Heather is a senior matte painter with over 12 years of experience in the visual effects industry. Her work encompasses live-action blockbusters, animated feature films, national advertising campaigns, cutting-edge VR, and concept work. She also has taught at several universities and currently has an ongoing workshop at CGSociety.

She has worked at top studios including Walt Disney Animation, Blur Studios, Weta Digital, Matte World Digital, The Orphanage, and Rhythm & Hues. During her time at Rhythm & Hues she became Matte Department Supervisor. In doing so she was able to cross the divide between artists and technicians in order to build and adapt the department to meet new demands, as seen in the Academy Award winning film Life of Pi.

Big Hero 6 was Heather’s first time contributing to an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, while Life of Pi marked her third time contributing to an Oscar winning visual effects film. Her advertising work has gone on to win National ADDY awards, and her graduate film was screened at SIGGRAPH. Heather received an MFA from Academy of Art University, and a BFA from East Tennessee State University.

Heather was mentored and inspired early in her career by the legendary matte painters who made the leap from traditional painting to digital. She has focused on mentoring the new generation of artists to take the next leap, and evolve from digital 2D to digital 3D matte painting techniques.