Heidi McKeown is an abstract painter from Minnesota. She has a life long love of color, abstract art and interior design, specifically mid-century design. She is known for her very large, energetic and colorful acrylic paintings and she believes in pushing the limits of her paint and of herself. Affectionately she refers to her studio as a science laboratory and herself as the mad scientist, hence this constant state of experimentation explains her various styles. She also tends not to mix her paint on a palette, but prefers to let the paints mix themselves on the canvas. Often a finished painting is found underneath a painting, where she scrapes off the top layer to find what mysteries appear. Color and the interaction of colors along with scale and balance is what drives her sense of joy and wonder.
Several artists inspire her, such as Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Hans Hoffman, Piet Mondrian and Gerhard Richter to name a few. Heidi’s work has been in various shows, found in institutions and with collectors across the country.
An important message in this statement is that you are never too old to learn new things! Heidi started painting at the age of 54 once her last child was off to college. Her goal was to have fun and to learn new things never intending to show or sell her work. It wasn’t long before fate would have it that she caught the attention of Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. The first piece to leave her studio went to their library that was designed by the famed architect Marcel Breuer and her piece hangs over a bench also designed by the architect. To say this was thrilling is an understatement. She also created a lithograph of the painting that is sold in the Saint John’s Bookstore with the proceeds benefitting the art department. Because of this exposure, her art became global and an artist was born.
Lastly, the older she gets the louder and wilder her art is becoming, which is adding a humorous element as she paints. Supporting other artists both with client referrals and helping new or fellow artists is a great source of joy and she is thankful to be part of such a thriving art community. Her belief is that there is a lot of art to go around and that it’s not about making a sale, it’s about art and loving art and finding the exact piece that speaks to you.
" One must, from time to time, attempt things that are beyond one's capacity"
--Auguste Renoir
Welcome to my studio and galleries! I'm so thankful for my space and for all the people who stop in. Here's a glimpse into what I've been up to! Cheers!
I’m very honored to be named one of DESTIG Magazines Top Emerging Artists for 2019! DESTIG is an international fine arts magazine located in London with a readership in 80 countries.( For more information please see my blog or google Destig) Below is the first two pages of my interview. They did a great job! It’s so fun to see people from all over the world looking at my website. Hello to all of you and thank you for showing such interest and for such a wonderful show of support for my art! Cheers!
A big Thank You to the Minneapolis Scout Guide for inviting me to join them! It is a great guide if you are planning a trip to Minneapolis or even if you live here. Also a big thank you to photographer John Wagner.! It’s such a privilege to be a part of such a lovely publication.
Thank you to Pillar Homes and the home owner for asking me to fill their home with my art for the 2018 Artisan Home Tour. Every year builders open their doors to their new luxury crafted homes and it was an honor to be a part of it.
Thank you to the magazine Artful Living for doing such an excellent job with my ads. They are a pleasure to work with! This was for the Super Bowl that was here in 2018.
Thank you to the Phipps Center in Hudson, it was a lovely show!
Thank you to Artful Living Magazine for featuring me in “Inside the Artists Studio”. Such a fun magazine and so much fun to be a part of it! Cheers!
Thank you Kelly Gallery for having my flags as part of your show! It was such a lovely event and so fun to be a part of! Cheers!
Thank you to Martin Patrick 3 for having me as a guest artist for your fall inspired design event. Such a lovely evening! Cheers!
So fun to be apart of the N. E Mpls Arts district fall show, cheers!
Thank you to the White Bear Center for the Arts. It was a pleasure being part of your show.
Thank you to the fantastic printing team at John Roberts for working the nine hours it took to make the lithograph print of “Anno Domini- Winter”. It was such a thrill to work with you and to have my print made by the same team that printed the Saint John’s bible. It was an extraordinary experience as was presenting it to the president of Saint John’s, Dr. Michael Hemesath. All the proceeds of the print sales will go to the art department at Saint Johns.
Thank you to Saint John’s University for finding such a spectacular home for my painting “Anno Domini- Saint John’s Abbey “. It is such a thrill to have it in your library that was designed by Marcel Breuer and resting over one of his original benches.
Thank you to the Phipps Center in Hudson Wisconsin for having my flag in your show. It was an exceptional show and such a thrill to be a part of it. And thank you to my family and friends for their support and love! Cheers!
Thank you once again to Martin Patric 3 for having my art as part of your Inspired by Design show. It’s always so fun to see how you incorporate my art into your designs. Cheers!
Thank you to MN Catholic Community Foundation for finding such a wonderful home for the Saint Paul Cathedral print. It is right at home in your boardroom! Cheers!
Thank you to the magazine Artful Living for all the excellent ads they have placed for me. Here are a few to show what a great job they do!
The BEST part of my studio and gallery are all the wonderful people who stop in for our shows! We have shows in our building usually the end of October, end of November and Art-a Whirl in the beginning of May. I’m not usually open for first Thursdays because of my travel schedule, but I always take appointments as a back up. Thank you thank you to all the fun people who have made this “job” so rich and rewarding! Cheers to YOU!!!
As life keeps changing, so does my studio space! I’m Moving! I’m so sad to close this chapter of my artist’s life. I’m so incredibly grateful for all my wonderful family, friends, neighbors and clients that have made this space so special and magical. Really, it’s been such a delight to have you join me on this journey. Here are some photos that bring a smile to my face. I have to trust that the next chapter will be as blessed, but this will be a hard one to measure up to. THANK YOU from the bottom of my artist’s heart!!! CHEERS!!
