Artist of the Year: Heather Nelson

Heather Nelson was always a good doodler, appreciating the most basic forms of art such as scribbling images in her notebook since she was very little. However, Nelson didn’t truly discover a passion for art until later during her Exeter career. Nelson said that when she first came to Exeter she “forgot about [art] in a way,” because she was so driven to pursue math and the sciences. When asked how she got back into art, she said, “It’s funny how it kind of worked out like that. I think it’s just because after a couple years of not doing any art at all I missed it and when I took my second art class as my requirement I got more excited about it.”

This past fall Nelson spent the term working on her Art 444 project where she composed four large graphite drawings. “Only in the past few years have I really come into my own with my own artistic style,” she said. Senior Alex Zhang, who also worked on his 444 in the fall, said, “Heather was amazing to work with in 444. She always had time to help me with photoshoots, and whenever I was in a creative rut, she would help talk me out of it.”

Nelson’s inspiration for her project stemmed from her relationship with her mother who battles progressive multiple sclerosis. “The four pieces were supposed to reflect my experiences throughout my life watching and seeing [my mother’s] decline without being able to do anything about it, seeing her senses and body movements just dissipate into the way they are now.” Nelson said her work is also rich with geometric influences and mathematical constructs which appear in her images from realism to abstract geometry.

“I got my dad into shaping as well, so we’re kind of like a team now. So we’ll make boards for each other or my brother as well.”

“As an artist, Heather is constantly creating. I’m amazed by how well she can intertwine her personal story with her artwork, Zhang said.” “For instance, her 444 was extremely personal while simultaneously visually stimulating.”

Regarding her final Art 444 show Nelson said, “It’s always nice to have something in the end that you can be proud of and show for the amount of time and emotional effort that you put into it. It reaches people visually because people can look at it and feel things themselves, and that’s why I really loved doing my 444 because that’s the only real show I’ve ever done.”

Zhang expressed his appreciation for Nelson’s selflessness when working with her. “What I love about Heather is that she always has time to work with other artists as well.” Zhang explained that when writing poetry for his senior project Nelson offered to draw illustrations for each of his pieces.

“At Exeter, it’s so difficult to find time to participate in extracurriculars, let alone pursue endeavors like drawing and photography. But Heather has determination and a true passion, so she herself offered to draw for my senior project. That’s who I think a real artist is—someone who makes time for art simply because it is what they love to do,” Zhang said.

Nelson spent her winter term abroad in Callan, Ireland. One of the many reasons she chose to partake in this opportunity was because she was able to spend lots of time working in the town art center with people with special needs. “Working alongside people effected by special needs and the residents I lived with was really inspiring. Seeing what they would paint when they were told to paint something in front of them was just incredible.”

Additionally, Nelson received formal training for the first time from other artists, “which was pretty cool because I had figured out a lot of [water color technique] by myself, but it was nice to see how to get different textures,” she said.

Senior Julia Leatham, who went abroad with Nelson to Ireland, described Nelson’s creativity, “Heather is an awesome person and artist. She’s really passionate about creating arts in different, creative ways. While we were in Ireland, she found every opportunity to make art and create something new,” Leatham said.

Nelson lives near the Jersey shore where she carves surfboards. Nelson apprenticed for many months last summer under David Kaminsky, founder of Davey Sky’s Surfboards, who taught her the process of shaping different boards and their intended uses. Nelson surfs with her family and recently inspired her father to make boards with her.

“I got my dad into shaping as well, so we’re kind of like a team now. So we’ll make boards for each other or my brother as well,” Nelson said.

In addition to her craft with surfboards, Nelson began free writing over the past two years. She always carries a small leather journal and recently started writing poetry for fun. “I started really doing it this fall, almost religiously, and then in Ireland it cemented that,” she said.

Nelson wrote of things such as specific lines people said, observations she had about the world, scenes going on around her and illustrated sketches of places in passing. One influence for Nelson’s writing came from the death of her close friend and classmate, Preeya Sheth.

“I started reflecting a lot more about things rather than just going through my life because I wanted to remember a lot and analyze and reflect on the things around me because I just wanted to remember everything about [Preeya],” Nelson said. A journal allows her to write often in the pursuit of having a better understanding of her life and surrounding world.

Nelson will attend MIT in the coming fall, where she plans to major in mechanical engineering and minor in design. She also thinks architecture is a good intersection that incorporates mathematical concepts while being influenced by artistic qualities.

Prep Sophie Faliero, a fellow resident of Bancroft Hall, summed up Nelson’s artistic talent, “The abstractness of her artwork is reflected in her personality as a proctor. The advice she gives is out of the box, yet still beneficial.”