Bud Heiss Landscapes Exhibited March, 2009

      Gilbert landscape painter Bud Heiss has a signature style - perhaps best described as Sonoran Desert realism -- and the pieces he creates lean towards greens, browns and desert tones. Heiss captures the sweeping lines of desert trees such as palo verde, crucifixion thorn and mesquite in a way that will be immediately family to anyone who hikes the Peralta Trail or others in the Superstions -- or the Grand Canyon.

     Don't miss the March exhibition of Heiss' landscapes in our gallery. Ask our gift shop staff which gallery shows have received the most acclaim in recent years and they'll tell you that visitors still ask to see works by this Gilbert painter and Friends-of-the-Arboretum annual member. Bud Heiss, Sandy Tracy, Paul Mudersbach and Susan Strom have been featured artists and, by popular demand, in March 2009 we'll offer a repeat exhibit of Heiss' work, featuring new paintings of Arboretum scenes and Sonoran Desert vistas. Viewers should expect to find familiar views from around the gardens and trails: the High Trail and Queen Creek are among places which catch this artist's eye.

     "Four years ago the extent of my Arizona subject matter was a few paintings of the Grand Canyon. Now the Canyon is one of three special areas that inspire my art work, along with the Superstition Mountains and Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Painting these areas - and the subject matter that I choose - have brought me to investigate light and shadow in much more depth, leading to understanding and using color in new ways," said Heiss.

     "The Grand Canyon and the Superstition Mountain paintings all have that feel of a familiar, recognizable place to anyone that has visited those spots. The Arboretum paintings, however, are very different. Whenever I take my camera to the Arboretum I am surprised at so many of the photos that I come home with. I go there with an open mind. I ignore my preset ideas about what I "should be" looking for in subject matter and composition. I allow the area to challenge my established sense of aesthetics and suggest new ways to express my artistic vision. The Arboretum is truly stunning with all of the tree and plant varieties in so many settings," said Heiss.

                    "There's Queen Creek and Ayer Lake; interesting volcanic rock formations and sweeping mountain scenes. So many desert plants on view; some organized in man-made gardens, some in rugged natural settings. There is even the Picketpost Mansion set up on the cliff overlooking Queen creek. All this adds up to an incredibly beautiful place to experience - and to paint. Each time I visit the Arboretum I am inspired in new ways and always thankful for coming to Arizona."

          “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 OK 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 awards being at the autumn Arizona Arts Alliance show in Fountain Hills. He won "Best of Show" for his painting "Snow Angel" (shown here) and recieved the "Directors Choice Award" for the entire body of work that he exhibited at that
show.

       Works shown on this page are (clockwise from top left) "South Rim View," "Evening," "From Peralta" "The Superstitions," "Arboretum Afternoon,""Hiking the High Trail" and "Snow Angel." 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 March visitors are admitted from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and the Arboretum closes at 5:00 p.m. (during summer months hours are daily from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 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...

Timm Chapman January, 2009
Paul Kinslow December, 2008
Maggie Leef November 2008
Sharon Sieben October 2008
Nicole Royse September 2008
Gila Community College Art July-August 2008
Judy Bottler Photography May 2008
Bob Estrin Photography April 2008
Mary Isham Watercolors March 2008
Susan Strom and Cathy Franklin Lightning Photography February, 2008
Arizona State Parks Plein Air Paintings January, 2008
Carolyn Gray & Connie Thomas December, 2007
Jean Sullivan November, 2007 Sue Cullumber October, 2007
Adriane Grimaldi September, 2007
Pima College print-making students July-August, 2007
Mesa Arts League June-July, 2007
Fred Charlton May, 2007
Paul Mudersbach March-April, 2007
Linda Kaiser February, 2007
Edith Kreueger-Nye December, 2006 - January, 2007
Cindy Carrillo October-November, 2006
Bob Rice September, 2006
Bud Heiss July-August, 2006
Mesa Arts League June-July, 2006
Sandy Tracey April-May, 2006
CJ Rider March, 2006
Jessica Green February, 2006
Steve Davidson January, 2006
Don & Carole Schupp December, 2005
Carolyn Gray November, 2005
Martha Burgess October, 2005
Boeing Photographers September, 2005
Lightning Lady Susan Strom July/August, 2005
Mesa Arts League June/July, 2005
Jeanette Bronson May, 2005
Tom Stanley April, 2005
Kathy McClure February-March, 2005
Pam Smyth January, 2005
Tina Faust December, 2004