About Kathy Heintz

Artist

My Story

Kathy Heintz spent the first half of her life in the lush vegetation of Oregon and the second half in the stark desert of Nevada. She is a second generation artist whose life was influenced by her mother, a professional wildlife artist, who worked along side of Kathy as she grew. Her artistic process reflects these experiences. Her creative endeavors have been encouraged by her husband and three children.

Kathy has taught all levels of art from kindergarten to college and currently teaches at Palo Verde High School. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Art Education from the University of Oregon. As an art teacher for over 25 years, young people inspire her enthusiasm for her own artwork. She is a past member of the Henderson Art Association, Art Educators of Nevada, Nevada Clay Guild, Nevada Watercolor Society and Alpha Delta Kappa.
Twenty-five years ago Kathy moved to Las Vegas leaving behind her home in the lush green state of Oregon for the man-made neon in the desert. Over time she overcame her culture shock and her aesthetics changed as she began to love the desert and connect symbolism with the architecture.  “When I first arrived here, I read Learning from Las Vegas by Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, which led me to appreciate Las Vegas and the architectural symbolism decorated sheds, where often architecture is the advertisement.”

Primarily working in watercolors, she takes inspiration from the beauty of southern Nevada, painting in a realistic, impressionist style reflecting the people and surroundings around her. She focuses on details to capture how places have changed over time and uses her art to evoke memories of the past. Her paintings are often about contact with architecture and exploring the concept of landscape in a nostalgic way. Kathy’s paintings explore her quarter century response to slices of time in Las Vegas. She has been captivated by the irony of the “history” Las Vegas, which is barely over 100 years old and fascinated with the transformative nature of Las Vegas with its ongoing themes changing and disappearing.

Kathy Heintz currently lives and works in Las Vegas.