Heather Pilchard believes in essence all artist have their unique point of view. You could give 10 artists the same materials and they would all come up with something different. Everyone’s hand makes a different mark and see things from a different angle. Heather’s point of view is the Cape Cod landscape. She is transfixed by the astounding beauty experienced everyday living on Cape. Heather declares “even staring into a bramble of vines in the woods can be an awe inspiring experience, especially if it is around sunset when the sunlight sets the scene on fire with a glow of blazing orange red. Observing is the beginning of creating Heather Pilchard’s paintings. Taking frequent walks out in nature, being in the present moment, staying open and curious informs her work. It is not hard to do this on Cape Cod, she states. The paintings in this show were inspired by particular places. The Provincetown pieces were inspired by a week long stay in a rustic dune shack this past spring. It was mid June during a full moon cycle and the rosa rugosa was in bloom (along with all other flora and fauna). The remote dunes of P-Town are a magical place. There are also so many wooded trails on Cape Cod which happens to be one of Heather’s favorite themes to paint. She is especially drawn to trees with bodies of water, peaking out behind them. Heather muses that the kettle ponds all up and down the Cape have a serene calmness that captures her imagination. The woods of Bell’s Neck Conservation lands is a place she likes to walk and paint. The big reservoir on the property is connected to the Herring river with a salt water side and a fresh water side. There is a herring run between the 2 bodies of water which inspired the painting “Near the Herring Run”. Heather’s newest challenge is painting beach landscapes. She tells the story of a group of friends of hers who are cold water swimmers year round. They inspire her to get out at the crack of dawn to experience Eastham’s ocean beach at that time of day. They swim, she takes reference photos for her paintings. Heather reflects “I feel privileged to be able to spend time making art in the amazing place where I live. My art is about giving myself permission to take in beauty and give the intuitive voice that rises the reins to guide and make creative decisions as my work takes shape.”