Bud Heiss Landscapes

      Exhibit space our Visitor Center art gallery was expanded last Spring when an entire wall within the gallery was opened for visiting artists; improved lighting and background-paint nicely showcase our August display of landscapes in acrylic and oil. Gilbert painter Bud Heiss was our special guest during the month of August, 2006.

      “The creative process is so much a part of me, that to deny it would be like denying myself food or water,” said Heiss. “I might be allright without it for a short period, but eventually a real hunger or thirst to create would develop. I paint because I must create. I started drawing at a very young age but was never satisfied with stick figures -- I always attempted to represent the world as I saw it and in college I was finally able to achieve a high level of realism. During college I specialized in watercolor and after graduating I took up pastels, which taught me about using more expressive colors. Then came acrylics and oils, where I found my true passion for painting.”

      You may have encountered Heiss creating one of his special moments on canvas while hiking along the High Trail. Or perhaps you noticed his unique style and imagery in other collections that have been on display within the Arboretum Gallery.

      “As my painting style matures, I'm more concerned with colors and light than I am in achieving tight realism. These days I'm very interested in painting landscapes that are specific in location and time of day. Most of my work depicts early morning or late afternoon when the sunlight appears warm and shadows are longer and more pronounced. This type of light can be quite challenging to paint. I'm especially interested in areas where light and shadow meet. These areas are spiritually symbolic for me, they symbolize a moment when a person might suddenly have new insight into a situation or problem and is no longer ‘in the dark,’ so to speak."

      Heiss studied at Kansas City Art Institute and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Nebraska before continuing his education at Loveland Academy of Fine Art in Colorado. His work has won many regional and national awards over the years; his most recent was the Mesa Art League's Artist of the Month. His work has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions and countless group shows.

       Works shown on this page are (from top to bottom) "Evening," "From Peralta" and "Boyce Thompson." All works in this exhibit are available for purchase; to contact the artist about purchases email Heiss heissbud@hotmail.com or call 480.899.0500

     Boyce Thompson Arboretum is at highway 60 milepost #223 near the historic copper mining town of Superior, a drive of about 45 minutes due East of Mesa. During August visitors are admitted from 6:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., and the Arboretum closes at 3:00 p.m. (in September the Fall/Winter schedule resumes and hours are daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) New exhibits begin each month and may be seen daily during business hours; the Arboretum is an Arizona State Park and daily admission must be paid to enter the Visitor Center where our gallery is found. Admission is $7.50 for adults and $3 for ages 5-12. Annual memberships at the Arboretum begin at $45, and include a year's access, guest passes for your friends and family, along with many other benefits. A membership may be purchased in the gift shop on the day of your visit. To review other recent gallery shows from...

June-July, 2006 CLICK HERE
April-May, 2006 CLICK HERE
March, 2006 CLICK HERE
February, 2006 CLICK HERE
January, 2006 CLICK HERE
December CLICK HERE
November CLICK HERE
October CLICK HERE
September CLICK HERE
July/August CLICK HERE
June/July CLICK HERE
May CLICK HERE
April CLICK HERE
March CLICK HERE
February CLICK HERE
January CLICK HERE
December CLICK HERE