Who is Heather McLeod?

A profound artist is just one way to describe McLeod. She is an artist that focuses her talent on portraiture and representative work. Notably, she has accomplished so much in her career already as a young artist: earning her MFA from the New York Academy of Art, her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design, and gallery exhibits. Heather McLeod has had her work shown in Nantucket, New York City, and Rome. At the moment McLeod, while continuing to create her art, is also a professor at Rhode Island School of Design, or RISD (Heather V. McLeod). The impressive list detailing all of the accomplishments of McLeod continues to grow.

Background-

As a child McLeod wanted to be an artist in some way. She pursued this dream by having her parents enroll her in drawing classes to help improve her work. Throughout school she continued to explore her creativity. Then going on to RISD to study illustration straight out of high school. From there she was able to have the chance to travel to Rome through the school and have the chance of a lifetime. There are so many galleries like New York City’s Trotter & Sholer and Sugarlift gallery in Berlin (Heather V. McLeod) that showcases the work of new artists, she was chosen. While being an artist is considered somewhat risky, McLeod has made it worth her while not only traveling the world, teaching, but also getting her work out there and seen. 

Impact on me-

I was fortunate enough to get the chance to speak to McLeod this past weekend due to my interest in attending RISD in the future. Since she is a part of the faculty there, she was able to take me around and show me how great of a school RISD is. In addition, due to her professor status, McLeod was able to answer any questions I had regarding the school-day schedules and even described what her freshman year was like. She extended herself further to give me advice on the application process too. Lastly, she was so considerate and kind, always going out of her way to ask me questions about myself. For instance, why I wanted to go to RISD and every so often asking me if I had any questions. After the visit I feel I know my way around the campus and if I have the opportunity to go there in the future, I’ll think back to this trip and be forever grateful for the experience she gave me. It is invaluable to have the experience of visiting a campus and learn more about a school before choosing to attend.

Where is she today?

Presently, in her career Heather McLeod is a professor at RISD and has been working there for about 2 years. Recently, she was focusing on painting ears, which I feel is something that people never see and that made it that much more impressive. Despite being a professor she hasn’t let this hinder the work she produces at all. McLeod even went as far to explain that while she loves teaching, her art will always be her main focus. Impressively, one of the pieces from her 2022 collection, Zulu’s Petals, is currently on sale for 3,000 U.S. dollars. What is so unique about her art is each piece is so distinctive and so different from other artists. She has so many pieces of art where she has drawn people, but in the end covers their eyes with flowers. In conclusion, McLeod is a successful artist that people are noticing and paying attention to as she continues to share her creative visions.