i paint what i’ve lived.
mixed media paintings rooted in the feminine journey — and the long way back to self.
Heather Hanson | Artist. Writer. Speaker.
New Work — On View May 7, 2026
The descent. The return. becoming whole.
For nine years, I have been living the story these paintings tell.
Becoming Whole is five large-scale mixed media paintings — each one built around a feminine archetype, each one holding a piece of my own journey. The cancer diagnosis. The leaving. The flood. The rebuilding. The morning I finally understood that wholeness isn't a destination. It's a practice.
The paintings open at the Paramount Theater in St. Cloud on May 7.
The full series — the essays, the poems, the painting reveals — lives on Substack.
Five paintings.
Nine Years.One woman’s journey
Supported by the Central Minnesota Arts Board through funding from the McKnight Foundation.
portals of becoming
2024 - ongoing
These are not portraits of other people. They are aspects of your own inner council — the many selves that live within a single life. Rooted in the SoulCollage® practice, each face represents a different facet of who we are: the one who knows, the one who grieves, the one who leads, the one who waits.
New faces emerge as the practice deepens.
Which one is looking back at you?
what wants to be seen
A glimpse into what’s alive in the studio.
i’m heather.
I paint women. I write about what it costs to become yourself. And I speak about the journey — in galleries, libraries, and anywhere someone is ready to hear it.
My work is grounded in nine years of living the story it tells. The cancer diagnosis. The leaving. The flood. The rebuilding. The paintings that came out of all of it.
If something in this work has moved you — you're already in the conversation.
commission a painting
Not a portrait. Something deeper.
A painting that holds the story of who you are right now. The season you’re in. The parts of yourself you’re learning to claim.
Every commission begins with a conversation. From there, the painting finds its way.
If something is stirring — that's where we start.
a painting made for you
see the scale. feel the story.
Large enough to change a room. Layered enough to hold a story.
These are large paintings — some 30 by 48 inches, some larger. They have presence in a room. They're layered and textural, built up over time in a way you can feel when you stand in front of them.
They're not quiet paintings. They ask something of the space they're in — and of the person looking.
If you want to see how a specific piece lives in a room, reach out. I'm happy to help you imagine it.
Feeling drawn to a painting?
Works are available unless marked otherwise.
Contact me directly for pricing, availability, or to begin a conversation.
the studio
I paint in St. Cloud, Minnesota — in a home studio that is mine in a way no space has been since I left corporate life in 2020.
The Becoming Whole series is currently on view at the Paramount Theater in St. Cloud through July 1. If you'd like to connect about the work, a commission, or a speaking engagement, find me on the Connect page.
from the studio journal
Stories from the space between.
Personal essays, mythic reflections, and glimpses into my creative life.
A living journal of art, becoming, and truth-telling.
continue exploring
