The Creative Act

About Heather

27 posts · joined 2009-01-9

Travel and eastern philosophies have been a major influence on my artistic style. I began taking art courses many years ago in Montreal and have continued doing so since moving to Ottawa in 1992. My long-standing interest in Asian art forms led me to study with both Japanese and Chinese sumi-e painters. For the past several years, I was a Heraldic artist for Rideau Hall; perhaps that's why I enjoy abstract painting so much now. After a past career in science and computer science, I changed gears completely and pursued a career in arts & heritage. Well, we know where THAT’S at. The only ”real” jobs I can seem to find are connected to writing. My involvement with a local haiku group over the past several years helps me to grow as a poet; everything else I write comes from the muse – a capricious, off-kilter and fractious thing which seems to be pissed-off lately. As a painter, I often incorporate text, poetry or Asian elements into my work. Over the past year, I explored some new approaches in mixed media through the Ottawa School of Art and Enriched Bread Artists, where I participated in a couple of small exhibits. I've also participated in exhibits at the Japanese Embassy, various branches of the Ottawa Library and the Ottawa Writers' Festival. Currently, I am Professional Development Chair for a large group of mixed media artists in Ottawa; I try to create every day – I was born with the germ for writing in one form or another. It seems to have manifested itself in poetry as my particular form of expression, meanwhile I try to earn a living by writing technical stuff and taking small commissions to help pay for books or workshops. Generally, what I dislike most about writing bios is writing bios.