Heartfield, Lorraine

I first began painting in public school art classes and at summer camp. Because my career as an archeologist/environmental consultant entailed traveling and often living away from home for months at a time I began studying art to fill spare time. I worked my way through “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.” Then augmented by books and visits to art museums I began to draw and paint seriously. I studied art at Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe. NM. Courses included drawing, figure drawing, painting, wildlife painting, printmaking and color theory. Also while in Santa Fe, I studied oil painting (Lee Romel) and pastels (Jane Shoenfeld) in group lessons. I developed my current body of work based on both personal experience in the outdoors and formal art education. Utilizing on-site sketches and photography (my own and professional) each work is completed in my studio. I begin with realistic drawings and then, coordinated with careful color selection and abstraction of the composition, strive to compose a recognizable interesting subject with flare. With watercolor I enjoy pouring the background colors and using those colors in a slightly abstracted composition. Traditional washes are used on more realistic compositions. Just for fun, I occasionally compose “fanciful” watercolor/gouache combinations. The natural world is my passion: drawings and paintings range from landscapes to creatures and even a few humans. I love to paint birds! Most of my paintings are realistic but whimsical works, mostly in gouache, are fun and good for a grin. Greeting cards, prints, and originals are all available.