Carol Heiman-Greene
Award-winning and “listed” artist Carol Heiman-Greene is inspired by all things natural. As a wildlife artist she seeks to capture the character and essence of her animal subjects with a painting style that is inspired by the Old Masters glazing techniques used in both her oil and acrylic paintings. This glazing technique is best exemplified in Heiman-Greene’s Nest Egg series.
Heiman-Greene began painting when she was a child. It was not until she went to college that she learned formal and traditional painting techniques. Earning her Fine Arts degree from Cal State Long Beach, Heiman-Greene’s love of nature drew her to the world of wildlife art. She seeks to capture the character of her animals with a delicate blend of color and detail. But her greatest achievement is the ability to capture the character and emotion of her subject.
Heiman-Greene begins her field research by first studying her subjects. She feels that it is important in order to paint believable images. She states “I need to know how my subject looks from all angles, how it moves, what it would look like in different seasons of the year, what would be a natural habitat (or what more unusual place might one find this subject), and what behaviors are special to the subject. This means that a great part of my work starts with research.”
Heiman-Greene’s painting technique is arduous. After doing research and field work, she composes her image and begins to paint. Working on masonite or Clayboard™, she begins with monochromatic, sepia glazes and works until the image pops from the board and has full dimension. Then, she layers delicate glazes of color over and over until the transparent layers look opaque.
In her work, Carol aims to capture the character and spirit of her animal subjects. She is well known for the expression she portrays in her subjects faces, especially in their eyes. “I know that when someone feels that they know what my animals are thinking about, I have been successful.”
Learn more about Carol Heiman-Greene on her website.
