 Heather Willens grew up in Palmdale, California, located in the high desert of Southern California. Home to the Joshua trees, unbearably hot summers, freezing winters with occasional snow, and endless flat terrain filled with tumbleweeds, she found her place in life through art. Like many artists, she has been creating art from the moment she was able to hold a pencil, but began her serious career at the age of ten when her mother enrolled her in private lessons. As her style matured during high school, she entered work in various art exhibitions—such as the Antelope Valley Fair, Lilac Festival (winning best of show in 1997 for a scratchboard piece), the Palmdale High art shows, and many others. Her specialty throughout high school was oil pastels and scratchboard, creating a style of her own which was impressive enough to earn many 1st places in these shows. She was enrolled in honors and AP Studio Art in her high school and was rewarded with a 4 by the AP board with her landscape concentration . Fall of 2001, Heather moved down to San Diego where she attended UC San Diego for four years. Her senior year she was part of the honors studio program where she worked along side other serious artists in the department. April of 2005, she featured a solo art exhibition in the Annex Gallery of UCSD. The show, entitled "Reflections," consisted of oil and acrylic paintings, etched mirrors, and digital prints, exploring the physical and conceptual elements of reflections in everyday life. Graduated from UCSD June of 2005, with a B.A. in Visual Arts (studio) and a minor in photography, receiving Cum Laude and High Distinction in the Visual Arts department. Currently she resides in San Diego, working in graphic design.
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