Heather Wilson

Memories of a happy childhood inspire Heather Wilson as she works. Patterns synonymous with the 60s and 70s, landmarks she remembers from family holidays, and the colours and symbols that surrounded her are captured in her art. Heather uses acrylic and mixed media on canvas and board with resin effects to explore aspects of iconic New Zealand scenery and symbolism connected with her beloved geometric patterns from the 1960s and 1970s.  She names Gio Ponti, Yayoi Ku-Sama, Comme des Garcons, Andy Warhol and Piet Mondrian as influences yet her work is unique: an explosion of intense colour and texture. It’s Heather’s trademark.

Heather is a self-taught artist living in Napier, New Zealand. She was born in Wellington and studied at Otago University in Dunedin, where she graduated with degrees in Nutrition and Food Science. It’s no surprise she chose to study the sciences. She comes from a family of health professionals, but she has always had art in her genes. Her family is not just a scientific one – they’re an artistic one as well. She shares a love of art with her siblings, and this appealed as an escape from the corporate world. Today, she creates her own designs, and works to commission from her home studio in Napier, where she’s lived with her husband and two (arty) children since 2007. The only rule she closely follows is this one: don’t take yourself too seriously.

If an exhibition or art show were a party, Heather’s work would not be the wallflower in the corner. It makes itself known, and for more than two decades it has been capturing attention at some of New Zealand’s finest galleries, most prestigious art shows, and biggest school fundraisers.

Heather wants her art to be enjoyed, and to convey the fun she had in creating it. She works with a smile on her face and frequently reminds herself that her current colourful existence is a far cry from her former black and white corporate life. Her art celebrates that.