Heather A. Wilcoxon

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Heather A. Wilcoxon
Born (1947-05-08) May 8, 1947 (age 78)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationBFA, San Francisco Art Institute (1984)
MFA, San Francisco Art Institute (1988)
OccupationArtist
Known forPainting, drawing, printmaking
Websitewww.heatherwilcoxon.com

Heather A. Wilcoxon (born May 8, 1947) is an American contemporary artist known for her paintings, drawings, and prints.[1] Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, her work often addresses social and environmental themes.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Early life and education

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Wilcoxon attended the Chouinard Art Institute from 1967 to 1969. She later studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1984 and a Master of Fine Arts in 1988.[2][3][9]

Career

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After completing her studies, Wilcoxon began exhibiting her work in galleries and museums in the United States and abroad.[10] Her art is held in several public collections, including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Triton Museum of Art, and the Di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art.[1][8][11][12]

Her practice explores subjects such as politics, human behavior, and environmental issues. Over time, she developed a distinct visual language characterized by expressive forms and recurring imagery, particularly boats and waterfront scenes inspired by her surroundings in the Bay Area.[1][8][13]

Wilcoxon has received grants and fellowships from organizations including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, the Buck Foundation and the Tree of Life Foundation. She has participated in residency programs such as the Djerassi Resident Artists Program and the Stonehouse Residency Program.[1]

She has also taught painting, drawing, and printmaking at institutions including the San Francisco Art Institute, the University of California, Berkeley Extension and the College of Marin.[1][14][10]

Artistic style

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Wilcoxon often works in series and uses layered painting techniques, sometimes painting over earlier works. Her early paintings featured dark, cartoon-like imagery, later evolving toward abstraction. Drawing remains central to her artistic process.[1][3][15][16]

Awards and recognition

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Wilcoxon has received several grants and awards, including:

  • 2019 – Distinguished Women in the Arts Award, Fresno Art Museum[17][18]
  • 1999, 2003 – Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grants[9]
  • 1991, 1998 – Marin Arts Council Grants [6] [9]
  • 1998 – Djerassi Resident Artist Program Fellowship[9][19]
  • 2002 – Stonehouse Residency Program Fellowship [9]
  • Buck Foundation Grants (three-time recipient) [9][19]
  • Tree of Life Foundation Grant[9][8]

Collections

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Her work is included in the collections of:

  • Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts)[20]
  • De Saisset Museum, Santa Clara [19]
  • Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara
  • Fresno Art Museum, Fresno[19][21]
  • Di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa [11]

Selected exhibitions

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Solo and two-person exhibitions

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  • Home Alone, The Fourth Wall Gallery, Oakland, CA (2024)[22]
  • Full Circle (with Gail Spaien), Studio E Gallery, Seattle, WA (2023)[13]
  • Unsettled Waters, Studio E Gallery, Seattle, WA (2019) [13]
  • At Sea, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA (2017) [13]
  • Adrift, Jack Fischer Gallery, San Francisco, CA (2017)[23][13]
  • Dark and Humorous Mind of Heather Wilcoxon, American University, Washington, D.C. (2011)[24]

Group exhibitions

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  • Unruly, Museum of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, CA (2025)[23]
  • Figure Telling, Di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa, CA (2023)[23]
  • The Female Gaze, Jack Fischer Gallery, San Francisco, CA (2022)[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Heather Wilcoxon — studio e gallery". studioegallery.net. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  2. ^ a b url=https://www.jackfischergallery.com/cgi-sys/tempdisabled.cgi[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b c Corbin, Mary (2023-07-13). "Heather Wilcoxon's work is unafraid to be 'dark, emotional, stubborn'". 48 hills. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  4. ^ "Heather Wilcoxon: The Surface and Beneath @ BMoCA". Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  5. ^ Lasarow, Bill (2017-07-03). "Heather Wilcoxon @ Jack Fischer". Squarecylinder.com – Art Reviews | Art Museums | Art Gallery Listings Northern California. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  6. ^ a b "Heather Wilcoxon - Artist, Fine Art Prices, Auction Records for Heather Wilcoxon". www.askart.com.
  7. ^ Richard Polsky. "The Heather Wilcoxon story". www.artnet.com. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  8. ^ a b c d "Heather Wilcoxon". Ostrich Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Heathers Wlcoxon". www.galerie103.com. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  10. ^ a b "The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art opens THREE new exhibitions" (PDF). www.icasanjose.org.
  11. ^ a b "Tree of Life". treeoflifeartists.org. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  12. ^ Rosa, di. "di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa Valley | di Rosa". www.dirosaart.org. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Heather Wilcoxon | Biography". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  14. ^ "Heather Wilcoxon". Posit. 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  15. ^ "Heather Wilcoxon: At Sea - Artillery Magazine".
  16. ^ "Heather Wilcoxon: Sausalito Artist in Boulder. | elephant journal". elephant journal | daily blog, videos, e-newsletter & magazine on yoga + organics + green living + non-new agey spirituality + ecofashion + conscious consumerism=it's about the mindful life. 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  17. ^ "Distinguished Woman Artist :: Fresno Art Museum". fresnoartmuseum.org. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  18. ^ Munro, Donald (2019-07-20). "A new slate of Fresno Art Museum exhibitions battles in a bright, murky world". THE MUNRO REVIEW. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  19. ^ a b c d "Heather Wilcox - Past Featured Artist". THE FOURTH WALL. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  20. ^ "Drawing 11 from A Day in the City". FAMSF. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  21. ^ "Heather Wilcoxon: Council of... | Exhibitions | MutualArt". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  22. ^ "Past Shows". THE FOURTH WALL. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  23. ^ a b c d "Hunger – Fall 2014 (Vol. 31 #1)". Inquiring Mind. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  24. ^ "Past Exhibitions, 2011 | American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC". American University. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
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