WILLOW HEATH | ARTIST
ABOUT THE ARTIST. Willow Heath is a watercolor artist, illustrator, and art instructor. Willow has been exhibiting her watercolor, acrylic, and oil paintings in galleries and museums since 1996 and has been instructing art courses throughout the Seattle area since 2000.
BORN IN THE WILD. Born in the remote Alaskan wilderness Willow spent the early years of her childhood off-the-grid on a Yukon River homestead. Willow's later childhood was a nomadic existence immersed in arts and culture, as she traveled the United States in a converted school bus with her artist mother. Willow's unique childhood gave her the foundation to confidently experiment with her art while simultaneously passionately pursuing it. Willow has gained a reputation in Seattle schools as a storytelling artist, as Willow's Alaskan adventures are brought to life in the form of stories and a unique lived experience of the art world.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I adore the nuance, transparency, and magic of watercolor. Watercolor allows me to be playful with my paint while simultaneously seeing how far I can push the limits and perceptions of watercolor. My art reflects my current obsessions and observations visually and internally of a moment in time. The finished art and the creation of the art as separate points in time. While I'm painting, I am immersed in the process, when the art is finished, it is no longer my art but rather the potential for infinite moments and meanings belonging to the viewers.
SEATTLE. Willow lives in Seattle where she instructs painting courses to adults and youth for over 25 years. When she does not have her paint to the paper or her nose in a book, you can find Willow instructing courses at Gage Academy of Art, Pratt Fine Art, Coyote Central, and many other Seattle schools and museums.
WILLOW’S ILLUSTRATIONS. In 2019 Willow’s first illustration project was published by Random House/ Rodale Kids. Lasting Love, a children’s book by Caroline Wright with illustrations by Willow can be found wherever books are sold. In 2020 Willow was nominated for best picture book illustrator by the Washington State Book Awards. In 2020 Willow painted over 40 watercolor food illustrations for SOUP CLUB (Simon & Schuster 2021) a plant based cookbook by author, cook, cancer survivor, and warrior mama Caroline Wright. In 2024 Willow illustrated yet another book with Caroline Wright, SECONDS, the follow-up to SOUP CLUB. IN 2025 SECONDS won GOLD in The Independent Publishers award for cookbooks.
"Each new painting represents a joyful experimentation between subject, medium, and technique.”
TEACHING ARTIST STATEMENT.
As an artist I create my paintings from personal inspirations, and as a teacher I guide my students through the building blocks to reflect their own inspirations while building on their skills. I believe it is important to enjoy the process of creating art as much as the outcome. With this in mind I design curricula that reflect both the inspirational and the technical qualities within the creative process. Through teaching art I have developed a greater understanding of my own process and am able to provide my students with a solid foundation to express their artistic visions. I strive for my classroom and art studio to be a welcoming art studio environment, where anyone who wants to create can join, from the thrill seeking curious beginner, to the skilled artist looking to strengthen their toolkit and push their art further.
AWARDED best ONLINE arts education program of 2020, 6Crickets
AWARDED parents choice best art program of 2021& 2022, 6Crickets
2020, Best Picture Book nominee and runner up for WA State.
2025, Gold Winner of the IPPY for Seconds, a plant based cookbook.