Welcome Our Newest Artist-In-Residence | Heather Wagenbach
They applied. They were awesome. They became Redbubble Artists-in-Residence.
Read on to find out about the latest Artist in Residence – Heather Wagenbach, also known around the bubble as, “OddityGarden”.
With one foot in Washington and the other in California, Heather has both feet firmly planted in a love of flight. Birds, that is. Her project at Redbubble is all about vultures, but not just depicting their unique beauty and dinosaur-like features in vibrant watercolors; she has the deeper focus of creating awareness around this often forgotten family of birds with the goal of conservation.
When not painting, she can be found seeking inspiration in museums and zoos, enjoying the Great Outdoors, or playing video games. Playing video games in the Great Outdoors is her ultimate pleasure, aside from coffee and ice cream – YUM! Read on to learn more about Heather!
1. Describe your work in 7 words or less.
Playfully morbid with a pop of color.
2. Tell us about the project you will be working on while in the RB residency program?
I’ll be painting a series of watercolor vulture portraits in a way that attempts to de-stigmatize the family of birds and their conservation. The goal is to have a gallery show in the San Francisco area that invites the public to take a fresh look at these wonderful and essential animals that are currently in dire straits. A percentage of profits from the show will be donated to a local Wildlife rescue or Animal Ambassador Program
3. Name a fear of yours.
Needles. Don’t like ‘em. I can watch an entire open heart surgery while eating lunch without flinching. Seeing a 2 second video snippet of someone getting their blood drawn makes me curl up in a protective ball. You can probably guess that I don’t have any tattoos.
4. What is something most people don’t know about you?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a Reconstructive Paleontologist when I grew up… or a dragon. Either one was fine.
5. If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger artist self?
Sometimes making art is going to suck. This thing that used to be effortless is going to feel like dragging an anchor through mud. Don’t give up, keep making marks. Even if it means just keeping your arm moving, filling up sketchbooks with nothing but smears and blotches. Eventually something in your head will spark, the block will be gone and you’ll be able to feel “Flow” while making art again.
6. What is your guilty pleasure snack?
More of a rare treat, but starting a day by pouring strong coffee over a scoop of ice cream is amazing. At least until the side effects kick in. Nothing like wrecking yourself with a stomach ache and jitters simultaneously.
See more of Heather Wagenbach’s art by visiting her Redbubble shop.
