I come from the Argentian mountains where herds of goat wander among the rocky ground, and a broad diversity of birds overfly the intense blue sky. I spent all my enfant vacations enjoying nature, not far from home, living mainly of the fish, berries and freshly milked milk available in the locality. “She could almost be from the children’s fiction by Swiss author Johanna Spyri but this “Heidi”, that I am going to tell you is a self-taught artist native to Villa General Belgrano, province of Cordoba, Argentina that would like to leave a mark with her art.”
My mother used to silence the whole family with a short whisper “Shh, look!” when she saw a bird nearby. There, my father sealed with his “brushstrokes” the best memories and landscapes. And I sat next to my father imitating him with a brush in hand, but the birds stole my concentration. Who could imagine that these typical scenes of childhood could evolve and strengthen someday in my future?
At 18 years I became independent, moving to Buenos Aires, the biggest city in the south of America and choose a creative and nature side of an administrative career. I had the luck to collaborate in the 70.000 ha of Villavicencio’s Natural Reserve as part as my work with Danone potentiating my interest in conservation and bird painting. Since 2015 I have been living in Germany with my three children and husband and having the opportunity to devote myself to art while raising my young children. My artistic entrepreneurship “Lots Nature” has a special fuel to beat to the rhythm of the heart of a hummingbird and the power of the wind that a condor needs to fly
Argentina is a summary of environments of the planet Earth, that particularity is reflected in a privileged diversity of birds that reaches around 1,000 species. The Horneros, architects by nature, dress each year a new lamppost or fence with its emblematic nest that resemble an old wood-fired oven. The Fork-tailed Flycatcher, or “Tijereta” for the Argentinians, pluck up his courage with its precious tail to defend the territory in the presence of big adversaries. The Red Knot (Calidris canutus) flies more than 14,000 km from the Arctic to spend the summer on the south beaches of Argentina. And the Emperor Penguin, dresses glamorous Argentina’s inhospitable Antarctic, who knows how much longer. How much does the world know of the existence of these natural wonders of the wild hideout of the end of the world? Who doesn’t want to become enchanted with these birds at home but at the same time know that the species enjoy their freedom? How to help birds in danger so that they continue to colour the landscape?
“Those typical landscapes, that have as protagonist the Argentine birds, the little seed of admiration for the birds that her mother starts planting in her daughter early in life, and the need to build a bridge between her native country and the new home pushed her to make a fresh start on wildlife art” I put through “Lots Nature” the Argentinean Birds in the center. Each artwork is a challenge to shine real details of the bird and environment. I am determined to showcase to the world with my watercolours the amazing Bird Wildlife of Argentina. However, painting only to decorate definitely does not satisfy my aspirations and I decided to help with the sales of my paintings to collaborate with organizations and interested parties, to the conservation of Argentinean birds with the motto “Art for Conservation.
“We value Heidi’s work very much. We appreciate her great precision to capture the characteristics of our birds and her interest to make -Art for Conservation- in a collaborative way” says Hernán Casañas, Director of Aves Argentinas.
In 2015 I started to paint birds with graphite because the colour added a level of complexity for which I didn’t dare. However self-taught spirit and high level of rigorousness invited me to take a challenge in each painting from which to obtain an apprenticeship. This is how I gained confidence and started adding colour in my pictures. I decided to try several mediums to bring colour above paper. I needed to understand the different options and find the one that I felt more comfortable in. Although I use all these mediums from time to time, I fell in love with watercolor. If there’s something that attracts me, that’s the challenges. Watercolour demands accuracy, little room for mistakes, because it has almost no possibility of correction. In addition, water, the soluble medium, can become unmanageable if it isn’t used in its proper measure. Besides that, color is a must to show the birds as they are. That’s easy to say, but it was an interesting challenge when I wanted to represent a shimmering hummingbird or the vibrant color of a jungle background with this water media. In terms of the artwork I achieve my objective when I raise the interest because of a great composition, and the realism. I internally become happy when the observer says “WOW” and moves closer to the painting, squints his eyes and wonder how the work is done.
The phenomenon of being able to fly must be learned. The phenomenon to acquire a representative and realistic composition must be learned too. I dedicate one- third of the time to the development of a painting to learn about the bird: understanding its usual behaviours, habits, and habitat. That’s an indispensable step to connect with that precious living being. There are many species of birds, some attractive for their colour, others very expressive, funny or atypical, but art is about finding the best way to enhance its beauty, no matter how simple the animal is. There are many migratory birds that spend their nonbreeding season in Argentina.
So, they have a non-colourful basic molt that I needed to represent, if I want to be faithful to what usually is seen in Argentina. Embellishing the view also requires previous work in composing, sketching, and specific studies such as face expressions. For me, the greater the planning, the shorter the execution time.
As birds need two wings to fly, two legs and two sharp eyes to hunt their prey, I work hard to fulfil my two purposes to leave a mark with art. My realistic style and engagement aroused interest in a short time at national and international level. My birds fly already to exhibitions like Fabriano in Acquarelo in Italia, Watercolor Biennale India, to the Ornithology Museum Heineanum in Germany and the Birdfair in UK.
My decision to show the precious feathers of the end of the world is taking colour and flight. In 2018, I was invited to two solo exhibitions in the Argentinean General Consulate Frankfurt and currently in the Zoo Karlsruhe with more than 25 Paintings in three halls. At the same time, I launched its 2019 calendar and provides workshops in schools to spread the knowledge of Argentinian wild and beautiful feathers.
The collaboration of my wildlife art with conservation NGOs builds support and appreciation within these organisations. My donations of paintings are to support the Argentine bird conservation projects, for the creation of the Mar Chiquita National Park a large bird home, and the current development with Aves Argentinas of reusable bags printed with Lots Nature Illustration demonstrate the varied use of my artwork.
My conservation purpose is the necessary complement to transform a project into my passion. Unlike my childhood, now birds get my concentration with a sense of accomplishment.
