Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Schurer.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Austin. This is the city that started it all for me. Everything from the events that triggered my mental health issues, to the never-ending supply of new restaurants and other unique gems. For the past 10 years I’ve been artist. I started out on my living room couch with a sketch pad and some watercolors after being stuck at home for a long period. I was battling with my mental health and art was the thing that brought be back to ground. After awhile, I noticed I really enjoyed it and I was getting good. People who went to art school were impressed by my skill. I was completely self taught, other than the online courses and youtube tutorials which I studied from. I read book after book on various art related subjects. Some projects had me working several hours a day with barely a rest. Over the years, I’ve accumulated enough art supplies to turn my entire upstairs into my home studio – with everything from professional camera lights for photo reference to gallons of modeling paste. I eventually started my own website to sell art on – heatherschurer.com, a youtube channel, and an instagram where I post videos weekly. Nothing has brought more meaning to my life than creating art, and I will try anything. I’ve tried and tested numerous media, honing my craft and enjoying the process. Art has helped to transform my life and make me a completely sober person. The beauty in my art stimulates positive mental health.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I receive commissions from people now and then, but it hasn’t always been a smooth road. There are times where I’ve spent far more than I made. Not even a year ago I spent a ton of money setting up for an event in Wimberly where I only made $15. Let’s start with the booth fee – $300, didn’t make it back. Application fee – $30, didn’t make it back. I probably spent a couple grand on top of that just to set up the booth – art walls, canopy, tables. Don’t get me wrong – the set up items will last for awhile, but I definitely get discouraged after sitting there for hours not selling anything.
Overhead purchases aren’t fun either. I’ve bought business related items that have received little to no use. A $1500 printer, for example. There are 12 inks which cost $70 each. I initially bought this printer to make my own professional prints. I’ve made quite a few but haven’t sold many.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work over the years has evolved. In my earlier days, I focused mainly on color pencil and watercolor. Color pencil was nice because there’s not much prep work to do, and you don’t have to fuss with any clean up. Nowadays, I prefer oil. It was a challenge to learn at first but to me, it feels the most organic and “fine”. It’s fine art.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
At the end of the day, it matters if I enjoy what I do and I add something to humanity. If I enjoy what I do and I enjoy my life, that gives me the strength to help others. And if others are inspired by me or my art, then I’ve done a wonderful thing. People deserve to be happy.
Pricing:
- Small print – $15
- Medium print – $30
- Small art – $200-$500
- Medium art – $501-$1,000
- Large art – $1,001-$3,000+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heatherschurer.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/heatherschurerart
- Facebook: Heather Schurer Art
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@heatherschurerart
