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, 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, British Columbia and Jones Gallery in Saint John, New Brunswick. Her work can be found in private collections worldwide, in public collections nationwide and on the set of "Suits" and on HGTV.
"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, 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, British Columbia and Jones Gallery in Saint John, New Brunswick. Her work can be found in private collections worldwide, in public collections nationwide and on the set of "Suits" and on HGTV.
Published on May 19th, 2022. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What are you currently excited about in your art practice?
Currently I’m working on a body of botanical work, something reflective of art nouveau illustration, keeping it simple and clean yet with enough grab to hold the viewer’s attention. I struggle with over-adding detail at times, in areas where it’s not needed, so I’m using this body of work as a launching point to practice simplifying. It goes against everything I’ve taught myself over the years, but when I look back at certain pieces of mine that have the most punch (in my opinion), it’s the ones with clean lines, intentional brushstrokes and bold, unbroken areas of colour. You could say I’ve gone right back to where I started, as botanical works were the very first subjects I’ve painted.
What were some of the challenges you faced last year as an artist? Was your work/ art practice affected by the pandemic this year, if so how?
2020 did give me a few challenges, specifically with gaining a better online presence. I’m a student of pre-internet times, and though I’m pretty up to date with technology, I still default to doing things the old fashioned way at times. I was a seller on Etsy and began finding it harder and harder to cope with frequent new rules and regulations, rising fees, the constant barrage of being rated and the anxiety that came with it. I decided to build my own e-commerce webpage that I launched in January of 2021 and was able to transition from an Etsy seller to essentially answering to no one but myself. Best move ever. In a bigger picture, my art practice suffered very little in terms of production, but the constant flux that Covid has kept the country in has altered the way my galleries are doing business. I’m grateful that we’ve all found a way to pivot and keep moving forward with such uncertainty constantly looming.
What does a typical day in the studio (or wherever you're making work) look like for you these days? What time of day are you at your studio, what are your studio must haves (ex: music, coffee, tools, etc), and what does your creative space look like?
A typical studio day looks like waking at 6am, multiple cups of tea then switching to coffee, a shower, then seeing my husband off to work, and finally beginning around 9am. I’m embarrassed to admit that I have all intentions of buckling down to start immediately, but get derailed when I sit down at my computer and realize I’ve got to either organize print orders or do some kind of paperwork, or simply answer emails. So in reality I usually start at 10am. Music is an absolute must, a clean work area too. I’m not one of those creatives that need chaos to be in the zone, I need organization, clean brushes, bright lighting and to know I’ll be undisturbed for a minimum of three hours. I usually work until lunch, take a break and work again until 4pm.
What resources for artists have you found helpful that may be helpful for other artists?
I was lent a book a couple years ago that really helped me define what I wanted and expected out of myself, as well as my future clients when it comes to taking custom orders or negotiating, titled Art Money Success by Maria Brophy. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a huge fan of “how-to” or self-help books, but this one was a bit of a game changer. I’d recommend it to anyone who is looking for a bit of validation in regards to being self-employed as an artist, and establishing boundaries. I also found it extremely helpful if you are considering licensing agreements, or simply want some base knowledge.
What in your art career are you looking forward to in the upcoming year? Do you have any specific goals or projects in mind?
I’m looking forward to my upcoming solo show at Jones Gallery in the Fall of 2022. I’ve been working out some ideas in recent months and am hoping we are in a good enough spot that Covid doesn’t prevent another in-person show. My line of thought for this show is based (as previously mentioned) on botanical works, representing each letter of the alphabet, as in “A is for Anemone” and so on. Ultimately, I’d like to create a print featuring the entire body of work. Another project idea I’ve had rolling around for some time is creating a coffee table book, something of a retrospective of the last decade of my works. I find I’m always straddling the balance between creating work that moves me while remaining mindful of executing work that is also marketable, whether it’s accessible smalls, or prints, or this idea of a coffee table book. I try to envision what a potential collector would want to start with if cost or space is an issue.
What are you currently excited about in your art practice?
Currently I’m working on a body of botanical work, something reflective of art nouveau illustration, keeping it simple and clean yet with enough grab to hold the viewer’s attention. I struggle with over-adding detail at times, in areas where it’s not needed, so I’m using this body of work as a launching point to practice simplifying. It goes against everything I’ve taught myself over the years, but when I look back at certain pieces of mine that have the most punch (in my opinion), it’s the ones with clean lines, intentional brushstrokes and bold, unbroken areas of colour. You could say I’ve gone right back to where I started, as botanical works were the very first subjects I’ve painted.
What were some of the challenges you faced last year as an artist? Was your work/ art practice affected by the pandemic this year, if so how?
2020 did give me a few challenges, specifically with gaining a better online presence. I’m a student of pre-internet times, and though I’m pretty up to date with technology, I still default to doing things the old fashioned way at times. I was a seller on Etsy and began finding it harder and harder to cope with frequent new rules and regulations, rising fees, the constant barrage of being rated and the anxiety that came with it. I decided to build my own e-commerce webpage that I launched in January of 2021 and was able to transition from an Etsy seller to essentially answering to no one but myself. Best move ever. In a bigger picture, my art practice suffered very little in terms of production, but the constant flux that Covid has kept the country in has altered the way my galleries are doing business. I’m grateful that we’ve all found a way to pivot and keep moving forward with such uncertainty constantly looming.
What does a typical day in the studio (or wherever you're making work) look like for you these days? What time of day are you at your studio, what are your studio must haves (ex: music, coffee, tools, etc), and what does your creative space look like?
A typical studio day looks like waking at 6am, multiple cups of tea then switching to coffee, a shower, then seeing my husband off to work, and finally beginning around 9am. I’m embarrassed to admit that I have all intentions of buckling down to start immediately, but get derailed when I sit down at my computer and realize I’ve got to either organize print orders or do some kind of paperwork, or simply answer emails. So in reality I usually start at 10am. Music is an absolute must, a clean work area too. I’m not one of those creatives that need chaos to be in the zone, I need organization, clean brushes, bright lighting and to know I’ll be undisturbed for a minimum of three hours. I usually work until lunch, take a break and work again until 4pm.
What resources for artists have you found helpful that may be helpful for other artists?
I was lent a book a couple years ago that really helped me define what I wanted and expected out of myself, as well as my future clients when it comes to taking custom orders or negotiating, titled Art Money Success by Maria Brophy. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a huge fan of “how-to” or self-help books, but this one was a bit of a game changer. I’d recommend it to anyone who is looking for a bit of validation in regards to being self-employed as an artist, and establishing boundaries. I also found it extremely helpful if you are considering licensing agreements, or simply want some base knowledge.
What in your art career are you looking forward to in the upcoming year? Do you have any specific goals or projects in mind?
I’m looking forward to my upcoming solo show at Jones Gallery in the Fall of 2022. I’ve been working out some ideas in recent months and am hoping we are in a good enough spot that Covid doesn’t prevent another in-person show. My line of thought for this show is based (as previously mentioned) on botanical works, representing each letter of the alphabet, as in “A is for Anemone” and so on. Ultimately, I’d like to create a print featuring the entire body of work. Another project idea I’ve had rolling around for some time is creating a coffee table book, something of a retrospective of the last decade of my works. I find I’m always straddling the balance between creating work that moves me while remaining mindful of executing work that is also marketable, whether it’s accessible smalls, or prints, or this idea of a coffee table book. I try to envision what a potential collector would want to start with if cost or space is an issue.
Find Heather Millar on Instagram