heather Kirtland

***Fine artist, author, speaker, and creative instigator.***
She received her BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art and was a Maryland State Art Council Grant recipient that same year. Her work has been exhibited throughout the US, Italy, and Wales. In addition to her painting practice, Heather teaches encaustic. She is a community founder at Carve Out Time for Art (33K) and published author of “The Motherhood of Art” selected as a 2021 Best New Book on Motherhood by Book Authority. Heather lives outside Baltimore with her husband, two children, and their dog.

selected exhibitions

HOTEL INDIGO/MAP
hancock solar gallery
holt center for the arts
eubie blake cultural center
jordan faye contemporary
west annapolis artworks
carrol country arts center

My work is a reflection of our state of being. It responds to our need to be seen. Through abstract compositions, I create visual representations of our universal human emotions. I use brushstrokes, drawn lines, layers of paint, and recognizable forms to represent us. I show how outside forces surround our inner selves, and through paint convey these emotions. I use encaustic, oil, and acrylic paints to build layers. I incorporate marks with oil pastels, spray paint, and markers that can relay immediacy and intensity. My paintings give room and a place to express what cannot be formulated into words. In my experience, it is a struggle to take up space and to be valued when I show up as myself. I create a connection to this collective experience that is both unique to you and universal to us.

ENcaustic art

creating art with wax and a blow torch

Encaustic is a wax paint composed of beeswax, resin, and pigment. The wax is melted on a heated palette and applied to a porous surface while molten, then reheated to fuse the wax to the surface or layer below.

“I love the look and feel of encaustic, and how it makes you want to touch the surface. The process itself is always a bit exciting and unpredictable as well”

CARVE OUT TIME FOR ART

Our mission is to empower people to stop dreaming and start doing, especially when it comes to carving out time for art. We are passionate about building community, encouraging others (especially women), and connecting people. We want to cultivate a positive and nurturing community for creatives who want to find time to satisfy this part of their identity. We do this by fostering conversations, connecting creatives with resources, and showing people they are not alone.”
— Marissa + Heather

Marissa Huber and Heather Kirtland met on line in 2015 and by the end of that year they had created a community of creatives they called CARVE OUT TIME FOR ART. Their instagram account grew to 33K and began an important dialogue for women that needed permission to ignore the dishes and get in the studio. They have published 100 artist interviews on our website and hosted hundreds of artist takeover on their social media account.

PODCAST

ART & COCKTAILS podcast Ekaterina Popova, April
CRAFT A LIFE YOU LOVE podcast, Amy Tangerine, April
DEAR ARTIST & LETTERS TO ARTIST, podcast, Benz Amataya,

PINWHEEL, episode 10 podcast, Mj Kokovski & Paige Meredith

I LIKE YOUR WORK podcast Erika Hess
EVERYDAY CREATIVE PEOPLE podcast Dena Adriance

ARTIST/MOTHER podcast, Kaylan Buteyn,
HOW SHE CREATES podcast Lauren Hooper