not in the emotional space to create. Not every "creation" has to be a physical one and not every day has to be productive. I think it's so easy to set the bar too high for ourselves, which will ultimately lead to unmet expectation and burnout. Get down to your grass roots and remember what it was that inspired you to create in the first place... live in that for a good while, every day.
What are you working on these days?
As it's coming up to the holidays I'm currently working on several custom pieces as well as an ongoing body of work of sayings, painted in the form of metallic balloon letters, and more recently the old school Fisher Price fridge magnet letters. I also find myself circling back to some old favourite subjects, vintage found family photos that I love to re-create as paintings. Something about seeing a snapshot of people doing everyday things without any context is something I find so interesting. It leave the observer to fill in their own blanks.
What has been going well for you in your art career and life recently?
It has been an interesting year for me in terms of commercial representation. There's been some upheaval of leaving a couple galleries and joining a new gallery, HAZE Gallery in Berlin. My work was displayed in Frankfurt's Discovery Art Fair this fall and I had the opportunity to go to Berlin this summer and meet the owner of the gallery. Additionally I was accepted to show a piece in Santa Fe at the Jen Tough Gallery, something I've wanted to be a part of for quite a while now.
What is something new that you have discovered this past year that is meaningful or helpful for you?
I'm not sure I would say this is a new discovery to me but more of a renewed appreciation, making an effort to connect with other fellow artists. I've been exclusively working from my home studio for over three years and while it's wonderful to have the solitude to think and create without distraction, it's become increasingly isolating as well. I've been making more of an effort to visit or even just message and converse with colleagues. I think many of us are in the same boat and it can be tough to strike a balance of having the time to create while remaining social. These days it's all about pumping each other up and solidarity.
Briefly walk us through your process of making art or thinking through a new project, focusing on what's most important to you as you create.
It begins with an inspirational image or object, one that will act as reference for a painting. I like to imagine it as you would through a viewfinder in a camera and then as a piece hung on a wall, to get an idea of composition. Primarily my focus once I have an image set, is colour scheme... I like to think about context and era, tweaking existing colours or creating a totally different palette depending on the mood I want to set. I believe strongly in colour therapy and feel that it's a fuel to ignite the imagination. I love to re-create feel-good childhood memories and try to achieve this with vintage toys or objects painted larger than life on canvas, giving that sense of reverence we had for these things when we were young.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers?
I can only reflect on how I'm feeling right now, after what in retrospect was a pretty tumultuous year... go easy on yourself if you're not in the emotional space to create. Not every "creation" has to be a physical one and not every day has to be productive. I think it's so easy to set the bar too high for ourselves, which will ultimately lead to unmet expectation and burnout. Get down to your grass roots and remember what it was that inspired you to create in the first place... live in that for a good while, every day.
Find Heather Millar on Instagram