Born outside of Pittsburgh, PA, Kate Graham Heyd was introduced to art by her father, a local architect.  They began visiting the Carnegie Museum of Art where she was first drawn to painting.  She marveled at the artists’ ability to draw the viewer into their works filled with color and light.  They continued studying the works at the Museums and began trips to the local cathedrals, where she marveled at the light-filled stained glass and the fine Gothic details of the architecture.   Kate took classes at her local art center as well as at the museums she used to frequent. These visits and classes led her to receive a BA with a concentration in Painting from Pennsylvania State University in 1995. 

 

After college, Kate moved to Massachusetts with her husband.  She traveled to Europe several times, visiting Ireland, Germany and Italy.  The Florence Cathedral’s numerous glimmering gold frescoes and immense Gothic dome as well as Germany’s quaint Bavarian towns and sun filled plazas inspired her to include more light in her paintings.

 

In her life, Kate sees change as inevitable, but feels that nature’s beauty remains constant. She feels a connection with the earth that comes from the surrounding woods and lakes, the expansive skies, and the continuous ebb and flow of the ocean.  Painting allows her to share her view of the natural world and the beauty that she finds there. By replacing the colors that she finds in nature, she offers the viewer a new perspective and a realization that change can be a positive opportunity. In her work, Kate endeavors to creatively convey her connection with nature, hoping that the viewer will identify with the painting and for that moment, be surrounded in color and light.

 

Kate is a founder of the Whitehall Artisans of Hopkinton, and a member of the Framingham Contemporary Artists Group. She has also been a member of the Westboro Gallery in Massachusetts and the Fountain Street Studios.  Her works are exhibited in various galleries and juried shows throughout Boston's MetroWest communities.  Her paintings and photographs are in private collections from the northeast and the mid-west to the west and beyond.  She currently works at Artisans Way Gallery in Concord, MA. She managed several galleries during her time in Pittsburgh and served as the director of the non-profit arts organization, Cultural Arts Alliance in Hopkinton, MA.