Get to know the artist
who I am, why I create, and what I've done
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Who I am
(biography)
Hi, I'm Heather Clements
Creating art from her inner-most weirdo
Heather Clements has used art as a catalyst for mental and emotional growth ever since she was a young child. While growing up in the D.C. metro area of Northern Virginia, Heather Clements never wavered in her pursuit to be an artist. She graduated cum laude in 2007 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.
After graduation Heather moved to Panama City, Florida, where mere months later she became the owner of an art gallery and cultural venue space called Gallery Above. Hosting monthly art exhibits, weekly swing dances and film nights, and countless music performances of local and touring bands, Gallery Above served as the hub for the sub-culture of Bay County. 2 years later Heather worked at the local arts museum for a short while before deciding to leave and concentrate on her main love: creating art.
For 15 years Heather has been working as a professional artist and art instructor. Her work has focused consistently on humans and our connection with nature. Often combining playful abstractions with realistic portraits, her drawings, oil paintings, cut-paper, and watercolors have exhibited in galleries and museums all across the United States. She has had several solo exhibitions and won many awards for her work including several Best-in-Shows. Recently Heather has created many murals across Northwest Florida, and as far as New York City.
In 2018 climate change hit Heather and her entire area directly in the form of Hurricane Michael, which formed unusually and extremely quickly into a category 5. The hurricane not only destroyed Heather’s home leaving her displaced to temporary less-than-ideal living situations for almost 3 years, but it ripped away so much of the natural environment Heather loved. Over millions of acres, the hurricane destroyed 75-90% off all the trees, and 95% of the tree canopy. In the months following the hurricane, Heather also suffered multiple personal losses and challenges, all leaving her in a deep depression.
After a year without creating any art, drowning in trauma and loss, Heather decided to take a drastic step toward self-healing. She booked a tiny off-grid treehouse in the woods of the mountains of North Georgia for a week. Unplugged and isolated, she set out to heal through nature and art. She feared she might just cry for a week, but every morning she hiked and every day she created art until the sun set. She created works about loss that healed her. Inexplicably it worked far better than she could have ever hoped for. That week she clawed out of the depths of her depression, and has never been back.
In 2023 Heather relocated to Asheville, North Carolina, after falling in love with the mountains, endless forest trails, and thriving arts community. Asheville promised to be a haven in the changing climate, and yet recently Hurricane Helene ravaged her life yet again, this time sparing her home, but destroying the gallery and teaching space she belonged to in River Arts District. Through nature and art, and the arts community, Heather is healing again.
Her recent work has focused on interactivity: her new book, “Pull Me Apart” is full of pull tabs, spin wheels, and more, for people to manipulate and play. She has also expanded into creating interactive murals, where visitors can spin a giant wooden wheel, revealing different images behind cut-out areas of the design. Heather is embracing her inner-most weirdo, and creating the art that most wants to come screaming out of her. Paradoxically, when we create something truly for ourselves, it’s what others connect with most. Exploring that beautiful interconnectivity of us all motivates Heather’s continued creative pursuits.
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Why I create
(artist statement)
We live in a culture that has lost our deep connection with our home: the wilderness, the Earth. In my art, I visually explore the relationships between the people of our culture and the natural world. This in itself is a paradox, because humans are not separate from nature, but a part of nature. My work reflects a positive message of hope for a symbiotic interdependence between humans and our organic surroundings.
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What I've done
(Résumé)
Education
Maryland Institute College of Art [MICA], Baltimore, MD, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Cum Laude, Painting, May 2007
Solo Exhibitions
2021 Becoming Nature Again- Heather Clements Art Show, Taproom, Panama City, FL
2018 We Are Nature: Art by Heather Clements, Panama City Center for the Arts Main Gallery, FL
2015 Human Nature: Heather Clements, Gulf Coast State College Amelia Center Main Gallery, Panama City, FL
2013 Cut It Out: Cut Paper Art by Heather Clements, Bay County Public Library, Panama City, FL
2012 I Cut Paper: Art by Heather Clements, Studio b., Alys Beach, FL
2010 Heather Clements –A Selection of Works: Past, Present, but not Future, Gulf Coast Community College, Panama City, FL
2008 Octopus’s Garden: Art by Heather Clements, Tupelo Theater, Wewahitchka, FL
2007 I Draw People - The Art of Heather Clements, Gallery Above, Panama City, FL
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 Standing Strong, Bender Gallery, Asheville, NC
2024 Celebrate the Blues, Re.Imagine Gallery, Fairview, NC
2024 Raising Spirits and Hope, ArtPlay Gallery, Asheville, NC
2023 Annual Guild of American Papercutters Exhibit, Panama City Center for the Arts, FL
2019 Winter Exhibit, Foster Gallery, Santa Rosa Beach, FL and Mirimar Beach, FL
2017 Grand Opening Exhibition, Fringe Gallery, Panama City, FL
2016 Maker's Mark: A Sketchbook Exhibit (3-woman show), Mosey's, Panama City, FL
2012/14/15/16 Top of the Class, Juried Exhibition, Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, FL
2015 A Step Into Spring, Juried Exhibition, Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2015 Musae, Juried Exhibition, Pensacola, FL
2014 A Cut Above, Highfield Hall and Garden, Falmouth, MA
2014 Nature Inspired, Guild of American Papercutters National Museum, Somerset, PA
2012/13 Northstar Annual Art Show, Panama City, FL
2012 Dia de los Muertos, ChimMaya Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Heather Heather Heather (3-woman show), CityArts Cooperative, Panama City, FL
2011 BOLD, A&M Theater, Panama City, FL
2009 Opening Exhibition, Studio B, Alys Beach, FL
2007/08 Darkness, Gallery Above, Panama City, FL
2007 Commencement Exhibition, Fox Gallery, MICA, Baltimore, MD
2004 Selections from the Painting Department, Brown 3 Gallery, MICA, Baltimore, MD
2002/03 Something Hot, Gallery 222, Leesburg, VA
Selected Awards
2022 Best of Show 59th Bay Annual, Panama City Center for the Arts, FL
2017 + 2016 Best of Show, 53rd + 54th Bay Annual, Panama City Center for the Arts, FL
2017 + 2016 1st Place, Public Eye Soar International Projection Art Festival, Panama City, FL
2017 Best of Show, 58th Annual Beaux Arts Exhibition, Fort Walton Beach, FL
2016 1st Place, and People's Choice Award, Northwest Florida Art Battle
2015 + 2014 2nd Place, Public Eye Soar, Panama City, FL
2015 + 2014 + 2012 Merit Award, Top of the Class Juried Exhibit, Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, FL
2014 1st Place, Figure It Juried Exhibit, Arts and Design Society of Fort Walton Beach, FL
2003-2007 Dean’s List, MICA, Baltimore, MD
2003-2007 Presidential Scholarship, MICA, Baltimore, MD
2003 1st Place, Excellence in the Arts, Loudoun Arts Council, Loudoun County, VA
1999 1st Place in Art, Terry and Sherry Malone Foundation, Loudoun County, VA
Selected Press
2024 “Heather Clements on Reclaiming Creativity in the Wake of Storms” On the Blue Ridge podcast
2021 "Clements to Debut New Watercolor Series at Taproom," Panama City News Herald
2018 "Clements' Work Declares 'We Are Nature," Panama City News Herald
2016 "Artist Heather Clements," Panama City Living Magazine
2015 "Artist's Touch: Embracing a Natural Humanity," PanamaCity.com print and online
2014 "Artist Interview," www.CLAWCLAW.com
2013 "Cut It Out: Artist's work connects with man, nature," PanamaCity.com print and online
2013 "The Business Side of Papercutting," First Cut Newsletter
2013 "Portrait of the people artist, Heather Clements," Panama City Life Magazine
2012 "Artist Opens Exhibit of Paper Cut Work," Walton Sun
2011 "A Cut Above The Rest: Artist Rocks Paper, Scissors," News Herald
2011 “Paper Garden Blooms at VAC,” Bay County Bullet
2010 Featured Artist, Beachcomber
2008 “Shaking Up the PC Arts Scene,” Cover Story, 5-page article, Coastal Homes and Lifestyles Magazine
2008 "Panama City Artist Brings Show to Tupelo Theater," (Cover Story) Gulf County Breeze
2008 Featured Artist (February- April,) Bay Arts Magazine (Cover and article)
2008 Artist of the month (January), EmeraldCoast.com
2007-2013 Cover Artist, Panama City Visitors Map
2007 Featured Artist (December,) Coastal Style MagazineSelected
Affiliations
2023 - present Featured Artist, 310 Art, Asheville, NC
2010 - 2023 Member of CityArts Cooperative [PR + Marketing Manager, Gallery Manager, Director Recruitment]
2018 - 2021 Board of Directors, Bay Arts Alliance
2012 - present Member of Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County
2012 - present Member of Guild of American Papercutters, (Exhibitions committee 2021-)
Judging
2023 “Tales and Songs” Guild of American Papercutters Annual Exhibit - Juror
2022 Gulf Coast Shell Show - Art Division - Juror
2021 Ocaloosa Public Arts- Artist’s Choice Exhibition - Juror
2019 Skateboard Deck Art Contest - Panama City Center for the Arts - Juror
Published Works
2024 “Pull Me Apart: Interactive Sketchbook by Heather Clements” published by Poposition Press
2018 "We Are Nature: Art by Heather Clements" self-published
2012 "Cut Paper by Heather Clements" self-published
Experience
Full Time Professional Artist 2010 - present:
Fine art, commissioned art, murals
Art Instructor 2007 - present:
See current offering of classes and workshops
310 Art, Asheville, NC 2023-present
All Together Art, Asheville, NC 2024-present
CityArts Cooperative, Panama City, FL 2010-2023
Arts and Design Society, Fort Walton Beach, FL 2014-2023
Panama City Center for the Arts, FL 2015-2023
Gulf Coast State College, Panama City, FL 2015-2023
Bayou Arts Center, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 2016-2023
Studio b., Alys Beach, FL 2009-2012
Visual Arts Center, Panama City, FL 2009-2010
Michaels, Panama City, FL 2007
Visual Arts Center of Northwest Florida, Panama City, FL 2009 - 2010:
Exhibitions Manager and Graphic Designer
Gallery Above, Panama City, FL 2007 - 2009:
[The Gallery Above was a contemporary art gallery and venue space, serving as an arts hub for the sub-culture of the area]
Owner/Operator: monthly exhibit curation, graphic design, marketing, event organization, sales, etc.