Heather Newman

My love of fantasy and my predisposition to daydream inspired my Imagine series. I often wonder what children are thinking or imagining, especially in those moments when they don’t think anyone is watching. This is what I love to paint—pure, simple moments. While creating a story on canvas I can be playful with patterns and colors and let my imagination take the lead and not be ruled by what is real. Filled with their emotionally charged energy, it is the facial expression that inspires and moves me in the direction that I need to go. I like to introduce a bold and vivid color palette into a composition that might otherwise be more subdued in the natural world. I infuse my own story into the story of these children, and while the environment I depict them in may be dream-like, the themes are very real and relatable such as: Beauty of simplicity and nature, innocence, faith, and the beauty of life; leaving me, and hopefully the viewer, with a feeling of wonder.