Meet Heather Livingston | Acrylic Abstract Artist of Arizona & Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Livingston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I started painting, it was just for fun and it was calming and therapeutic for me. It helped with anxiety and depression. I was able to express emotions through my paintings when I had no one to talk to. I created very large paintings and lots of smaller pieces until every wall in my house was covered. with my paintings. I started to paint other things when I ran out of wall space. Flower pots, table tops, picture frames, dressers, vases, and even started making coasters. I started advertising to do commission pieces so I could continue to paint and not have to worry about where I would hang it. Then I started to accumulate supplies and grew out of the guest room I was using to paint in. So, I took over the formal dinning room and thought it would be a great place to teach my techniques to others. After advertising and getting a lot of responses from people to have classes, I realized I loved teaching and it was very rewarding to watch other people create beautiful paintings. It was also very satisfying to watch how each person chose their own color combinations and see how the different techniques looked when they were done. After about of year of teaching I realized I was barely making enough income to cover the cost of supplies, but I was enjoying it enough to continue. I knew it would never be a good source of income for me, but I was getting something out of it worth much more than money. So, I have continued class and expanded to by doing Paint & Sip parties and transporting my supplies to do events and parties at other locations. It is a lot of work, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Last year I started looking for opportunities to sell my paintings and items at local art festivals. After purchasing a canopy tent and doing my first set up, I realized it was difficult to put so much work into setting up not knowing if I would sell anything. I’ve done two shows and I only sold a couple of small paintings. At this point I am happy to just continue teaching and hosting parties. I would like for it to be more profitable, but I will continue to enjoy it even if it’s not.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Most of my paintings are forms of abstract art displaying a variety of movement on all sizes of canvas with colorful bold colors.

My paintings encourage conversations about what each person sees in a painting and can visualize something different in the shapes and patters they see.

I am excited to share my talent with others when I teach them a technique and see them realize that they can create a beautiful painting even when they don’t consider themselves to be artistic.

I spent over 20 years in the social services field working with disabled adults and children teaching American Sign Language and other types of communication techniques to improve their quality of life . I believe that my love for teaching has lead to what I do today, but with even more rewarding work in a field that I love of creativity and art.

I have learned that doing what you love can be much more profitable than how much money you make doing it.

I hope to gain more customers to come to a class and learn to express themselves through art as well as finding people who love my work and want to display my art in their home. and every time they see it, it brings them joy and appreciation of art as much as I do.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to Coon Bluff to see the wild horses A drive to Payson to see the beautiful scenery and get an ice cream shake from Danzeisen Dairy Creamery.
Scottsdale Art District to check out the Galleries and have some dinner at one of the many awesome restaurants.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Many thanks to family and friends who have encouraged and supported me by critiquing and complementing my talent. Also, to the Gilbert Visual Art League who excepted me into their organization and given me a place to learn from other Artists and display my art in gallery shows. Through this group I have also been volunteering at the House of Refuge teaching art classes to the children of the families who are in the program. It is very rewarding to see the children enjoy creating their own art and helping them build their confidence and self-esteem.

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/livingstonabstractcreations

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/by.HeatherLivingston/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzj21LGmC6CB0StqDsnwf7g

Other: PROFILE ON PHOENIX RAW ARTISTS EVENT https://rawartists.com/ https://www.rawartists.org https://sitesgooglecomviewlivingstonabstractcreations PAINTINGS FOR SALE WEBSITE https://sites.google.com/buyabstract.me/abstract-paintings-livingston/home