Family Fling – Artist follows mom's felicity, father's footsteps

Today Magazine Online
6 hours ago
7 min read

• Connecticut Artist Paints to Convey Joy • Spotlight on the Arts

Special to Today Magazine

Heather van Frankenhuyzen began painting when she was a young child — her father is a professional artist and encouraged her creativity. Nestled in Simsbury, in the heart of Connecticut's Farmington Valley, this part-time artist works full-time as a nurse.

Heather and her family moved from Indiana to Connecticut — Simsbury specifically — in 2021. Before that, in reverse chronological order, they lived in the following places: Fort Wayne, Indiana • Bangor, Maine • Seattle, Washington • Kalamazoo, Michigan.

She was born in Michigan and raised in the town of Bath, about 100 miles northwest of Detroit — 42 years young, Heather graduated from Bath High School in 2001.

Avon Health website — Click Ad

In the following exclusive interview, Heather outlines her artistic journey:

• Your primary medium?

Watercolor

• Your primary motivation for producing artwork — and other motivations?

Joy! I find creating art peaceful and therapeutic. Sometimes I just want to capture a memory in a way that a photograph can’t. I want to capture the feeling I had while on a specific hike at a specific time. Sometimes, I have something that I can’t put words that I need to let out or express. Art helps me do that.

Many times, I sit down not knowing what I want to paint, only that I need to paint. I start to put color on the paper and just start to go with whatever comes out. Painting is very freeing when you don’t try to make something look a certain way — you let the paint start to take shape on its own and then just emphasize what is already there.

Christensen website — Click Ad

• When did you become interested in art, and what sparked your interest?

I’ve always loved art. My dad is a professional artist, painter and children’s book illustrator. He has always encouraged me to pursue art. He let my sister and me use his good paints, brushes and canvases when we were very young. He taught us to care for our supplies, and always stressed that as soon as we filled a sketchbook or emptied a tube of paint, he would buy us more. He was always there with constructive criticism, and was constantly teaching us how we could improve.

My mom says she’s not artistic because she can’t draw, but she is an artist in other ways. She can make the most beautiful flower bouquets, is a published children’s book author, and has an incredible imagination. She may not be classically trained, but she has an artistic spirit and is incredibly creative.

Both of my parents have always been incredibly supportive, always displaying our art around the house and showing it off.

Vincent website – Click This Ad

• What and/or who is the inspiration for your art?

Usually I am inspired by the beautiful landscapes around me. Those are the scenes I paint most often, probably because I find the most comfort in them. I want to remember the serenity and solitude I felt sitting on a rocky cliff, overlooking the Atlantic ocean in January, and share that with someone. Or the exhilaration of a sunrise that just takes your breath away.

I do paint as a form of release, as well. Lately, with the genocide in Gaza, I have been painting scenes of Palestine. Some of the hills and the beauty that remains, some of the destruction and pain.

My husband is Palestinian, whose family is from a town that was ethnically cleansed in 1948. I will never know the anguish that he experiences, but I feel that I am connected to his heritage, his suffering, and the beauty of the culture through our children and extended family. I want to celebrate the beauty of it, and bring light to the horrors that are happening, now and for the last 75 years.

• Goals for the next 1-5 years?

The first time I ever sold a painting was in early 2024. So right now, my goal is just to keep painting, keep learning and keep experimenting. If I sell it, that’s just a bonus to keep me supplied in paints and paper and brushes. And a little boost for my ego as well!

Kare Construction website – Click This Ad

Barkhamsted • 860-379-4340

• Most enjoyable aspect of being an artist?

I love looking back at old work, and seeing how far I’ve come. But I also love to appreciate my old work that I used to see as amateurish and simple, and find a new sense of appreciation. I just love to create things. I like to constantly learn new things, and to evolve.

• Most challenging aspect of being an artist?

It’s easy to get down on yourself if something doesn’t come out like you planned. It’s also easy to compare your work to other artists and feel insecure. Having a full-time job outside of art at least allows me to create with no pressure of the need to sell and allows me true freedom in my art.

• Most fulfilling accomplishment:

Seeing my artwork displayed in someone’s home. It feels so good to know that someone connects with something that is so personal to me.

• Your 3-5 favorite artists:

That changes all the time. At the moment, music is what’s really impacting me. I am loving David Kushner and Hozier. Javid Tabatabaei is a watercolor artist who I admire a lot. His landscapes are almost ethereal at times. Jim Lagasse is another watercolor artist from Maine who I follow — his tutorials have helped me learn so much and develop my style.

Farmington River Promotions website – Click This Ad

New Hartford • 860-307-7783

• The artist who inspires you most — and why:

Myself — it may sound obnoxious, but my biggest inspiration is potential. This keeps me working to see what else I am capable of and what else I can produce. Sometimes, I’m as surprised as the next person by my newest painting. That keeps driving me to do more, learn more, create more.

• Anecdote that provides a glimpse of your work as an artist:

I don’t have a particular style — I don’t want to limit myself to a certain way of doing things. I want to convey a feeling, a memory, or an emotion.

• Locations where your work has been displayed:

Kaps Cafe and Gather on Hopmeadow — both in Simsbury.

• How much money have you made from sales of your art?

Enough to buy better paint!

• While not everyone has an evident

artistic gift, do you believe anyone

can create art at a certain level?

YES! Art means a wide variety of mediums. People can choose to produce art in all sorts of ways, and can learn whatever skill set they need to convey that. I think the greatest barrier to creating art is the fear of failure. You have to be willing to make some truly awful things in order to learn. You also have to have the courage to toss them aside and start over. You learn more from the mistakes than the successes. Art is humbling, but if you persist you will learn to listen to your own voice and push through the fear or anxiety.

• What do you appreciate most about the Farmington Valley arts community?

I’ve received so much support and welcoming as someone who is new to showing art.

• Editor's Note — This feature first appeared in the October 2024 edition of our monthly Today Magazine — for images of Heather's exquisite artwork, click the edition link and view pages 18-24

• The following work and family facts have been vetted thru October 2024:

• Work History

• July 2023-present — Urology Nurse – Greater Hartford Urology Group

• 2021-2023 — NICU Nurse: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

– Connecticut Children’s Medical Center

• 2018-2021 — NICU Nurse – Dupont Hospital – Fort Wayne, Indiana

• 2016-2017 — Nurse Apprentice – Dupont Hospital – nursing school role

• 2007-2011 — Owner – Bella Luna Clothing Boutique – Bangor, Maine

• Family

• Husband — Ahmed Abdelmageed • Dean of Pharmacy School and PA Studies – University of Saint Joseph – West Hartford • political activist, aspiring writer, soccer player and coach, Dad

• Children — teenage daughter – teenage son – elementary-school son

• Parents — Robbyn Smith-van Frankenhuyzen • beekeeper, yoga instructor, sustainable farmer, storyteller, children’s book author, wildlife rehabilitator, Grammy – Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen • artist, children’s book illustrator, muralist, art teacher, graphic designer, nature photographer, carpenter, wildlife rehabilitator, Opa aka Grandpa

• Sister — Kelly van Frankenhuyzen • Experiential Education Program Manager – Wayne State University: College of Pharmacy • runner, yoga instructor/enthusiast, photographer, sister, aunt

The greatest barrier to creating art is the fear of failure ... Art is humbling, but if you persist you will learn to listen to your own voice and push through the fear or anxiety

• Contact Info – for purchasing and other inquiries:

Heather van Frankenhuyzen

• Phone — 207-735-7557

• Email — hvanfran@gmail.com

• Instagram — @birch.please27

SEO: Artist Follows Mom Father

Featuring community news that matters nationwide, Today Magazine Online aims to record Connecticut’s underreported upside — covering the heart of the Farmington Valley and beyond

SEO: Artist Follows Mom Father

Family Fling – Artist follows mom's felicity, father's footsteps

Recent Posts

Comments