

"The Queen Mother" | 18" x 12" | acrylic on wood | 2014
Heather McKey
Biography

Heather McKey is a traditional acrylic painter, depicting imaginary birdlife and sea creatures with unexpected and striking features.
These fanciful individuals are embellished with a variety of shells and botanicals often intermingled with feathers and patterns borrowed from nature. Strange and familiar at the same time, they are playful and exotic as they strike a pose in their world of dreamy landscapes and seascapes, peering back at their viewers with large, expressive eyes.
In each painting, there is homage to the beauty and design displayed in nature but shared through the artist’s eye, giving viewers a chance to let their imaginations run wild with the unique personalities, expressions and stories layered in. Thoughtfully planned and painted with sensitive detail, Heather’s hope is to connect her artworks with those who can personally identify with the soulful and realistic intrigue of her friendly creations and feel a sense of warmth and wonder.
From the onset of her debut solo gallery show with Distinction Gallery, collectors now enjoy her paintings in their homes across the world. Heather’s own home is San Diego, California where she paints and raises her family with her husband, Nick.
_____
Education
ART MENTORSHIP WITH JUDY NACHAZEL, 1991-2001
Ramona, California
PALOMAR COLLEGE, FINE ART AND ILLUSTRATION, 2000-2007
San Marcos, California
ART MENTORSHIP WITH CHRISTOPHER POLENTZ, 2003-2009
San Diego, California
Exhibits
The Olde Ramona Hotel Gallery, 2003
Gallery 97/Back Door Gallery, 2008
San Diego County Fair Fine Arts Exhibition, 2009
Gallery 97/Back Door Gallery, 2009
The Olde Ramona Hotel Gallery, 2009
San Diego County Fair Fine Arts Exhibit, 2010 & 2011
CPSA Explore This! 8 Online International Exhibit, 2012 - 2013
Main Street Gallery 5, 2012
One Plus Six Equals Seven, Distinction Gallery, 2013
San Diego County Fair Fine Arts Exhibit, 2013
Animal Fairy Tales, Fables, Fact or Fiction, Las Laguna Art Gallery, 2013
10th Anniversary Show, Distinction Gallery, 2014
CPSA Explore This! 10 Online International Exhibit, 2014 - 2015
Wonderbirds, Solo Show Debut, Distinction Gallery, 2014
CPSA Explore This! 11 Online International Exhibit, 2015 - 2016
One On One, Sparks Gallery, 2015
Prints On Wood Show, Distinction Gallery, 2015
LA Art Show, Distinction Gallery Booth, 2016
Natural Beauty, Solo Show, Distinction Gallery, 2017
Natural Histories VI, Antler Gallery, 2017
Awards
The Olde Ramona Hotel Gallery | 3rd Place
San Diego County Fair | Fine Arts Exhibition, Honorable Mention, People’s Choice Award
San Diego County Fair | Fine Arts Exhibition, 2nd Place, Honorable Mention, People’s Choice Award
San Diego County Fair | Fine Arts Exhibition, Honorable Mention
Colored Pencil Society of America |CPX Signature Status Award
Publications
To The Point CPSA magazine issues, 2013, 2015 & 2016
Enchanted, Out of Steps Books, 2016
Affiliations
Member of the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA)