Meet Heather Whiteside | Artist

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

Hi Heather, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Being successfully self-employed cannot be without risk, but with skill and conviction in one’s product and/or services and confidence in one’s self, the opportunities are limitless. I rely solely on my own abilities with no guarantee of a return and not a day goes by in my career, that I don’t take risks. However, over the years I have learned to not be overly stressed with all of the uncertainties. Somehow and in some way, it all seems to work out in the end. Of course, that is only if I give my business 100% effort, keep focused on my goals and always do my best work. I tell myself continually that “I can do this” and “you got this Heather”. It’s a tough job being a self-employed artist, so I need to be my own cheerleader and to have faith in myself and my abilities.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m an art painter and I enjoy painting many different subject matters in an array of styles in various paint mediums. However, I am best known for my cityscape and landscape paintings (primarily in acrylic on canvas). In addition, I do art and frame restoration and conservation. I have been working full-time as an artist for more than thirty-five years (since about the age of twenty). It has been tremendously difficult and challenging, but I have always worked very hard because I needed to support my son and myself and I didn’t have other job options which would provide any better for us. Fortunately, art has always been my passion, so it has helped that I enjoy the work that I do. I suppose many artists would want to be remembered for their art, but I believe my greatest legacy is my son.

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.
Funny, but my best friend recently came to visit me for a week, so I took her on a ‘Tennessee ‘loop’. On the first day, we enjoyed dinner in Market Square (here in Knoxville), followed by some live Jazz at the Bijou Theatre. Then we drove to Nashville for more fine dining and music (but this time Bluegrass and Country). After a couple nights in Nashville, we visited Franklin for shopping the boutiques and Leiper’s Fork on the following day. Chattanooga was our next destination, where we spent an entire day at the Chattanooga Art Museum and of course more shopping, music and dining. Then it was time to head back home to Knoxville, where we caught a show at the Tennessee Theatre before she had to return to New York City.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to recognize my mother for her unconditional love and supportiveness of me in my art career. And my son, because he has been my driving force to succeed. I raised him alone while supporting us with my art sales, so failure was not an option for me. As he was growing up, he would turn out to be one of my best critics since about the age of five. He had (and still has) such an excellent eye for art and shared his critique of my paintings without bias. He has always had such an excellent skill in understanding balance, composition and proportions. It is no surprise to me that he ended up becoming a very talented architect!

Website: https://www.WhitesideArt.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whiteside.art/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1263004198