About

Living on a small island in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, I spend my evenings working in my little purple studio by the pond known as Thistledoun Studio

My little purple studio is a haven of bright and colorful fabrics and paints where creativity lives. The work before you represents decades of refinement and hours of labor as I carefully choose colors and materials that work well together to bring the finest quality products to market for your use and enjoyment. My intention is to share my love of color and function with you.

Leaning into my deep appreciation for traditional styles and techniques, I am a textural story teller choosing mediums that have been in use for centuries.

A love of color and simple design

For over forty five years I’ve been manipulating various materials to satisfy a fundamental urge to play with color and shape. The end product is both beautiful and practical. Primarily a cloth quilter, I have been fascinated with wooden Barn Quilts and started hand painting them in 2016. The elemental aspect of these simple designs: drafting a single quilt block graphic onto wood, and then painting it with bold colors that project across distances appeals to me. These folk Art pieces are public art at its finest.

Heirloom Quality with the Next Generation in Mind

I love the process of manipulating color and texture into usable pieces. Today's work is the culmination of decades of exploration into how color and design work together to tell a story. All of my products are finely crafted from the highest quality materials and are built to last.

As a citizen artist, I am motivated to brighten your world and make it a more colorful and comfortable space with beautiful items that can be used everyday, providing comfort and joy to you or a special someone. My work will become the next generations heirloom piece: passed down through time as part of your shared history.

I feel fortunate to be able to express myself through color and texture and have chosen to use this platform to acknowledge and support current issues that are urgent to us all: social justice and climate change. In an effort to encourage the good that I see in the world around me, I donate a certain percentage of each sale to a corresponding organization.

Currently, I have pieces around the country and in The Netherlands. I ship in the continental US and if you would like something sent out of country ... we can talk so that shipping costs can be assessed and applied. All items listed are ready to ship immediately unless otherwise marked.


Follow me on Instagram @harpswear for shop updates and to see current works- in-progress.

Good health and peace to you and yours,

Heather

Artist’s Bio

I was raised in New England of Scottish, Canadian and English blood. From an early age I immersed myself in both the natural world and the world of art. For me, there is little separation between the beauty in nature and that of fine art/craftsmanship. True to my Yankee roots, I am frugal by nature and favor function, and tradition in my work.

In 1983, I moved to the beautiful Pacific Northwest where I now live on a small island and work in my little purple studio by the pond. Thistledoun Studios is my haven of bright colors where creativity lives. I see color and pattern everywhere I look....I love the process of channeling that vision into a finished product. Making full use of materials and using ‘scraps’ to lessen my general footprint on the earth are essential elements of my work. My time spent in the studio is always a lesson in life... how to listen, when to push, when to follow.

Over the decades I have learned that there is no such thing as a fast art. Crafting a thing of beauty takes time, skill and intention. My decades of refinement in general design and execution of technique results in a level of craftsmanship that ensures a high quality legacy end product that will endure for years to come.

Thanks to the support and inspiration from my family and community, I am able to follow the muse where ever she leads and enjoy the deep way that art touches us all, evoking emotions, sparking connection and transporting us from the mundane. Our reaction to art is as unique as we are, transforming us with each encounter. A transformation that I believe is an essential part of being human.