Heather Theurer has been a painter since she was a little girl. She said “I’m going to grow up to be a famous artist someday… Art was in my blood.” She spent every second she could perfecting her talent and eventually she opened up her own studio in Las Vegas.
Heather has spent time showing her work at various exhibits including the San Diego Comic-Con. In 2010 she was approached by a Disney employee and asked if she would be willing to paint Disney portraits. Since that moment she joined the Disney Fine Arts team and has been painting for them ever since. These portraits have received lots of attention and appreciation. This has come through USA Today, the LA Times, Art Renewal Center, Artist’s Magazine, and Spectrum.
Her style of painting came through exploring the Renaissance, pre-Raphaelite, and modern masters. She observed people, environments, animals, and textiles. Heather never received any professional training for her painting and she believes that she learned more from observation than she could have in a classroom setting.
Her themes include religious symbolism, fantasy realism, equine and wildlife, and bold reworking of Disney characters. She works hard on each painting to create the look that she envisions. She has said that she works on one painting by adding multiple layers of paint and glaze (sometimes up to 20 layers) to achieve the desired look. Her technique is constantly changing as she learns with each painting she completes.
Heather lives near Portland, Oregon, where she is also raising five energetic children. Her work has been recognized not just in America but has also received international recognition and awards from organizations such as Lucca Comics & Games, Art Renewal Center, Artist’s Magazine and Spectrum, among others.
Through it all Heather says that her LDS faith is what keeps her focused and inspired during her work. She said,
“More than any of the things that inspire me and my artwork is the one truth that I think has always been with me, even through the dark times of self-doubt and in my early years of discouraging artistic wandering. And that is that I know that my Heavenly Father gave me something special.”
Check out her artwork here, or purchase her Disney artwork here.
Love Blooms in Winter – Beauty and the Beast DO NOT COPY
Ohana Means Family – Lilo and Stitch DO NOT COPY
Elegant Warrior – Mulan DO NOT COPY
Don’t Let it Go – Frozen DO NOT COPY
Sewn to His Shadow – Peter Pan DO NOT COPY
Check out the rest of Heather Theurer’s paintings here.
