Artist

Heather (Carr) Mellor is a Jack-of-All-Trades when it comes to artistic expression and creative pursuits. She loves painting, drawing, photography, constructing objects and jewelry, digital work, gardening, various forms of musical expression, and culinary arts. Growing up in Toledo, Ohio, Heather took art classes from preschool onward, on Saturdays and over summer breaks at The Toledo Museum of Art. 

In high school, she studied Russian and art (taking gym in summer school to allow even more time for art classes during the school year). Her Russian studies lead her to live in Volgograd, Russia with a family for a month in both her junior and senior years of high school. She also loved entering art contests during that time, and placed in many local, state and national competitions. In addition, Heather became editor-in-chief of her school’s art and poetry magazine, The Wall. 

After finishing high school, Heather went on to study at Bowling Green State University, where she received dual degrees. In classic tortured artist fashion, she denied herself what she truly desired, which was to study art. However, she did manage to keep active creatively, making personal art, posing for an art class, and for a time, working on the university poetry magazine, Prairie Margins. 

“In some ways, I really lament the fact that my college career happened before the internet took hold, as I don’t feel that I grasped all the possibilities that were out there for careers in art. At the time, most of the schools seemed to push art careers that revolved around advertising/commercial art, which didn’t appeal to me. I didn’t want to design cereal boxes. I was really excited by the idea of a photojournalism career, but BGSU dropped their program the year that I started school; I was quite disappointed by that and left wondering what to do. The added financial costs of being an art student were also daunting, with so many materials required, so I decided to follow what seemed like a more ‘responsible’ path.”

Heather opted to continue studying Russian, even spending a semester abroad in Moscow, and she pursued a degree in Speech Pathology/Audiology as well, all the while never ceasing to pine for those art classes on the other side of campus. Thankfully, despite her self-made setbacks, she never lost her ambition to be an artist. 

Heather Mellor loves a variety of mediums. To date, the majority of her work has been done in acrylic, though she enjoys sketching, photography, and mixed media work, as well learning about surface design, stop-motion animation, and edible art. At the moment, she is delving into digital art formats to learn how they can work together with her non-digital art. Her style and subjects vary. She likes both things that are cute and playful, as well as exploring darker emotions, the melancholy and the macabre.

Heather’s time in Russia left an indelible impression on her. For that reason, Russian words occasionally make an appearance in her art. She signs her paintings in Russian: Хезер/XE3EP (pronounced Heh-zair – that’s what her Russian friends would call her, as there is no “th” in Russian).

Heather is mother to two children and currently lives in Seattle with her husband, British born poet Phillip Mellor. Heather and Phil met several years ago, when their mutual love of art and poetry happened to bring them to the same tiny spot in the vast digital universe. Lucky for them, they were admirers of each others work, and didn’t let that go unknown. They now spend their creative moments together, trying to figure out how to combine their talents into powerful, meaningful pieces to overwhelm the heart and mind.

Heather has created covers for three of Phil Mellor’s books: The Dark Places of Lost Things, Drawing Outside the Lines, and Other Silent Days (which also contains some ink drawings by Heather). 

See more of Heather’s work: 

Instagram: @HeatherUnderground  www.instagram.com/heatherunderground

http://heatherunderground.com

Heather Mellor – Exhibitions

• 2019 – Bathhouse Theater, Seattle, WA: “Addiction” Two person show with Kelly Lyles, Jan 24 – March 17
• 2017 – Magnuson Park Brig, Seattle, WA: Nov 18
• 2017 – Magnuson Park Gallery, Seattle, WA: Building 30 Small Works Show, Nov-Dec
• 2017 – RAW Artists Showcase, Seattle, WA: “Verse” @Studio Seven, June 14
• 2015 – Tiny Dodo Gallery, Seattle, WA: “Lost in Wonderland” Group Show, Nov – Dec
• 2015 – RAW Artists Showcase, Seattle, WA: “Exposure” @ Fremont Foundry, April 2
• 2014 – Magnuson Park Gallery, Seattle, WA: Building 30 Small Works Show, Dec
• 2014 – Magnuson Park Gallery, Seattle, WA: Building 30 Artists Group Show, July 17 – October 1
• 2014 – Phinney Center Gallery, Seattle,WA: Set Free – Brig Studio Artists Group Show, April
• 2013 – Piano Time, Shoreline,Wa: Street Piano on display at the Richmond Beach Library, August 2013
• 2013 – Wedgwood Ale House, Seattle, WA: Solo Show, March
• 2013 – North Seattle Community College, Seattle, WA: Brig Studio Artists Group Show, March – April
• 2012 – The Gallery at Town Center, Lake Forest Park, WA: The Stocking Stuffer Show, Winter
• 2012 – The Gallery at Town Center,Lake Forest Park, WA:Two person show, shared with Susan Aurand
• 2012 – Piano Time, Shoreline, WA: Street Piano project with live painting, July – August
• 2012 – Shoreline City Hall Art Gallery, Shoreline, WA:Group Show, May – July
• 2012 – Oasis Art Gallery, Seattle, WA:“Perspectives” Group Show, April 21 – July 7th
• 2011 – The Gallery at Town Center, Lake Forest Park, WA:“Home for the Holidays” Group Show, Winter
• 2011 – Mobile Espresso, Seattle, WA: Open Studio Group Show, Fall
• 2011 – The Gallery at Town Center, Lake Forest Park, WA: Open Studio Group Show, Aug. 30 – Oct. 8
• 2011 – Balderdash Books, Seattle, WA: Open Studio Group Show, June
• 2011 – North Seattle Community College, Seattle, WA: Open Studio Group Show, May
• 2011 –Sketchbook Project, Art House Co-op in Brooklyn

Awards/Recognitions/Publications

• 2013 -“Flightless” published in the book “The Devil’s Cormorant” by Richard J. King
• 2011 –Cloth Paper Scissors,“Home Sweet Home” Reader Challenge submission selected and published

Art Related Work

• 2019 – Created book cover for The Dark Places of Lost Things by Phillip Mellor
• 2017 – Created book cover for Drawing Outside the Lines by Phillip Mellor
• 2016 – Created book cover and interior art for Other Silent Days by Phillip Mellor
• 2014-15 Created work for McMenamins Anderson Schoolhouse in Bothell
• 2014 – Created wine label for Pour Life Choices
• 2013 – Designed CD cover for The Northerlies
• 2012 – Piano Time – live piano painting in a storefront
• 2012 – Created 3 large paintings for Jasper apartments
• 2011 – Participated in Art House Co-op’s 2011 Sketchbook Project
• 2010 – Completed 3 commissioned mixed media paintings