Heather Howe

Heather Howe is a British landscape painter known for her radiant oil paintings that celebrate the untamed beauty of the British countryside. Working primarily in oils on canvas, her work is characterised by rich texture, vibrant natural colour, and a painterly style that captures the atmosphere and essence of rural scenes. Her compositions often feature wild hedgerows, coastal paths, and sunlit clearings, all infused with a strong sense of movement and seasonal light. Heather lives and works in West Cornwall, where she draws daily inspiration from her surroundings.

Born in Buckinghamshire, Heather spent much of her formative childhood on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, a remote and rugged landscape that left a lasting impression on her artistic vision. Her father was a studio potter and painter, and his creative influence encouraged her early exploration of visual art. She went on to study at Falmouth College of Art and the University of Exeter, where she completed a BA degree that combined both practical and theoretical disciplines in art.

After university, Heather returned to Berkshire and shared a studio with her father, where she began producing copper-plate etchings. These finely detailed black and white prints laid the foundation for her later practice, particularly in her understanding of light, composition, and tonal contrast. She sold her early work in prestigious venues such as Liberty of London and the Medici Gallery on Bond Street. Though she later moved away from printmaking, she credits those years with shaping her sensitivity to light-a thread that has run consistently through her work ever since.

Heather's current practice focuses on oil painting, through which she explores the vivid colour and energy of natural spaces. Her style is expressive and layered, often using brush and palette knife techniques to build up texture and depth. Wildflowers, foliage, grasses, and distant glimpses of the sea all appear frequently in her paintings, portrayed not as static elements but as living, shifting participants in the scene. Her paintings are not overly literal; rather, they aim to capture a felt experience-a path walked, a scent remembered, the way light falls through leaves at a certain time of day.

Much of her inspiration comes from time spent outdoors, particularly in the quieter woodlands and coastal paths near her Cornish home. She often begins her work with walks in the early morning, sketching and gathering ideas before returning to the studio. Her garden, filled with both cultivated and wild plants, also serves as a constant source of reference. Heather describes herself as a dedicated "plantswoman," growing many of the same wildflowers she paints-including foxgloves, cow parsley, and gorse. These elements are not simply decorative; they represent her deep connection to the land and her interest in the natural rhythms of growth and change.

Heather Howe's work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the UK and is held in a number of private collections. Her distinctive style and warm, immersive scenes continue to resonate with collectors who are drawn to the gentle energy and emotional clarity of her paintings. Each piece serves as a celebration of the simple beauty of nature-its chaos, quiet, and colour-interpreted through the eye of someone who has lived closely with it all her life.

Working from her garden studio in West Cornwall, Heather continues to paint, walk, and garden daily, translating the world around her into luminous works of art that invite the viewer to slow down and take notice.