BIO

Heather Kirtland, an artist and author, received a BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art.  She was awarded The Maryland State Arts Council Grant and was a resident artist at The Holt Center.  Most recently she works with West Elm as one of their Local Artist. Her work has been exhibited throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, abroad in Italy and Wales, and has appeared in Modern Rustic magazine and Country Living UK. The Make-A-Wish Foundation and Montessori school have commissioned her work, as well as many private collectors. Heather recently moved from Baltimore to a more rural part of Maryland where she lives with her husband and two children and their dog.  She enjoys encouraging other mothers to find a creative outlet through a project she co-founded with Marissa Huber; Carve Out Time for Art. Heather and Marissa’s book The Motherhood of Art will be published in spring 2020.

ARTIST STATEMENT

In my work I utilize the house form to represent a persona. I create situations and relationships within the composition that convey movement, tension, energy and emotion. Through this visual interaction it’s my intention to evoke a response or connection in the viewer to their own experiences. I hope that through these common emotions I can create a greater empathy.