Female

26

I have been an artist and dancer all of my life. My mother says I began dancing in the womb. And I can't remember ever not drawing. When I was about 4 years old I got in trouble with my parents for drawing on the wall. Years latter they asked me to paint a 10' by 12' mural on the same wall. I joke with them that I was drawing a beautiful picture for them on that wall years ago, but that they just didn't understand what I was trying to do.

When I was little I loved dressing up and putting on dance shows, complete with costume changes, for my family in our living room. When I heard music I just had to dance.

I like many different styles of dance, but belly dance is my passion and has been one of my greatest sources of inspiration for my artwork. I started belly dancing when I was 10 years old and haven't stopped. It's been a part of my life for so long I can't imagine life without it. One of the many things that I like about belly dance is that it is a dance for everyone! Unlike ballet, you don't have to be thin, tall, flat-chested and torture your feet. You don't have to start taking classes when you are 5 or 6 years old to be good at it. Women,men and children of all ages,shapes and sizes can belly dance!!!

I am the second oldest of 5 kids. My brothers, sisters and I were all homeschooled. I was given the gift of freedom to pursue my own interests. In art I am self-taught. If I had gone to public school I don't think I would have had the time and the energy to get so intensely involved in art and dance.

I've lived in the country my whole life, first in the Northern California,Wine Country, now in the Texas Hill Country.
Mother Nature's world of flowers,animals,green plants and trees have always influenced my artwork. I feel moved to express the beauty of nature and dance though art.

Most of my artwork is in acrylic and watercolor paints with pen and ink. When I was younger I mostly drew with felt tip pens and pencils and thought that using paint brushes would be harder to control. It wasn't until I was about 15 years old that I really started painting. One of my belly dance teachers, who knew I could draw, asked me if I wanted to paint a mural in her dance studio. It was then that I found my love of painting.

My Web site!
The Mystic Dance Company.
www.themysticdancecompany.com

The Mystic Dance Company Store!
www.zazzle.com/mysticdancecompany*

Heather's other Zazzle store!
www.zazzle.com/HeatherFlower*