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Heather Millar is a professional painter currently 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, with a major in glassblowing. A painter since childhood, Heather Millar is almost entirely self-taught and over the years her work has evolved into her own unique style. The overall impression is contemporary pop-art, whereupon the image depicted is the sole focus of the painting allowing the viewer to consider the importance of the subject without distraction. Heather is currently represented at Canvas Gallery in Toronto, Ontario and Adele Campbell Fine Art Gallery in Whistler BC. Her work can be found in public collections province-wide, private collections worldwide, and on the set of "Suits" and HGTV. Find her online at heathermillarart.com.
Published on April 1st, 2025. Artist responses collected in months previous.
Talk about some of the logistics of your art practice. What systems do you have in place to help streamline your workflows?
In my practice I find print sales have become part of my bread and butter income, so I am fortunate to have found a company in the US who offers print on demand sales and direct shipping. It's been a game-changer for me since I no longer need to batch order and ship out from my studio. This has saved me so much time and stress since they assume responsibility for the orders and tracking. I'm so grateful to have a strong working relationship with them.
What is some advice for someone who does not have any experience who would like to pursue a career like yours?
Over the years I have learned that you will always have feedback from people, whether you ask for it or not. It's so easy, especially in today's world with the accessibility of social media's influence, to tailor your work for an audience. Sometimes this is intentional, sometimes it's a subconscious action, but I find it can and almost always will, backfire. My advice is to stick to what inspires you and keep exploring it as long as you still feel that spark. Ideally, I've discovered it's best to create work for yourself and create as if nobody will ever see it. I think that will let you open yourself to a vulnerability you may not have the confidence to explore if you create work with an audience in mind.
What was the lowest point in your art career and how did you overcome those adversities?
One of the lowest points in my career was during what I now see in hindsight as a period of depression and grieving. I had lost my dad suddenly and had previously committed to a solo gallery show. I was struggling to focus and complete the work, having to redo many sections of the pieces because they weren't working for me. At one point I mentioned I was struggling with it to the gallery director and the response was something along the lines of "perhaps you're losing your edge." It struck me to the core and really shook my confidence at the time. At that point I decided to cancel the show until the following year and it was the right decision. I realize now that I was still processing my grief and the best thing was not to push myself into carrying on, "as normal," because life was anything but at that time. Every now and again that comment will pop into my head when I'm feeling less than confident about my work, but I've learned to recognize that thought as a signal to not force anything and just step away for a while.
How did you come into the type of artwork you are doing now?
I've been working on multiple bodies of work for the last two decades and still feel like there's so much more to explore. Originally I became interested in portraits of beloved childhood toys, creating that feeling of reverence and elevation we give to them as children. Eventually I felt the urge to stretch my technical skills and veered off into wildlife, wanting to use new techniques to create texture of fur and feathers. This led into wanting to explore more light and shadow, skin and facial features which in turn led to figurative works and eventually the exploration of arial landscapes. Focusing on intentional mark-making, crisp lines, shadows, blots of manmade structures and sinewy layers of water, these subjects have encompassed all of the characteristics that excite me in my painting practice.
What was an epiphany in your art practice that took you to the next level?
I think it's really all about having confidence in yourself and then the work will come as a result. As I mentioned before, I've come to understand the best work I can produce is when I create an art piece as if nobody will ever see it. This method of thinking has really led me to rely on my gut and follow my inspiration without having the influence of outside opinion, whether it would be good or bad. I want to create work in a vacuum for the time being, to really get back to basics.
Talk about some of the logistics of your art practice. What systems do you have in place to help streamline your workflows?
In my practice I find print sales have become part of my bread and butter income, so I am fortunate to have found a company in the US who offers print on demand sales and direct shipping. It's been a game-changer for me since I no longer need to batch order and ship out from my studio. This has saved me so much time and stress since they assume responsibility for the orders and tracking. I'm so grateful to have a strong working relationship with them.
What is some advice for someone who does not have any experience who would like to pursue a career like yours?
Over the years I have learned that you will always have feedback from people, whether you ask for it or not. It's so easy, especially in today's world with the accessibility of social media's influence, to tailor your work for an audience. Sometimes this is intentional, sometimes it's a subconscious action, but I find it can and almost always will, backfire. My advice is to stick to what inspires you and keep exploring it as long as you still feel that spark. Ideally, I've discovered it's best to create work for yourself and create as if nobody will ever see it. I think that will let you open yourself to a vulnerability you may not have the confidence to explore if you create work with an audience in mind.
What was the lowest point in your art career and how did you overcome those adversities?
One of the lowest points in my career was during what I now see in hindsight as a period of depression and grieving. I had lost my dad suddenly and had previously committed to a solo gallery show. I was struggling to focus and complete the work, having to redo many sections of the pieces because they weren't working for me. At one point I mentioned I was struggling with it to the gallery director and the response was something along the lines of "perhaps you're losing your edge." It struck me to the core and really shook my confidence at the time. At that point I decided to cancel the show until the following year and it was the right decision. I realize now that I was still processing my grief and the best thing was not to push myself into carrying on, "as normal," because life was anything but at that time. Every now and again that comment will pop into my head when I'm feeling less than confident about my work, but I've learned to recognize that thought as a signal to not force anything and just step away for a while.
How did you come into the type of artwork you are doing now?
I've been working on multiple bodies of work for the last two decades and still feel like there's so much more to explore. Originally I became interested in portraits of beloved childhood toys, creating that feeling of reverence and elevation we give to them as children. Eventually I felt the urge to stretch my technical skills and veered off into wildlife, wanting to use new techniques to create texture of fur and feathers. This led into wanting to explore more light and shadow, skin and facial features which in turn led to figurative works and eventually the exploration of arial landscapes. Focusing on intentional mark-making, crisp lines, shadows, blots of manmade structures and sinewy layers of water, these subjects have encompassed all of the characteristics that excite me in my painting practice.
What was an epiphany in your art practice that took you to the next level?
I think it's really all about having confidence in yourself and then the work will come as a result. As I mentioned before, I've come to understand the best work I can produce is when I create an art piece as if nobody will ever see it. This method of thinking has really led me to rely on my gut and follow my inspiration without having the influence of outside opinion, whether it would be good or bad. I want to create work in a vacuum for the time being, to really get back to basics.
Find Heather Millar on Instagram
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