Heather MacKenzie

About Me

Heather MacKenzie is an artist who has an emotional link with her subjects. Her art has evolved over the years from representational to impressionism, where she uses watercolor pointillism to evoke ethereal images that dance with color.

Heather started painting at an early age in oil, with no formal training. Her grandmother opposed the smell associated with oils, so she took up watercolor in her teens, although she enjoys many mediums. She grew up in Chatham, Cape Cod, and went to Massachusetts College of Art on scholarship. Her philosophy is; “Life is a canvas, make everything art and make art out of everything.” At MassArt, she never took a painting class, although she was accepted to the fine arts division. Instead, she was drawn to photography and filmmaking. After graduating with an M.F.A. in cinematography, she moved to Los Angeles and worked in film, which landed her a position with the American Broadcasting Company. She became a camerawoman for the news and embarked on a fabulous career, traveling the world while documenting historical events. She covered the first Holocaust Reunion in Israel in 1980, President Reagan’s cross-country re-election campaign, the release of hostages from Iran, the Summer and Winter Olympics of both ’84 and ’88, twenty five years of Academy Awards coverage, the Oakland and Northridge earthquakes, Super Bowls, NFL and college games, both Dodger’s World Series, Romania’s orphans, O. J. Simpson’s criminal and civil trials, Princess Diana’s funeral and Michael Jackson’s court battle, to name a few.

While working and traveling under a demanding schedule for ABC, she also earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree, pulling a fulltime load of graduate courses in television and film, at the University of California, Los Angeles. Heather always found the time to paint and create with her photography. She launched many successful shows on both coasts, from Hollywood to Chatham.

Ms. MacKenzie survived a serious threat to her health and decided to accept a buyout from Disney/ABC, Inc. in the summer of 2009. She moved with her husband to Cape Cod with the desire to concentrate on following her dreams of making a living as an artist. Heather is inspired by the Cape’s environment and wildlife. She paints images that have long waited to come out. All she’s ever wanted was time to paint and create!

Heather’s first painting submission to the Cape’s local art community won first prize and she was recognized with honors for her still photography, all within months of arriving on-scene. She teaches photography to at-risk high school students in Barnstable and is working on writing a book about her life as an award-winning electronic-news-gathering camerawoman. She enjoys gardening, cooking, canoeing and water sports. She designed her home’s interior and has always transformed her environment as an expression of her artistic talents.

Heather loves impressionism, especially Monet, Cassatt, Manet and Van Gogh. She finds inspiration in beauty and hopes her expressions give joy to those who own her paintings.

Mediums Used

Watercolor/Photography/Photo-art

Style of Work

Impressionism

Themes in Work

Soft impressionism images of flowers, fields, water, nature.

Where Work is Displayed

Nickerson Art Gallery for fine art Watercolors, 818 Main Street, Chatham, MA 02633, (508)-945-0310, Local Color Art Gallery (next to Ocean St. Job Lot) for Photo-Art, 1652 Main St., W. Chatham, MA 02669, (508)-348-1661, Cape Cod Photo, Art & Framing, 38 Main St., Orleans, MA 02653, (508)-255-0476, Order photo-art prints from artist's portfolio and print from the high quality custom lab or buy ready-to-frame bin art. (Next door to Land Ho!)

Price Range

$325 to $1400 framed originals

Professional Affiliations

Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, VAC, Creative Arts Center, Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, Chatham Chamber of Commerce, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Cape Cod Arts Association.

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