Heather is a Tauranga based representational artist primarily creating landscape paintings, and some occasional portrait or botanical works. She has recently returned to art as her ‘side-hustle’ whilst also leading a successful town planning, architecture and property development consultancy and parenting three teens with her husband.  

Working in a variety of mediums, Heather’s landscape art is a celebration of nature’s power and beauty, and our connection to it. Through her use of vibrant colours, expressive brushwork and tonal contrast, her work portrays both the scale and energy of land and water. She aims to stir in the viewer feelings of excitement, wonder, appreciation and inner peace that nature so masterfully delivers.  

A secondary and developing theme of Heather’s work explores the human relationship with the natural environment, and seeks to document how we have sought to tame it. These works are often imbued with visual clues that nature in the end is more enduring and powerful. Heather views these works as a documentation of both human and physical geography, and are greatly informed by her professional practice as a planner.  

Biography: 

Raised in the scenic and rural heart of The Catlins area in South Otago, Heather’s upbringing has heavily influenced her painting subjects, work ethic and career path. The landscapes of the Tahakopa Valley and Catlins coast as well as the highly creative environment that was the Linklater family household nurtured Heather’s early drawing talent. She developed art skills from her parents and at high school, and it was during these years that she also poured through her father’s extensive National Geographic magazine collection, soaking in the articles and imagery. Her interest in the wider world led her to Hungary on an AFS student exchange programme at the age of 16. Whilst in Europe she revelled in European culture, art galleries, architecture and travel. Upon her return a year later she carried on with her education (key subjects in Art History, Painting, Printmaking and Geography) whilst boarding with an AFS family in Dunedin. She concentrated on portraiture during these years.  

Upon finishing high school, Heather decided to follow her more intellectual interest in Geography, and then entered a Bachelor of Arts at Canterbury University. In 2000 she moved to Auckland with her partner (now husband) where Heather completed her BA in Geography, followed by a Masters in Planning from the University of Auckland, and then entered the field of planning consulting. Children followed (3) and the family moved to Christchurch and then Hamilton. Heather was lucky to be a stay at home Mum for 7 years. In 2014 she returned to planning consulting and in 2018 decided to make the leap to business ownership when the family moved to Tauranga for the coastal lifestyle. She continued to paint sporadically during these years as time allowed, and now that the children are more independent is regularly producing new works and exploring her art direction.  

Exhibitions and Awards: 

2025 Craigs Aspiring Art Award Selected Artist - Wanaka, Coming up in January.

2024 ‘In the Frame’ Curated Art Expo, St John’s College – exhibit of 3 selected landscape paintings.

2024 BoP Open Studios, Tauranga – selected artist - exhibition from home studio/gallery.  

2020 Miles Art Awards Finalist, Tauranga Art Gallery, with ‘King of the Mountain’ landscape oil painting.