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

Hi Heather, why did you pursue a creative career?
I pursued a creative career because art is everything to me. It’s a way to express myself and a creative outlet. Even as a child I was always doodling and creating. That’s followed me into my adult life. I’m very fortunate to get paid to do what I love.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My abstract paintings are based on interconnectivity and spirituality. As such, at first glance my art appears to be merely abstract, but upon careful visual interaction with it one cannot help but feel the soothing peacefulness that emanates from the canvas. This feeling isn’t coincidental – it is intentionally crafted and it is the force behind my work. This visual interpretation of universal connectivity allows the viewer to lose themselves within the borders of the canvas. On a rudimentary level, my work is about beauty, truth, and connectivity. With a global pandemic now more than ever people need this type of artwork to connect to.

I begin every painting with a meditation. I studied Reiki energy healing and the Sutras of Zen Buddhism. These practices and spiritual beliefs are the essence of my artistic inspirations. I practice Reiki on myself, the canvas, and my painting tools. This allows me to connect to my intuition and creates a soothing space for me to paint. I make a request to the universe to make something that’s beautiful and meaningful for someone else. I believe each painting has a person that it’s meant for. Once I get in the flow the painting takes on a life of its own- balancing happy accidents with composition, color, and expression. This artistic experiment highlights the need to find a calm state of mind to find balance in today’s stressful world. My work continues to provide a powerful example of finding peace despite the difficulties of the past two years.

I’m excited about my new NFT series merging my spiritually-based artwork with digital media. I digitally alter images of my paintings based on interconnectivity to continue my spirituality based message. This new media blends our technologically advanced society with our human need to still connect with other people.

I’ve worked very hard to present myself as a professional Artist. I graduated from Colorado State University in December 1999 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Drawing and Fibers where I received the Creative and Performing Arts Award. I moved to Boston in spring of 2000 and immediately got involved in the Boston art community showing in local shows and Boston City Hall. In 2009 I became a Boston Redevelopment Authority Certified Artist and I advocated for affordable artists’ studios in Boston. I also completed the Boston Arts & Business Council Artist Professional Toolbox course where I learned the business side of being an artist.

My business Heather Buechler Art is a certified Woman Owned Business and Local Small Business in the city of Boston. I’m also a queer artist and I believe it’s important to support underrepresented groups including LGBTQIA+ artists and women artists.

My life’s dream was to make tranquil affordable art that people connect to and find peace while viewing. I’m one of the fortunate people who have been able to set up my life to live my dreams. I’ve now been selling my art for 28 years. Every day is filled with purpose and gratitude to have built a life that I value and treasure.

I’ve always used my art to make a positive impact on my local community. For the past 27 years I’ve donated my artwork to fundraisers and auctions for the LGBTQ community and the city of Boston. I’ve donated art to the Boston Gay Men Chorus, the Human Rights Campaign, the San Francisco Suicide Prevention, cancer fundraisers, and many city of Boston neighborhood fundraisers just to name a few. I recently did a fundraiser sale on small paintings to raise money for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in support of the BLM movement. I feel it’s important to give back to the community and organizations that are doing good work.

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.
My favorite part of living in Boston is the neighborhood I live in. I live in the SOWA district of the South End. There are amazing restaurants and shops all easily walkable. The neighborhood is filled with culture and history and it has the largest amount of Victorian row houses and English style gardens. I’m fortunate enough to have my art studio in the vibrant SOWA Art building at 450 Harrison Ave. We are an Art Guild of over 90 artists open to the public. We attract thousands of visitors every First Friday of the month and on Sundays we host an outdoor art and farmers market. The SOWA Art and Design District has become a popular destination to see galleries, home design shop and artist studios.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I’m very fortunate to have the support of my family and friends. My parents have been so supportive of my career in art. They supported me when I decided to get my bachelor’s of fine art. They’ve always encouraged me along the way coming to my art shows and being helpful in any new art project I come up with. My dad continues to build my frames in his woodshop. It’s fun to have family and friends to bounce ideas off of. The encouragement and support has been vital to my art career over the years. Without that kind of encouragement and support I might have not continued.

Website: https://www.heatherbuechler.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherbuechler

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-buechler-423832202

Twitter: https://twitter.com/heatherbuechler

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherBuechlerArtist

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbM8G5DPHQjGGTUztqn_5Ig

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/BuechlerHeather

Image Credits
Tavis Cline

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.