Heather McAndress

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Heather McAndress Northwestern Woods เชœ Wildlife
๐˜—๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ด๐˜ต, ๐˜ข๐˜ง๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ฑ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ต. ๐˜‘๐˜ฐ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต โคต

We take pumpkin carving pretty seriously around here ๐ŸŽƒ I love that weโ€˜ve (mostly) kept up our annual tradition, but more...
10/16/2026

We take pumpkin carving pretty seriously around here ๐ŸŽƒ

I love that weโ€˜ve (mostly) kept up our annual tradition, but more than that, that we have these hilarious memories to look back on.

We look like kids! ...in our first apartment together, just south of Los Angeles, where our lives together were just beginning.

Highly recommend starting silly creative traditions with your loved ones ๐Ÿงก

I'm guilty of always wanting the best quality and usually most expensive tools and supplies there are. There, I said it....
10/14/2026

I'm guilty of always wanting the best quality and usually most expensive tools and supplies there are.

There, I said it.

But, without a doubt, these Swiss-made palm tools from Pfeil have been worth every single penny. The mushroom handle sits comfortably in your hand, giving complete control over fine detail. The razor sharp steel that glides through linoleum like butter, and I even got to include a custom engraving.

Can you guess what W.E. stood for at the time I had these made?

I'll give you a hint, animals and the planet -- a potential brand name that I was considering.

โ€œFor no particular reason, I just kept on goingโ€That Forest Gump quote seems appropriate. Though, I did keep going becau...
10/12/2026

โ€œFor no particular reason, I just kept on goingโ€

That Forest Gump quote seems appropriate. Though, I did keep going because, as I have come to realize, I work best when there is something of a task to complete for someone besides myself.

Most people, I would venture to guess, can relate to this -- loosing momentum when it is you that needs to jumpstart your own motivation, yet going full force when it is something being requested of you, or something you might be making for someone else.

I've come to accept this part of myself, as frustrating as it can be, and for this piece I was even able to leverage it -- finishing a beautiful portrait of Bear (my sweet baby girl) as a birthday present for my hubby.

I say, if ever there is a moment you find it hard to get-going, assign yourself the task of completing what ever it is for someone other than yourself.

Works every time.

10/09/2026

Elephants almost feel like mythical creatures to me, like I might faint in the presence of one.

Itโ€™s hard to imagine witnessing an elephant in person, and when the day comes, I know it will affect me deeply.

Practicing this print on handmade deckled edge cotton paper. I wasn't sure I would like the texture, but to my surprise I really do.

What do you think?

When I started this art journey a few months ago, a part of me was waiting for inspiration to strike, but I quickly real...
10/06/2026

When I started this art journey a few months ago, a part of me was waiting for inspiration to strike, but I quickly realized that you have to just start moving, start making, start trying things -- and only then will it all begin to make sense.

It's true, the saying, "first, make it exist, then you can make it good."

While, I still don't have it all figured out, there is more sense of direction and inspiration each day that I make an effort. I'd liken it to the reawakening of a dormant sixth sense, and how itโ€˜ll gradually regenerate over time.

10/06/2026

Working on a block print series of animals native to the Pacific Northwest.

Washington's Mountain Goats live high above the tree line on alpine peaks, they spend their days on precarious granite ledges, sheltered from predators by terrain that no other large mammal can cross.

Quick sketch on this lino block before I get to carving!

I didn't know it at the time, but this was a sneak peek at what was to come ๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿˆโ€โฌ›๐Ÿฆ‰๐ŸŒฟ This weekend in particular felt uniq...
09/28/2026

I didn't know it at the time, but this was a sneak peek at what was to come ๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿˆโ€โฌ›๐Ÿฆ‰๐ŸŒฟ

This weekend in particular felt uniquely on point for the new life I had envisioned -- the full Harvest Moon in Aries with forest friends and our girls.

Seeing my simple drawings align so closely with where and how we live now only deepens my belief in tangible intention, because drawing can build a bridge between an internal idea and the physical world, giving shape to a vision long before we step directly into it.

Block printing just showed up one day during the pandemic.I donโ€™t recall the exact moment because it almost feels like i...
09/21/2026

Block printing just showed up one day during the pandemic.

I donโ€™t recall the exact moment because it almost feels like it was always there.

Carving with your hands, like many art forms, just has a way of reaching you -- that part of you that needs to breathe -- and allows for time to stand still while you quiet your mind and lock into the moment.

As it turns out, working with your hands releases dopamine, which is the same reward chemistry tied to motivation and pleasure. No surprise there ๐ŸŒฟโœจ

Sad to hear that Peter Max has passed away.He was a significant figure in the pop art movement, but also for me personal...
09/18/2026

Sad to hear that Peter Max has passed away.

He was a significant figure in the pop art movement, but also for me personally.

In high school I entered a Peter Max contest and actually won 1st place, where my work was then featured on the cover of our local newspaper.

That moment has always stuck with me, as I was a shy artsy kid who put herself out there and was really proud to have received that honor.

Peter Max's name and his work have stayed with me all these years, marking such a meaningful experience, and I think it's truly a testament to how an artist of any generation can impact a young person's life.

He certainly has left a beautiful legacy behind.

My heart goes out to his family -- may he rest in peace ๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ๐Ÿ’จ

09/16/2026

Learning how to see again ๐Ÿ‘€

While I find this whole process fascinating, rewiring your brain is no easy task.

Underpaintings challenge me to look past color and detail, training my eye to translate the world into values of light and shadow.

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Orange County, CA

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